Next-gen iPhone rumored to arrive in fall 2012 with LTE 4G, 3.5-inch screen - Page 4

Let me just also say that if Apple manages to get a 4" screen in roughly the same footprint as the current iPhone I'll welcome it, and that doesn't require some stupid "I hated it until Apple did it now I think they invented it" bullshit which some posters seem to rely on so heavily as their go-to straw man.

I don't want a 4.5" or 5" iPhone, although if that's all that's on offer I guess I'd suck it up, since I don't have much interest in Android or WP at the moment (juries still out on WP). Big screen is great for some stuff, but carrying it around with me at all times isn't one of them. I have to shake my head at the 'droidheads sagely informing me of how a 5" phone fits nicely into their "jacket pocket" as if I'm going to be wearing a jacket at all times. I keep my iPhone on my person like a set of keys, and I typically barely know it's there. I like that, I guess because I'm a mindless fanboy.

Most of the people here seem to associate bigger screen with a bigger phone.
But givingi Phone edge-to-edge screen would make it possible to fit 4.6" even keeping the same round corners! Sure the home button as we know it has to go.

I'm sure this has been discussed, but much over 4" and (for my hand at least) the screen gets hard to operated one-handed. Arc of the thumb sweep and all.

Not sure about the ergonomics of edge to edge either. It's not as severe as a tablet, since you generally aren't gripping a phone in both hands by the edges, but there isn't much more than an 1/8" of space on either side of the current iPhone screen, so you're pretty much talking about making the screen just longer-- which is the worst case scenario for one hand operation.

This concept can only work if 1) the Home Button is moved to the side or back, and 2) if they still keep the same same pixel density so the 960x640 iPhone apps will still fit on screen.

But lets consider what this does. We still have a very different design that comes with a lot of cons and very few pros. Do customers really want the Home Button on the side? Will Apple move from the squared design to a beveled one that makes this even more difficult in the future? Is putting a button on the back feasible?

Are iPhone sales suffering because there they aren't using enough of the front panel? Would customers want more of the front used or to make the iPhone smaller?

Now I can see a case for a 4" iPhone and I can see how there are people that want the display wider but you have to think about it from Apple's PoV. After all they are the ones making the phone. Do you really see Apple following the vendors who are doing much worse than they are just so they can say "Look, we have 16:9 and 4.6" phones, too." and at the possible expense of destroying their successful iPhone App Store to do it? I don't think so.


PS: MS is trying something different with their Win8 Metro UI. It's very similar to their WinPh UI but it's not the same code base and WinPh, as good as it is, has no market to leverage people getting on-board with it on Win8.

This could be very bad for MS to take a successful and well known interface and force people to start over. If you feel you're being forced to start anew then they might just choose OS X. At Apple has shown that making their UIs familiar is a way to encourage sales. You build off your success, you don't radically change it just because a few say it feels old and stale.

It's amazing that Apple wouldn't provide a f$cking choice! I can buy a 13", 15" or 17" laptop. I'm 6'4" have big hands and wear glasses. I'd like a bigger screen, a much bigger screen, and I'd prefer Apple to provide me with the option to buy one. I'd even pay more for it over a 3.5"one, but give me the option. Many men would like a bigger phone and it's showing up more and more in surveys. Not everyone will like, but it's becoming a preference for a majority of men.

n. I'dl

Mindless with small hands it seems

Nothing wrong with a bigger screen. I had a Samsung note in my jeans pocket recently and it was just fine.

It's a preference. Apple should offer the maker a choice of screen sizes and they'd displace a lot of larger androids.

1) 94% of the world's population are under 6'2".

2) Using a windowed UI as an argument for windowless UI is silly.

3) Apple does gives you a choice. What you're arguing is that Apple shouldn't have a choice in the matter. Because you want something a company should do it. That's not capitalism, that communism.

Did you mean to say 94% of the world's population is less than 6' 2"?

I'm interested in an LTE iPhone for two reasons. First, the existing iPhone is fragile. I'd like to see Apple ruggedize it a bit. Second, with LTE it isn't the speed, it's the reception -- 700MHz avoids clashes with towers from other carriers (e.g. Sprint) that I've had trouble with, and it carries farther.

I'm not so sure about a bigger display. Four inches makes it easier to type and text on the phone but anything bigger doesn't fit in my hand. I'd long been hoping that someone in the Android world would produce a phone that measures up in design to the original Droid (3.7 inch display, almost Retina-like clarity, same footprint as iPhone) but the Droid 4, Razr Maxx and Galaxy Nexus simply don't deliver because they're too big and the displays aren't bright and clear enough. If something doesn't happen before my Droid conks out, I'll have to get an iPhone 4S.

These were the same technogeek sites that were whining about the screen and design of the iPhone 4S when it was unveiled, and the mainstream media picked up on this undercurrent of "disappointment" in the 4S and started re-running the story, questioning whether Apple had blown it. Then, a funny thing happened: The buying public, the real majority of people who don't follow tech sites like Slashdot or AppleInsider or what-have-you, started buying the iPhone 4S in droves, making it Apple's best seller. To me, that underscores the opinion bubble that technogeeks like gwmac (and others, not to single that person out) surf in on the Web. Whether we're Apple or Android fans. We think everyone else is like us, and we visit websites that seem to affirm our point of view. I don't rely on polls from these sites to tell me whether people want a bigger screen or not. Those polls just reflect the thoughts of a vocal community, who think their opinions are shared by everyone.

Hear hear.

Done and done, seriously though why wouldn't Apple make a larger screen model. The entire industry has moved on except Apple. Sure they will still sell a bagillion of them if they decided to stay with that archaic screen size but I won't be one of those buyers. I can't, not after owning a Samsung Galaxy Note as my business phone and Nokia N9 as my personal phone.

They could easily fit a 4" screen on the current chasis, just need to loose the silly idea that we need a dedicated home button. A gesture or even screen buttons can replace that huge space under the screen and give us a larger screen size. Doesn't anyone feel like the iPhones small rezsolution is starting to feel a little cramped, there's like no white space.

It doesn't matter at the moment I moved on after Apple released the 4S. I didn't want to buy the same phone twice, sure the specs were better but I get bored of a design quickly. plus I really wanted the last Unicorn, the gorgeous and rare white Nokia N9 64GB, my firm also replaced our Blackberry's with the Samsung Galaxy Note. So yea I'm pretty set. However I buy my phones out right instead of getting them with contract as I want them unlocked and it's cheaper in the long wrong, so if Apple releases a 4" I would happily buy one as I really want to preserve the Nokia N9 as a collectors item. Man that phone is perfect in every way, it's a shame you guys in the US will never get to see one up close.

Because a larger and larger phone was something that was a normal evolution of tech and not a reaction to Apple's dominance with the normal smartphone design.


Now it's an archaic screen size. So not only is Apple incompetent they are old fashioned. You're like one of those people that said the iPad would fail because they use the archaic 4:3 aspect ratio.


So the Galaxy Note is 5.3" and the Nokia N9 is 3.9" or less than the width of the iPhone... yet somehow the iPhone is too small and too big at the same time. Bottom line: there is nothing Apple could ever do to satisfy you... except fail miserably.


So having no button to return to a universal starting point is a fault. Got it!


Because it's perfectly sane and rational to not want a more powerful device if it looks the same¡ What kind of ADHD comment is that?


Funny who you pooh-pooh iOS for its icon grid yet that is exactly what Meego has. It's a poor man's version of iOS except without any refinement, ecosystem or decent App Store but since it's not-Apple it's "perfect."

Fraking trolls!

Yea Fraking trolls, lets get them. Why couldn't you find a picture of the white one? Oh that icon arrangement that you see on that picture looked like that waaaay before Apple came out wth the iOS. I have a Nokia Communicator 9510 that has the same exact icon layout, where did you think Nokia got it from, Apple, uuuh no. Meego is nothing like iOS, there is nothing about that OS that resembles iOS in any way. Your just assuming, you never had the chance to play with one as it's not for sell in the US.

Why wouldn't I want a new phone with a different design. I'm a women, I like pretty things but I'm also a geek and it was only logical that I would buy a phone that was rare, beautifully designed, based off of Debian and is one of the only mobile OS's besides WebOS with true multitasking.

As for the Galaxy Note, well I had no choice, it was given to me by my company but after having one for the last three months. Well, I think I will stick with this screen size and stylus for business. It's the best business phone on the market today just my opinion.

I had a iPhone 4, I liked it a lot but you know everyone has one. So when the iPhone 4S came out I didn't want to spend another year with the same phone, been their done that. I also didn't want an Android phone as I had the Note so I bought the Nokia Lumia 800, love it still use it. However when the white Nokia N9 came out I fell head over heals for it and bought that one. Then I learned Nokia was only making 3,000 of the white version, well then I really had to have the last unicorn.

Apple has been stuck at 3.5" since it's release, so yes it's archaic and they need to get with the times especially with such a small rez. They could easily fit a 4" in the current body size

I buy pretty much every Apple product that comes out, I am not a troll just a tech lover. You are a jerk and a bully, everyone who I've talked to in private also thinks so. You have no friends here you are actually the troll here by attacking people personally and you don't even realize it. I understand you think Apple can't do any wrong but please don't force you ideology onto us. I've said this before to you, Apple is a multi billion dollar company that doesn't care about you, they just want you money. So please stop being their self appointed protector, it's stupid and annoying.

I only talk negative about inanimate objects not people but you are forcing this negativity out of me because I think you get off on it, shame on you. It's just a piece of plastic with wires, get over it.

Not all apps need a single thumb and not all apps need full/wide screen. But different kinds of apps may happily coexist in a single device.
If I use a dial pad, 4.6" screen would be an overkill so I am fine if it is confined within 3.5" area.
However if I watch hd video, 3.5" is silly.
I would also prefer to browse with as much real estate as possible.

I don't think people realize how much width the 3:2 aspect ratio screen on the iPhone gains when you make it bigger.

Android phones gain height mostly when the screen grows.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs.
remember he left this world, the day after the 4s launch.

Fortunately much of the consumer base hasn't moved on, which is what actually matters.


See, this is where you're completely wrong and will always be.


See, this is why your opinion is completely invalid.


They don't care about that, though. They want Apple to move to 16:9 for whatever ludicrous reason.

So the usefulness of the device has no baring on your choice but having an external design does and yet you don't understand how such a comment makes your post look shallow and irrational when trying to relay a technical point.


I don't buy everything Apple or anyone else releases. I buy what I want when it fits my needs. If Apple were to release products that were less attractive to my needs than other vendors then I would stop purchasing products from Apple. It's that simple.


You're the one who constantly attacks me with ad homeniems. I attack your comments not you. I don't pull punches simply because your claim to be a girl or posting from a hospital bed. If you want some one to coddle you and tell you that your comments make sense when they don't that won't be me. I treat you exactly how I want to be treated if I were to make a series of comments that made no absolutely no sense.

As for friends you clearly don't pay attention.


even more proof you don't pay attention.


You've called me a bully, jerk and troll who has no friends in this one pos where I have made only general comments or specifically decimated your weal arguments. So you don't even keep track of your posts or you you're calling me an inanimate object. Good one¡

If I let your comments slide you would post more of them. That would reduce the quality of the board. By not treating you like a child by praising all the foolish things you write you will learn to think more thoroughly before you write. This benefits everyone, but especially yourself. I expect the same from every member of this and other forums.

This forum and its posters have taught me valuable skills over the years. I've learned to be more analytical, logical, methodical and systematic when I think about technology. I wouldn't trade that for anything. I appreciate the posters here and you won't find a tech-based forum anywhere that has as many in-depth conversations on as many topics. If you wish to participate you will actually learn something... and be better for it. The choice is up to you.

It's probably black glass for a reason. You can't just take a look at the exterior and assume a couple parametric changes can be executed well. Extending the display has consequences. To extend the screen down means you'd have to shrink the home button, with likely ergonomic issues. Also, displays do have thickness, to extend the screen up means thickening the phone to accommodate the back camera, among other things.

Why do you need to buy a new phone every year?


I think you're making things up. It's easy to string words together, but I've seen no evidence to back up such statements to make them valid. Complaints made against him are rare.

Solip generally makes rational arguments. This response of yours is not a rational response, it looks more like you're making an angry response because you're not convincinb. You might as well say something about his mother or his upbringing to round it out.


Don't blame other people for your responses.

BS. People have been wanting a bigger screen for many, many versions of the iPhone at this point. A larger screen would be better, and to think apple can't do that better than the android manufacturers have, by not making it a massive PHONE itself, is selling the company short.

People who don't want a bigger screen are misguided. They don't hate a bigger screen they just don't want a bigger phone. With an unchanged or very slight change in footprint, you'd have to be a complete idiot to say that a bigger screen would not be better. As the phone becomes more and more the center of people's computing overall, I think the need for a larger screen is real, and has real benefits, and is not some "fad" or marketing gimmick.

I'm sure there were people saying why in world would anyone need a larger screen in laptops, or the iMac.

As I read this thread some of the comments from the entrenched sound like pure lunacy in reasoning that the screen cannot or should not be increased in size. There are legit reasons for a person to not want a larger phone, but few people are using them, most of what I'm reading is pure mindless drivel. I see why it's been some time since I was on these boards.

Christ this ridiculous thread will keep me away for another few months.

Who are 'people'? People here? Sure, you see that. People in the world? Apparently not so much.


Larger ≠ better.


I never said that.


Or maybe we just don't want a big screen.


Or maybe we just don't want a big screen.


Guess I'm a complete idiot! I always imagined, but it's nice to have confirmation from… one guy.


Ah, but the phone isn't. The tablet is. And there's your big screen. And it'll get even bigger, not smaller.


Were there? I can see that back in the CRT days, and back then they had good reason to think that, but since LCDs became standard, have there really been people questioning screen size?


If you can't come to terms with the fact that some people just might not want the exact same things as you, should you really be bothering with this at all?

You nailed it!

If big screens were that important the 3GS would not have outsold ALL big screen android phones last year. It beat everyone.

Maybe people just want their phone to be a phone and not a tablet.

I am not opposed to a 3.7" or 4" tops. Over that is in obnoxious android territory.

I hear this "phone not a tablet" argument over and over again which is not an argument really if the form factor is kept the same. I guess for you special 10-15% people who love their small screens apple could do full screen option easily turned off?

Seriously what would you people really miss with wide / edge-to-edge screen? Is the that really all about the archaic home button?

One could argue that people want a larger phone, the way you're not opposed to one, but that iOS, the App Store ecosystem, and other HW aspects of the iPhone are so strong that a larger display isn't the most important factor to consider. Now that I've stated it I can say that sums be up completely.

I've said before that I'd like a larger display so long as I can still sweep the display with my thumb as effectively. I've also run the numbers and about 4.0" is about the maximum I think it could become with the same aspect ratio and still retaining their Retina Display definition for a 960x640 display for someone with 20/20(6/6) vision from 12" away.

3438 x (1 ÷ 288.44 PPI) = 11.92"

That of course requires the side bezel and/or side thickness/curvature to be lessened to accommodate. That barely makes it and I wonder if that would be acceptable for Apple. It's also the simplest for them and developers which translate into an easier transition for users.

Now if they wish to scrap all that and use a higher PPI they need to use a higher resolution. I calculate that 4.1" is about the maximum when using the same aspect ratio and trying to keep the thumb sweep about the same. Again, that would also need the bezel and/or side thickness/curvature to be adjusted to accommodate the thumb sweep.

If Apple is going add a new resolution and display size to their SDK and App Store then why not add a new aspect ratio. That said, I don't see Apple going this route in the same year they added a new resolution for the iPad. I think that is putting too much burden on the devs which would translate into a poor user experience for consumers.

PS: As previously noted in the thread one solution to get around this would be to use the same PPI as in the current iPhone and then just center the old iPhone apps until they can be updated. This would be a work around but historically Apple doesn't like workarounds, they like solutions. I figure they don't want devs to get comfortable with 'OK' solutions when they can help it.

I enjoy the 4S but seriously, it's time for a bigger screen. The current iPhone is a great size if your a 16yr old girl.
In all seriousness though I would drop my 4S in a heartbeat if Apple would just step up the screen size just a smidge.

Nevertheless this is exactly what they need to do to make everyone happy: users, developers, press.
And how about 2x mode for iPhone apps running on iPad? Was it a workaround or solution?

I appoligize if I upset anyone with my posts. I didnt mean to make anyone angry or call people names. Sometimes I forget how much Apple means to people. I have been fighting breast cancer for the last year and a half and I've been buying gadgets like their going out of style. I'm trying to do ten years of stuff in one year. So I have a lot of oppions when it comes to Apple vs. OTHERS.

What I found by doing something that I wouldn't normaly do when I was well is other companys make pretty great products to. On par with Apple's quality if not better in some cases.

I used to be a die hard Apple person and still own a quite of few Apple products that is why I still hang around here. I had a iPhone 4 to for a while, nice phone not many complaints but when the 4S came out I was already bored of the looks and OS. I'm sorry it's just my silly oppinion, you can't customize iOS, you can't give it a personality. So when I saw the Nokia N9 the last of its kind, Debian based, full multitasking, ultra rare white, pretty beyond belief, well it appealed to me more the continueing on with the what was basicly the same phone just better specs.

I hope this kind of explains my behaviour, I'm not all there at the moment to, I've had multiple operations in the last 2 weeks and I'm on morphine to boot. Plus I'm really angry at the world and really scared at the same time.

So again please for forgive my ramblings. Sometimes it's also hard for me to properly get my point across as English is not my 1st or even my 2nd language. I'll be more carefull in the future with my oppinions.

And they may deem that or some other solution as the best move going forward. There are many factors to consider here.

I don't mind when people say they think Apple will make a larger iPhone because of x, y, z or that they personally want a larger iPhone, but I do take issue when people state egocentric and ultimately irrational reason for why Apple should do as they say. (Not saying you, jason98, have done that).


That was certainly an exception. Note that even after the iPhone 4 came out that even at 2x iPhone apps on the iPad still don't use the 960x640 resolution to display in 2x mode. They finally due on the iPad (3) but it's also using the same 4:1 pixel rendering instead of doing a 16:1 rendering when using 2x. I think that was a clear sign from Apple that they didn't want you to get comfortable with iPhone apps on the iPad.

I don't think you get to be snarky with out-of-your-ass made up stuff like "10-15% people who love their small screen."

Again, the iPhone sells in enormous numbers, even if it can't outsell 50 models of Android phones all by itself. You're free to imagine that all of those people are just gritting their teeth and enduring the iPhone's "small screen" because they like other things about the platform, but the burden of proof is on people claiming that everyone loves a big screen.

Also, "archaic home button"? Half the people posting here are so full of shit I'm surprised they can figure out how to work the internet.

Well then thankfully I have my posting for dumbings book with me. The Home Button isn't archaic but the size it takes up is. It's a quarter of the front panel, so why couldn't we have a software Home Button. Extend the screen to the bottom maybe even edge to edge and then we would all be happy. Those apposed to a larger screen do to it might increase the size of the phone would be happy and those wanting a larger screen would also be content.

Why post so many false statements? What do you gain from it?

• Home Button takes up 1/4 of the front panel.
  
• Remove the Home Button from the front panel and we'd all be happy.

You also haven't considered how this would affect apps, Apple, 3rd party devs, and consumers. Until you take everything into account and comeback with a cogent game plan that would have some real world sense everything you're writing sounds like nonsense.

Pro tip: Every change affects something else. Every change affects has pros and cons. You need to at least attempt to address these to show that you've actually thought about the issue instead of crying foul on Apple for actually planning well.

how about results of the poll of 66k participants most of them likely current iPhone users?

http://9to5mac.com/2012/03/23/imore-...r/#more-155037

Only 13% with you. So it is not "out-of-my-ass" but rather right into yours.

I guess I gain just as much as you do from trying to convince people that Apple wont or needs to change their screen size from 3.5" to at least 4", You do know that's it's going to happen don't you. There is no way they will stay at 3.5", the 4S is the last model with that screen.

Yes I probably was exaggerating it's more like 9/20, as is the top speaker, a waste of space which ever way you look at it.

First of all, internet-based polls are not a good measure of the public at large because the participants aren't randomly selected. It more like an online petition with options.

Secondly, I did that poll and choose the most commonly selected answer "a 4" iPhone in a larger case" but I did so as the best option in the poll because what I want is not an option. That is a 4" iPhone that is essentially the same size.

Finally, do the people taking the poll understand what is involved with a larger display on a non-windowed OS? Do those that want a 4.3" iPhone realize how wide that would be compared to 4.3" phones with 16:9 displays? Do they even understand how and why the aspect ratio an thumb sweep matter? The poll certainly doesn't explain any of the cons involved, it's just pressing the pros.



All I know is that I'd like a 4"-ish iPhone providing the size is equivalent. Unfortunately, and to my everlasting regret, my desires don't run the world so I have no idea what Apple will do but there are some things incan under based on some known elements. Those have already been well well detailed in this thread as speculation, but not fact.

As I've stated above, moving to a 16:9 display without changing the physical size of the iphone itself will leave ~13mm on the top and bottom of the phone, which is more than enough to fit the home button there without having to shrink it at all.


and again, I have to ask, what is wrong with a 16:9 display on a phone, given that:
1) It will leave more than enough room on the top and bottom of the phone for your home button and your other 'features'
and
2) You make no sacrifices in the width of the display at all?

I think it takes more than a cursory look on the exterior to make a qualified opinion on that. There is no wasted space inside the device. Just take one apart for yourself to see, I've done that myself four times. It's not just the speaker. The vibration motor, speaker, front & rear cameras, headphone jack, a button, a switch, theIR head detection and circuit board with connectors are all in that "wasted" space.


But there's also a lot more down there than just the home button. It's a very tightly packed device. Extending the screen like that while constraining the overall size means maybe losing as much as a cubic centimeter in total volume, because the display has thickness.

Have you considered what a new aspect ratio would do to apps, devs and consumers?
Have you considered what a Home Button closer to the bottom edge would do to the usability when trying to be used by the thumb when placed in the hand?
Have you noticed how the iPod Nanos became harder to navigate with one hand as they continually moved the scroll wheel farther down to accommodate a larger display?
Can you see in this mockup how this would make for a worse user experience, not a better one to have the scroll wheel at the very bottom?

Here is an example of a quality mockup.

While probably not technically achievable at this time and possibly hurts certain aesthetics Apple likes it does address many of the issues being overlooked in this thread. Most notable are, it's still a 3:@ aspect ratio, it's achieving a 4" display while not making the size larger, it's elongated the Home Button and tapered which is better for various sized hands, and it moves the display up so that the Home Button doesn't have to be pushed to the bottom edge.

If you are going to make a case for a 16:9 iPhone you have to address the current aspect ratio, the SDK and app store, the transition for devs and consumers to the new aspect ratio, and the resolution and PPI. Without even trying to figure out how the logistics will work shows you aren't doing your due diligence... and certainly not creating a winning argument.