They can differentiate by making the iPhone 5 look like the flagship Android device?
They would differentiate the next iPhone from the previous iPhone and from most other phones as well. As for the Nexus using the curved screen at present, there is no guarantee it will still be around when the new iPhone debuts. In addition, the iPhone will be different from that phone in other ways. (It may not have the same kind of curve, for one thing, but of course the iPhone has many other important differences.) Also consider that, frankly, most people will see this design (if it happens) in the new iPhone for the first time. Apple has far more marketing clout than any other single smartphone company. Even if the average person has seen a Nexus at some point, when Apple does it the design will be associated with iPhones, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elroth
And the amount of reflections will double, and it'll be harder to move the phone where there's no glare.
I saw a video of the Nexus in action. Didn't see any glare there. Until someone demonstrates that this HAS been an issue with curved glass in the past, it's a non-issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpcg
An Android Fanboy once told me "Oh my god, don't buy an iPhone! Those hard aluminum and glass edges will hurt you after you hold the iPhone for longer than 10 minutes. I got myself an Samsung Galaxy with a nice curved back. You can hold it without hurting yourself". LOL
Bingo. That's the concept. And I think it's a GOOD concept, if done properly. (If done IMproperly it seems kind of greasy somehow.) On its track record, I have hope that Apple can do this properly.
Sounds possible .. for 2012 when the 5th generation iPhone comes out. 2011 is A5 processor, more memory and a universal chipset. Everything else is still in the lab.
How about a touch sensitive rear glass for basic touch gestures with your index finger for such things as scrolling, back , forward , zooming etc,...
How about a touch sensitive rear glass for basic touch gestures with your index finger for such things as scrolling, back , forward , zooming etc,...
I think if this were the case users would have to be too careful how they hold it when talking so as not to cause an accidental button press. Likewise, if this could be remedied, I still don't see an upside to the design. I would rather touch and interact with what I am seeing on the front, not the backside. You can't drag an icon or press a button to launch if you cant see it. I'm not a fan of blind scrolling.
And the amount of reflections will double, and it'll be harder to move the phone where there's no glare. Depending on how much curve there is, of course. Hopefully it'll be much less curve than the old iPod Nano,
That was my worry as well when I first read the title. But unlike the old iPod the glass, this sketch shows glass that's concave, not convex. In theory this would actually reduce the glare angles, although I would expect not by much.
I'm not sure how much credence I give this rumor though. Games are best played on a flat screen. If there's going to be any curve to the next gen, it will be very subtle.
I love the curved screen on my dell venue pro. makes touch screen typing 10x better than it was on the iPhone. Also looks classy like an expensive watch.
I have a few things to clarify about the next iphone.
It is my opinion apple is designing two iphones at the same time. ( they may do this regularly). i believe that iphone 6 will be released in june as we are used to with LTE. Iphone 4s. is in september.
the names are based on generation models. 3Gs has the same body design as the 3G so it has a derivative of the same name. 4s means it will have the same body type as The 4
The reason why the iphone is being delayed to september IMO has nothing to do with phone design or with supply shortages. Apple has post-poned the iphone 4s to september so it can sync verizon and A&TT back into the one iphone model and one IOS 5.
It is my opinion apple is designing two iphones at the same time. ( they may do this regularly). i believe that iphone 6 will be released in june as we are used to with LTE. Iphone 4s. is in september.
I can see Apple releasing two iPhone types this year, but I?d think the main differentiator would be the display size, even though the larger display could allow for the added internal space for a viable LTE design.
A larger display would mean developers would need time to optimized using the new SDK so we might get to know about this months in advanced now that idealized apps are the focal point of these app phones.
I can see Apple releasing two iPhone types this year, but I?d think the main differentiator would be the display size, even though the larger display could allow for the added internal space for a viable LTE design.
A larger display would mean developers would need time to optimized using the new SDK so we might get to know about this months in advanced now that idealized apps are the focal point of these app phones.
Sorry, You misunderstand, i meant june 2012 for iphone 6.
I was assuming the curved glass along the side edges, so it wrapped around. This would allow for better aerial reception and get rid of the trouble with the grip issue. (front stays flat)
I'm confused by this article, but maybe someone here can set me straight. The article mentions the nexus S as a comparison for curved glass. I really don't know anything about it, so I did an image search. According to the pictures, the glass display doesn't look curved, yet the article above concerns a curved glass display, which made me think of something like the illustration above. Which one is it, curved back, or curved display? Or was I just not looking closely enough at the nexus S?
I have a hard time seeing apple using a curved display for the phone. It's a neat idea, but would there be complaints about picture viewing, and games? I can see the concavity offering ease of use for the arch swing of the thumb...but I never saw this as an "issue" that needed to be solved. Have I completely misunderstood?
Thoughts? I'm intrigued but skeptical.
The nexus S display itself isn't curve, but the glass on top of it is curved very slightly from top to bottom. They call it a 'contour display.' Some people love the ergonomics of it (having played with a nexus s, it feels very comfortable in the hand), some people hate the disconnect between the flat screen and the curved glass.
The latest rumor from Apple's supply chain in Taiwan is that the fifth-generation iPhone will have a curved glass cover for its touchscreen display.
...
I too do not see what user experience advantage a curved screen brings.
Looking at the last iPod nano tall, with the curved back and screen, there was no advantage, IMO, to the curved screen.
Actually, it just made it worse, almost guaranteeing that there would always be some part of the screen that would catch glare reflection.
Aside: the curved back on any iDevice are a disaster, IMO, as it makes it impossible to lay it flat on a table to press any buttons with one hand. Sigh.
The Apple iDevice development now is seeming more like automobile model year changes from years back - more fins, less fins, more lights, more chrome, less, rounded, squareish, rounded again -- just so you will buy the new 'cooler' 'in' design.
Whatever happened to the idea of making the device so that it could be maximally user-friendly?
Oh right, that's not a rule in the designer's department.
I too do not see what user experience advantage a curved screen brings.
Looking at the last iPod nano tall, with the curved back and screen, there was no advantage, IMO, to the curved screen.
Actually, it just made it worse, almost guaranteeing that there would always be some part of the screen that would catch glare reflection.
Aside: the curved back on any iDevice are a disaster, IMO, as it makes it impossible to lay it flat on a table to press any buttons with one hand. Sigh.
The Apple iDevice development now is seeming more like automobile model year changes from years back - more fins, less fins, more lights, more chrome, less, rounded, squareish, rounded again -- just so you will buy the new 'cooler' 'in' design.
Whatever happened to the idea of making the device so that it could be maximally user-friendly?
Oh right, that's not a rule in the designer's department.
I agree with your points, however, we don't really know anything yet. They may or may not be experimenting with a curved glass screen. And if they are, it doesn't mean it will see the light of day. Likewise, just because you can't envision a benefit to a curved screen doesn't mean that Apple hasn't found a design that makes it beneficial to the user. And I will also say that maybe it isn't a usability benefit...maybe it is a sheer aesthetic benefit. I for one appreciate Apple's attention to detail. SOme users love their iPhone 4, but some say they are a bit too squared off and have hard edges. So maybe Apple has listened to this feedback and want to make it feel much nicer in the hand. They could implement a curved screen (and/or curved back or sides) in any number of different ways for different reasons. Apple typically has really good ideas, so we should let them do what they do best.
Ick indeed. I don't know how they're going to pull it off with an LCD panel behind the glass. Straight lines and fonts would be distorted from some angles. I'll keep my iPhone 4 if they're going to curve the glass.
I think the idea is to make it contour more naturally to the face when talking. Kinda like an old school handset. Also, may fit more naturally in the hand and in your pocket against the body. Works best if back is curved too. But all I ask is that it not rock when laid down on a surface, so would need some flat area in the center of the back
As for copying Google? Apple debuted curved glass on iPod nano some time ago.
Its funny how when Apple takes a leaf from something else, there are people standing to defend already. I shudder to look at Android based articles on Apple-leaning websites. And hey, the nano is*convex. If the new iphone happens to be concave like the Nexus S, it will be interesting to see what gets posted. I have both an iphone and Android, and both are excellent pieces of technology. This fan-boism is really over the top. If Iphone 5 has a concave display, live with it, that it is a better design that someone else thought of first. Some things can be done better by others first, live with it.
And FYI, Google does NOT manufacture phones. So no one is copying Google. Ugh.
I'm going to laugh when Apple releases the iPhone 5 or 4S or whatever they call it...
I doubt it will be called "iPhone 4S". The iPhone 3GS was probably only called that because it was the third iteration of the device but "iPhone 3" sounds like a retrograde step coming from an iPhone 3G.
Steve has never been fond of convoluted product names. In can't imagine he would be thrilled to label a product something which suggests it is only a half baked improvement on the previous model (think Nintendo DS > Nintendo DSi > Nintendo DSi XL).
If they do curve the glass in some manner it's probably going to be very subtle, imperceptible even.
I'm inclined to think that many of us are thinking about this the wrong way - that the curved glass is really a reference to "softening" the sharp edges near the external antenna. Imagine doing away with the plastic frame that holds the glass in place, both the front and back surfaces "melting" around the edges to meet the antenna.
Apple have an increased incentive to modify this aspect of the physical design if it results in all of the free bumpers they handed out last time becoming ill-fitting, and therefore obsolete.
I think that the new glass cutting machines may be to cut a future iPhone out of a single block of glass, the way Apple cuts a Macbook out of a block of aluminum. If the shell is cut from an end or side it will be like a ship in a bottle.
Comments
They can differentiate by making the iPhone 5 look like the flagship Android device?
They would differentiate the next iPhone from the previous iPhone and from most other phones as well. As for the Nexus using the curved screen at present, there is no guarantee it will still be around when the new iPhone debuts. In addition, the iPhone will be different from that phone in other ways. (It may not have the same kind of curve, for one thing, but of course the iPhone has many other important differences.) Also consider that, frankly, most people will see this design (if it happens) in the new iPhone for the first time. Apple has far more marketing clout than any other single smartphone company. Even if the average person has seen a Nexus at some point, when Apple does it the design will be associated with iPhones, period.
And the amount of reflections will double, and it'll be harder to move the phone where there's no glare.
I saw a video of the Nexus in action. Didn't see any glare there. Until someone demonstrates that this HAS been an issue with curved glass in the past, it's a non-issue.
An Android Fanboy once told me "Oh my god, don't buy an iPhone! Those hard aluminum and glass edges will hurt you after you hold the iPhone for longer than 10 minutes. I got myself an Samsung Galaxy with a nice curved back. You can hold it without hurting yourself".
Bingo. That's the concept. And I think it's a GOOD concept, if done properly. (If done IMproperly it seems kind of greasy somehow.) On its track record, I have hope that Apple can do this properly.
Sounds possible .. for 2012 when the 5th generation iPhone comes out. 2011 is A5 processor, more memory and a universal chipset. Everything else is still in the lab.
How about a touch sensitive rear glass for basic touch gestures with your index finger for such things as scrolling, back , forward , zooming etc,...
How about a touch sensitive rear glass for basic touch gestures with your index finger for such things as scrolling, back , forward , zooming etc,...
I think if this were the case users would have to be too careful how they hold it when talking so as not to cause an accidental button press. Likewise, if this could be remedied, I still don't see an upside to the design. I would rather touch and interact with what I am seeing on the front, not the backside. You can't drag an icon or press a button to launch if you cant see it. I'm not a fan of blind scrolling.
And the amount of reflections will double, and it'll be harder to move the phone where there's no glare. Depending on how much curve there is, of course. Hopefully it'll be much less curve than the old iPod Nano,
That was my worry as well when I first read the title. But unlike the old iPod the glass, this sketch shows glass that's concave, not convex. In theory this would actually reduce the glare angles, although I would expect not by much.
I'm not sure how much credence I give this rumor though. Games are best played on a flat screen. If there's going to be any curve to the next gen, it will be very subtle.
It is my opinion apple is designing two iphones at the same time. ( they may do this regularly). i believe that iphone 6 will be released in june as we are used to with LTE. Iphone 4s. is in september.
the names are based on generation models. 3Gs has the same body design as the 3G so it has a derivative of the same name. 4s means it will have the same body type as The 4
The reason why the iphone is being delayed to september IMO has nothing to do with phone design or with supply shortages. Apple has post-poned the iphone 4s to september so it can sync verizon and A&TT back into the one iphone model and one IOS 5.
It is my opinion apple is designing two iphones at the same time. ( they may do this regularly). i believe that iphone 6 will be released in june as we are used to with LTE. Iphone 4s. is in september.
I can see Apple releasing two iPhone types this year, but I?d think the main differentiator would be the display size, even though the larger display could allow for the added internal space for a viable LTE design.
A larger display would mean developers would need time to optimized using the new SDK so we might get to know about this months in advanced now that idealized apps are the focal point of these app phones.
I can see Apple releasing two iPhone types this year, but I?d think the main differentiator would be the display size, even though the larger display could allow for the added internal space for a viable LTE design.
A larger display would mean developers would need time to optimized using the new SDK so we might get to know about this months in advanced now that idealized apps are the focal point of these app phones.
Sorry, You misunderstand, i meant june 2012 for iphone 6.
Being a tall guy (6'4/73cm)
6'4" is about 193 cm.
Interesting.
I'm confused by this article, but maybe someone here can set me straight. The article mentions the nexus S as a comparison for curved glass. I really don't know anything about it, so I did an image search. According to the pictures, the glass display doesn't look curved, yet the article above concerns a curved glass display, which made me think of something like the illustration above. Which one is it, curved back, or curved display? Or was I just not looking closely enough at the nexus S?
I have a hard time seeing apple using a curved display for the phone. It's a neat idea, but would there be complaints about picture viewing, and games? I can see the concavity offering ease of use for the arch swing of the thumb...but I never saw this as an "issue" that needed to be solved. Have I completely misunderstood?
Thoughts? I'm intrigued but skeptical.
The nexus S display itself isn't curve, but the glass on top of it is curved very slightly from top to bottom. They call it a 'contour display.' Some people love the ergonomics of it (having played with a nexus s, it feels very comfortable in the hand), some people hate the disconnect between the flat screen and the curved glass.
see:
The latest rumor from Apple's supply chain in Taiwan is that the fifth-generation iPhone will have a curved glass cover for its touchscreen display.
...
I too do not see what user experience advantage a curved screen brings.
Looking at the last iPod nano tall, with the curved back and screen, there was no advantage, IMO, to the curved screen.
Actually, it just made it worse, almost guaranteeing that there would always be some part of the screen that would catch glare reflection.
Aside: the curved back on any iDevice are a disaster, IMO, as it makes it impossible to lay it flat on a table to press any buttons with one hand. Sigh.
The Apple iDevice development now is seeming more like automobile model year changes from years back - more fins, less fins, more lights, more chrome, less, rounded, squareish, rounded again -- just so you will buy the new 'cooler' 'in' design.
Whatever happened to the idea of making the device so that it could be maximally user-friendly?
Oh right, that's not a rule in the designer's department.
I too do not see what user experience advantage a curved screen brings.
Looking at the last iPod nano tall, with the curved back and screen, there was no advantage, IMO, to the curved screen.
Actually, it just made it worse, almost guaranteeing that there would always be some part of the screen that would catch glare reflection.
Aside: the curved back on any iDevice are a disaster, IMO, as it makes it impossible to lay it flat on a table to press any buttons with one hand. Sigh.
The Apple iDevice development now is seeming more like automobile model year changes from years back - more fins, less fins, more lights, more chrome, less, rounded, squareish, rounded again -- just so you will buy the new 'cooler' 'in' design.
Whatever happened to the idea of making the device so that it could be maximally user-friendly?
Oh right, that's not a rule in the designer's department.
I agree with your points, however, we don't really know anything yet. They may or may not be experimenting with a curved glass screen. And if they are, it doesn't mean it will see the light of day. Likewise, just because you can't envision a benefit to a curved screen doesn't mean that Apple hasn't found a design that makes it beneficial to the user. And I will also say that maybe it isn't a usability benefit...maybe it is a sheer aesthetic benefit. I for one appreciate Apple's attention to detail. SOme users love their iPhone 4, but some say they are a bit too squared off and have hard edges. So maybe Apple has listened to this feedback and want to make it feel much nicer in the hand. They could implement a curved screen (and/or curved back or sides) in any number of different ways for different reasons. Apple typically has really good ideas, so we should let them do what they do best.
I think the idea is to make it contour more naturally to the face when talking. Kinda like an old school handset. Also, may fit more naturally in the hand and in your pocket against the body. Works best if back is curved too. But all I ask is that it not rock when laid down on a surface, so would need some flat area in the center of the back
As for copying Google? Apple debuted curved glass on iPod nano some time ago.
Its funny how when Apple takes a leaf from something else, there are people standing to defend already. I shudder to look at Android based articles on Apple-leaning websites. And hey, the nano is*convex. If the new iphone happens to be concave like the Nexus S, it will be interesting to see what gets posted. I have both an iphone and Android, and both are excellent pieces of technology. This fan-boism is really over the top. If Iphone 5 has a concave display, live with it, that it is a better design that someone else thought of first. Some things can be done better by others first, live with it.
And FYI, Google does NOT manufacture phones. So no one is copying Google. Ugh.
I'm going to laugh when Apple releases the iPhone 5 or 4S or whatever they call it...
I doubt it will be called "iPhone 4S". The iPhone 3GS was probably only called that because it was the third iteration of the device but "iPhone 3" sounds like a retrograde step coming from an iPhone 3G.
Steve has never been fond of convoluted product names. In can't imagine he would be thrilled to label a product something which suggests it is only a half baked improvement on the previous model (think Nintendo DS > Nintendo DSi > Nintendo DSi XL).
I'm inclined to think that many of us are thinking about this the wrong way - that the curved glass is really a reference to "softening" the sharp edges near the external antenna. Imagine doing away with the plastic frame that holds the glass in place, both the front and back surfaces "melting" around the edges to meet the antenna.
Apple have an increased incentive to modify this aspect of the physical design if it results in all of the free bumpers they handed out last time becoming ill-fitting, and therefore obsolete.