Apple 'leaving money on the table' by not releasing big-screen iPhone - Page 8

 

It's the "way" on the low end with which most people take issue.

 

 

Except they quite evidently aren't.

 

Apple does worst when it gives people exactly what they think they want.

Yea, it's buy an iPhone or dont. No one is forcing you to buy one. I think they are doing fine if you don't.

 

Yep.  There's a big difference between a 5" phone and an iPad mini...

 

 

What's ridiculous is that this kind of argument comes up every time there's a rumor of a change in screen size.   And when change does happen, the changed size always sells pretty well... because it's perfect for a certain group of people.  Everyone needs to remember that we're each not the only people in the world, and what we like, might not be what others like.

 

Yep! There is no way I will go from a 4-inch phone and "upgrade" to another 4-inch phone! Duh! And please don't give me that crap about "one-hand" operation. Nobody can hold the iPhone and "pinch-to-zoom" with ONE hand. 

 

Bring in the 5-incher please. Just today a friend showed me his Nexus 4 and the size, about 4.7 inch, is just about right. I could not believe the price, unlocked! I'm already using Gmail, Google Maps, Youtube, etc., so there is no issue as far as "eco-system" goes. There is no service provider crapware on it and Google will provide the OS upgrade directly so... Wake up AAPL.

 

Just did it. But you don't care because you already know that's not what we talk about when we say that.

 

That reminds me.  does McDonald's still sell lobster rolls in New England?

 

Wendy's has had some expensive (~$16) limited time sandwiches in Japan... such as lobster and caviar, and lobster and steak.   They helped put Wendy's in people's minds.

 

 

True, a company is not required to do everything it can.

 

Still, doing something just because you can, sometimes makes sense.  Like the way car companies sometimes make special vehicles designed to draw in customers.

It sounds like you're talking about a promotional loss-leader product that is used to attack buyers to a brand. That falls under marketing. I would bet that car companies also use such projects as R&D. Do you think Apple should produce 500 5" iPhones at $100,000 each where they still take a huge loss? In CE what marketing can be gained? When it comes to Apple what marketing can be gained?

Don't know, but there is root beer in France:



Totally off topic!

Ok but even here you have people asking for a 4.3", 4.5", 4.7", 4.8", 5". What size and price do they go with to keep everyone happy? If they make a 5" phone, people will complain that it's too big and that they want a 4.5" phone. If they make a 4.5" phone, people will complain there's nothing to compete with a Galaxy Note.

People are suggesting it would be the same price but Apple has never sold a larger display device at the same or lower price as a smaller one. Even Samsung sells the S3 Mini with the same size as the iPhone 5 at a lower price:



It has a lower spec too but they do what Apple does, which is tie the spec to the display size.

You can't use that argument alone though because without considering why they sell well, it justifies making dozens of sizes (and colors and price points for that matter). It's not about restricting choice, choice is good but issues need to be addressed.

How are they are going to sell a more expensive, lower PPI device to people?
If they enter the phablet category and increase the resolution, how do they convince developers to make compatible apps for a minority of people? It's bad enough with the iPhone 5.

A 4.3", maybe even a 4.5" model could sell at a $100 premium with a small hit to the PPI - people pay $100 for 16GB extra storage - but if it doesn't make sense from a manufacturing point of view, it won't happen and I seriously doubt that will stop everyone's friends buying Android phones with bigger screens that are cheaper or the same price as the iPhone 5.

This isn't a case of us trying to stop other people getting what they want. If someone came in asking for a neon pink or brown iPod, the answer would be the same: it's not that the desire is nonexistant, it just has to make sense for Apple to do it. There is clearly some demand for bigger but that demand is spread over a range of sizes and still doesn't match the demand for the iPhone 5 size.

I think that they want to be seen as a trend setter rather than a trend follower for brand related reasons.
 

 

Are developers not supporting the extra space on the iPhone 5?

 

Previously, changing resolutions created one of the few opportunities for developers to get their app in the limelight and actually make some money, by being one of the first to support a new screen.

 

There's a difference between changing resolutions and adding resolutions. The people that actually want a 5" phone represent under 10% of the market. The uses for such a product are even fewer. Why build a product for them, much less software?

Slowly but it's only been out for a short time. There is a list here with apps that have been updated for it:

http://appshopper.com/search/?cat=&platform=ios&device=all&sort=update&dir=desc&search=%22iphone+5%22&whatsnew=1

It's at 1000 apps so far but that might not be an exhaustive list. This sort of thing has to be done for Android too and when you get unoptimized apps like you see in the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8EAHIpg6ck8#t=2046s

it leaves the large black bars round the edges. This was a problem when the iPad arrived because loads of apps were just pixel-doubled.

It can create a 'gold rush' when there's enough demand for the new device but as you can see with the iPhone 5, it's selling like crazy and developers just aren't racing to update apps because it's not like they can really charge more for it. It's no longer a case where they can add 'HD' and charge for it again, it's just more work.

If there's money to be made, Apple will get in. It won't replace the 4" model.

 

The uses are definitely there.  For a portable internet device, a lot of us want the biggest screen we can carry in a pocket.  (Heck, a 4.6" screen fits easily even in all my shirt pockets.)

 

As for the number who "want" them, I suspect that many people don't know what they want until they're offered a choice.   Just as a mini iPad appeals to a lot of people, I and others think a larger iPhone would.

 

 

Thanks for the informative reply!

 

There's money to be made with a 3.5" model. It was replaced. There's money to be made in one with a physical keyboard. "Apple will get in"? Ha!

 

There's money to be made in wrist-wearable iPods. It was replaced. If the iPod family is supposed to be the crowning example of "Apple will eventually make an iPhone to fill the imagined needs of everyone who pretends to have them", why do they so often NOT fill these needs?

First, we have investors and analysts telling Apple on what they should do with the money they have accumulated and now those same set of people are telling on Apple's product strategies - What do this people think? They now know how to build products and be innovators! Next they are going to tell Hospitals on how to take care of patients and do surgeries. Please give me a break!

Apple needs to think of iPhone a mobile computer, and like a Mac, there should be an option to fully customize.
Options:
Processor: A6, A6X, etc.
Screen Size: 4", 5", 6"
Memory: 16,32,64,128G
Camera: 8, 16 Megapixel, Carl Zeiss lens, etc.
*Case: various color & material options

* There is an opportunity here for 3rd party options to be available. Maybe something more industrial, military grade, limited edition designs, ultra luxury - diamond studded, gold plated, platinum.

 

Apple isn't Dell. No.

I mean, you're probably one of the first to come up with something like this, and I see what you're trying to do with it. But they're not Dell. The Apple that made a different computer for "everyone" is the Apple that almost went bankrupt.

The physical keyboard is not iOS. And by "money to be made," I meant large amount of money for a mass produced item. If the numbers for 4.5+ inch phones are remotely true, Apple will investigate

If apple made a watch sized nano with Bluetooth, I'd be carrying one less device. If apple made a bigger iPhone i'd consider it, but only if it had a higher pixel count. If its just the same resolution with slightly larger pixels, I'll stick with the 4" form factor. But I don't see apple releasing yet another pixel count, there's no way.

I like your idea. You can also get rid of the whole ipod line if you make a cellular radio as an option.

Next thing, if you make the iOS resolution independent, you can get rid of iPad as sub-OS.

And you will end up with a fully configurable i-device product line with screen sizes 4, 5, 6, 8, 10:
common idustrial design, components, OS, simple marketing. Sooner or later lazy Apple will have to do it but it will take them at least 2 years to get there from the start. Well, unless they hire you and me

Currently Apple has no leadership and vision: retina iPad Mini and plastic iphones are all we getting this year??? And they don't know what to do with all that cash? Meh...

Where is bezel-less iPhone/ipad? Where is expansion into appliances, living room and car infotainment?

I always liked the idea of a wrist watch as controller for a phablet or even stand alone phone.

Purse phone, pure and simple. That is what we are talking about here.  Very large numbers of women never go anywhere without a purse.  The larger screen is easier to use and see and it fits easily in the purse.  Why ignore this market segment?  I would like to see numbers on phablet sales and how many are to women.

A year ago, I would have been against a separate, larger iPhone. Now, I'm not. I've realized it's all about iOS, the app ecosystem, and iCloud integration. This is the core of Apple's iOS devices. Splitting the iPhone into 2 sizes would not cause any significant fragmentation, as long as resolution/aspect ratio remained the same, and it would have a whole host of advantages, offering a larger option to those who want/need it, and countering pretty much all the 'wow' factor of competing Android phones which I believe is almost entirely due to size. If there was a 4.7" iPhone or so, it may very well be my 1st choice. This isn't Apple playing "catch-up" or "copying" as some drooling Apple-haters might call it, but simply expanding their product line, as they've done with pretty much all their previous products. I mean, you can only make the screen smaller or larger, and smaller obviously isn't an option. As to which phone Apple will advertise as their "main" one, thats the question. Calling the current iPhone the iPhone mini and the larger one the regular iPhone, as the iPad, would be the cleanest and most consistent in terms of branding, but not sure they'd want to go that route.

There's also the fact that every mm inside a phone is precious. It's amazing what Apple has done with the limited space inside the iPhone 5 compared to larger phones, and with all the extra space they could do some incredible things with battery life, etc.
Edited by Slurpy - 2/9/13 at 10:27am

I don't like phablets but I agree about just making the iPad mini have call features to satisfy those who do. Done.

Also, the Nexus 4 looks tempting, and I've been a long-time hardcore Apple fan.

 

Probably the worst idea I've heard this year. Oh God. In what world do you live, in that customizable devices lead to success? Believe it or not, consumers don't WANT to make so many damn choices when buying a phone. What the hell does the average consumer know about an A6 vs A6X? Or what lens they should choose? All it will do is confuse the **** out of people and reduce buying certainty. Not to mention increasing supply chain and manufacturing complexity to an exponential degree. Not to mention exponentially increasing fragmentation and app performance for developers.  Do you honestly think giving the megapixel and cpu options will increase sales? Or that it's worthile for Apple to manufacture 200 variations of the iPhone?  This is a closed device. It's like people like yo have learned absolutely NOTHING from Apple's success the past decade.  

". This isn't Apple playing "catch-up" or "copying" as some drooling Apple-haters might call it" It is called living with reality. That reality is that small phones are OK for low usage, and a complete pain for anything more. Siri was Apple's chosen answer but the public has not quite taken to it.