I guess we agree that in order to get the screen much bigger while keeping the iPhone as small as possible, getting rid of the home button at the bottom would help a lot.
But how to do it?
I envisioned a two-fold approach:
1.) 4 and/or 5 finger pinch-close guesture (both would work the same)
(plus double-tap and same gesture for double-click.)
This will work for most applications and most people I am sure.
But not for all, therefore as an alternative:
2.) Add an extra button on the side of the iPhone, e.g. top center.
A Settings option can assign this botton another feature or disable it, or the 4/5 finger gesture altogether for people who don't want this.
But you can also choose to have both methods active at the same time, to use either button or gesture at will.
It doesn't even need to be a physical button, it could just be a sensor button or strip.
Although with sensor buttons you'd likely need 2, one for portrait and landscape orientation, automatically deactivating the other one.
Although a physical button would probably be best. I wonder if the On/Off button could not do double duty as home button.
Off would be click-hold.
Single click either wakes the iPhone or goes to the home sceen, same for double-click.
I guess if you have to use phone size to make up for feelings of inferiority over size of more important things, I'm happy that you've found a consolation.
There are plenty of things you haven't accounted for. For starters, only some developers adopted quickly. A year later I still had app updates that were just getting support for the Retina Display.
Even now with the iPad very few of my apps have been updated for the Retina Display. Developers should have seen this coming from the start, yet there are apps that won't work correctly on the new iPad. Here is a prime example of not following Apple's stupid walled garden, Gestapo guidelines.
But that's not even the crux of the issue. With the iPhone and iPad the display size and aspect ratio remained the same. It was a doubling of the resolution. If we're talking about a 4.6" phone we are talking about a new resolution AND a new aspect ratio. Why?
960x640 is not Retina Display at 4.6" for a normal viewing distance as the PPI is only 251. That's less than the iPad which you do hold farther from your face.
You can't use the 3:2 aspect ratio for a 4.6" display and expect it to be comfortable in the hand. The iPhone can get bigger but to maintain being a one handed device that can be used with one thumb the aspect ratio would have to be change. Even the 16:9 of Android-based phones would make it too wide IMO.
So we have a new resolution, new aspect ratio and a new size which means Apple and devs have to start over. One small solution could be to make the PPI the about the same as the iPhone 4S so that apps will be represented pixel-for-pixel on the larger display like on the iPad, except be the accurate size, until apps are rewritten, but if you've ever used iPhone apps on the iPad it's a pretty bad experience.
4.6" iPhone is not going to happen, so your points are moot.
4.65 is definitely too large. But 3.5 is definitely too small.
I have a Galaxy Nexus. And for all those complaints about the Pentile display, you won't find any from users or reviewers. Most find the screen to be gorgeous. But it's a little too big. I don't have small hands by any measure, but it's a stretch to reach the top of the screen for the notfication blind. Mind you, some of it has to do with the phone itself. The Galaxy Nexus still has a large bezel for a phone that does not have buttons.
On the other hand, once you get used to using a larger display, it's simply impossible to go back to using a small screen. I don't care how good the resolution is. A larger screen makes everything from web browsing to reading to movie watching easier. It makes for a better gaming experience too (especially where games are using on screen controllers).
The average person doesn't care about programmers or their dilemmas with scaling. They see a bigger screen. They squint less. They like it. So it makes sense for Apple to go slightly bigger. That doesn't have to be as large as the Galaxy Nexus. Just a little better than today (somewhere between 4-4.5in).
Reading this thread, one is reminded of the warning given to the attendees at the original Woodstock concert:
"Watch out for the brown acid!!"
Sheesh.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by grblade
I'm pretty sure 300 ppi is 300 ppi no matter how far away you hold it.
Really, huh??
However, while 100% true, also 100% irrelevant: 300 ppi is NOT Apple's definition of "Retina Display."
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeromeus
4" iPhone with 1024 by 768 pixel would be great. If Apple makes this move, App developers won't need to make updates to their apps as the 4" iPhone can use iPad apps natively. Eventually, the current iPhone aspect ratio will be phased out and developers will only need to worry about one aspect ratio with 2X graphic for iPad and 1X graphic for iPhone.
Imagine how happy app developers would be if their apps can be 1024x768 for iPhone and 2048x1536 for iPad.
The app store can be updated to look like this.
iPhone
iPhone 5 and iPad
Then in a few years when Apple no longer supports the iPhone 4/4S like they no longer support iPhone 3G and iPhone original... all they need to worry about is an app store without tabs for iPhone and iPad like they do now since the aspect ration would still be the same with different resolutions which can just be 1x or 2x graphics.
A 4" iPhone with 1024 by 768 resolution would have a screen size of 3.2" x 2.4" with 320 DPI.
Imagine. Imagine there's no iPhone variant. You can do it if you try...
The touch targets and print would be entirely unsable/unreadable. NTM the 1.25:1 aspect ratio would be unappealing on the phone compared to 1.5:1.
Seems like the 1152x768 would be perfect for a 4" screen.
Other than the fact that every app (and iOS and the developer tools) would have to be re-written and every new app would likely be tougher to write for with more (undoubled) resolutions to write for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
9to5 has posted a poll on what iPhone users would like to see for screen size on the next iPhone. After 60K+ votes, over 60% of the respondents would accept a larger iPhone if they could have a 4" or larger display. In fact more voters want a much larger display. 4.3" or bigger, than leaving it as is. Going by those results, unscientific tho they may be, it's still a good indicator IMO that most iPhone users aren't particularly happy with the relatively small screens on the current model.
I think a larger display is certainly in Apple's plans.
Which is why it massively outsells any version of any phone with a larger screen and form factor, right??
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluefish86
My prediction:
Apple will go with a 4-4.1" display at a 16:9 ratio. This maintains the same width as the existing iPhones, and therefore their one-handed usability. The phone may be taller, but the existing top bezel is unnecessarily large, so they could eat into it to minimize the overall size change. The horizontal pixel count would stay the same, but the vertical one would increase. Existing iPhone apps already have to take vertical length changes into account (think the "you're in a call" and the "device connected to hotspot" banners), so many would work already, and the rest could be fixed with minimal changes. The extra height of the display could also afford a (slightly) thicker status bar across the top, opening up possibilities for new notification and/or multitasking features. The extra height available to apps would greatly increase usability when the on-screen keyboard is shown (the one major drawback of the current iPhone aspect ratio).
I'm sure they're also going to re-write everything for another aspect ratio as well as for another resolution and introduce either black bars into many apps or crappy solutions like "pan and scan" into others. It's just so... ...Apple.
Fer shure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McDark
Phones and tablets are fundamentally different. For a tablet, it doesn't really matter if it's 5" or 6" wide, so it's not an issue to adopt the optimum aspect ratio for that kind of devise. But for a phone where the 'pocketability' is a large constraining factor, the difference between 2.3" and 2.6" wide is very much an issue. So maybe here, having a thinner aspect ratio is a worthwhile compromise.
Think about it. Two identical sized phones, one has a 3.8" screen at 3:2 and one has a 4.3" screen at 16:9. The latter has all the screen of the former plus a bit extra on the side. That extra space is gravy. A developer doesn't have to use it, but it's there if they want to. Or at least it is for phones from Android affiliated manufacturers. But for the iPhone, it has to do without.
See above.
And, btw, my unabashed dictionary defines "resolution independence" as the fact that no one actually loses weight or quits smoking three weeks after New Years..... ...which is about as accurate as most of the speculation here......
Which begs the question: WTH doesn't a modern OS support multiple resolutions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
You're not understanding the difference between the iPod running a Linux-based OS and having no App Store and iOS-based iDevices. YOU CAN'T SWITCH DISPLAY SIZES, RESOLUTIONS, AND ASPECT RATIOS YEAR-OVER-YEAR LIKE THEY DID WITH THE iPOD NANO.
Being a physical button it's possible for the HW to be defective but I have no knowledge of double-clicking only working 50% of the time on iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads. Do you have documentation to back up this claim?
TS is right, you need the HW out. This not negotiable at this time. There is a reason these devices have HW buttons. It certainly wasn't because they couldn't figure out how to make them SW-based.
Which begs the question: WTH doesn't a modern OS support multiple resolutions?
Why would you want multiple resolutions on a portable device like that? Should there be a HiDPI mode on the iPhone and iPad? How would developers build for that contingency?
Comments
But how to do it?
I envisioned a two-fold approach:
1.) 4 and/or 5 finger pinch-close guesture (both would work the same)
(plus double-tap and same gesture for double-click.)
This will work for most applications and most people I am sure.
But not for all, therefore as an alternative:
2.) Add an extra button on the side of the iPhone, e.g. top center.
A Settings option can assign this botton another feature or disable it, or the 4/5 finger gesture altogether for people who don't want this.
But you can also choose to have both methods active at the same time, to use either button or gesture at will.
It doesn't even need to be a physical button, it could just be a sensor button or strip.
Although with sensor buttons you'd likely need 2, one for portrait and landscape orientation, automatically deactivating the other one.
Although a physical button would probably be best. I wonder if the On/Off button could not do double duty as home button.
Off would be click-hold.
Single click either wakes the iPhone or goes to the home sceen, same for double-click.
I guess if you have to use phone size to make up for feelings of inferiority over size of more important things, I'm happy that you've found a consolation.
Yeah, DaHarder's proud of his 4.65 inches
There are plenty of things you haven't accounted for. For starters, only some developers adopted quickly. A year later I still had app updates that were just getting support for the Retina Display.
Even now with the iPad very few of my apps have been updated for the Retina Display. Developers should have seen this coming from the start, yet there are apps that won't work correctly on the new iPad. Here is a prime example of not following Apple's stupid walled garden, Gestapo guidelines.
- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mahjo...347878114?mt=8
But that's not even the crux of the issue. With the iPhone and iPad the display size and aspect ratio remained the same. It was a doubling of the resolution. If we're talking about a 4.6" phone we are talking about a new resolution AND a new aspect ratio. Why?- 960x640 is not Retina Display at 4.6" for a normal viewing distance as the PPI is only 251. That's less than the iPad which you do hold farther from your face.
- You can't use the 3:2 aspect ratio for a 4.6" display and expect it to be comfortable in the hand. The iPhone can get bigger but to maintain being a one handed device that can be used with one thumb the aspect ratio would have to be change. Even the 16:9 of Android-based phones would make it too wide IMO.
So we have a new resolution, new aspect ratio and a new size which means Apple and devs have to start over. One small solution could be to make the PPI the about the same as the iPhone 4S so that apps will be represented pixel-for-pixel on the larger display like on the iPad, except be the accurate size, until apps are rewritten, but if you've ever used iPhone apps on the iPad it's a pretty bad experience.4.6" iPhone is not going to happen, so your points are moot.
I have a Galaxy Nexus. And for all those complaints about the Pentile display, you won't find any from users or reviewers. Most find the screen to be gorgeous. But it's a little too big. I don't have small hands by any measure, but it's a stretch to reach the top of the screen for the notfication blind. Mind you, some of it has to do with the phone itself. The Galaxy Nexus still has a large bezel for a phone that does not have buttons.
On the other hand, once you get used to using a larger display, it's simply impossible to go back to using a small screen. I don't care how good the resolution is. A larger screen makes everything from web browsing to reading to movie watching easier. It makes for a better gaming experience too (especially where games are using on screen controllers).
The average person doesn't care about programmers or their dilemmas with scaling. They see a bigger screen. They squint less. They like it. So it makes sense for Apple to go slightly bigger. That doesn't have to be as large as the Galaxy Nexus. Just a little better than today (somewhere between 4-4.5in).
"Watch out for the brown acid!!"
Sheesh.....
I'm pretty sure 300 ppi is 300 ppi no matter how far away you hold it.
Really, huh??
However, while 100% true, also 100% irrelevant: 300 ppi is NOT Apple's definition of "Retina Display."
4" iPhone with 1024 by 768 pixel would be great. If Apple makes this move, App developers won't need to make updates to their apps as the 4" iPhone can use iPad apps natively. Eventually, the current iPhone aspect ratio will be phased out and developers will only need to worry about one aspect ratio with 2X graphic for iPad and 1X graphic for iPhone.
Imagine how happy app developers would be if their apps can be 1024x768 for iPhone and 2048x1536 for iPad.
The app store can be updated to look like this.
iPhone
iPhone 5 and iPad
Then in a few years when Apple no longer supports the iPhone 4/4S like they no longer support iPhone 3G and iPhone original... all they need to worry about is an app store without tabs for iPhone and iPad like they do now since the aspect ration would still be the same with different resolutions which can just be 1x or 2x graphics.
A 4" iPhone with 1024 by 768 resolution would have a screen size of 3.2" x 2.4" with 320 DPI.
Imagine. Imagine there's no iPhone variant. You can do it if you try...
The touch targets and print would be entirely unsable/unreadable. NTM the 1.25:1 aspect ratio would be unappealing on the phone compared to 1.5:1.
But then the "world could view as one."
Even more unlikely is they'd say 4.6" is too big.
288.44 PPI.
Steve made it a point to explain that the human eye can only discern 300 pixels when a phone is held about 12 inches from your face.
So keeping that standard, what does apple need to do to keep the same aspect ratio, and PPI with a bigger screen and the same aspect ratio?
960x640 = 614400 pixels
3.5 = 329.65 PPI
3.7 = 311.83 PPI
3.9 = 295.84 PPI
1152x768 = 884736 pixels
4" = 346.13 PPI
4.2" = 329.65 PPI
1296x864 = 1119744 pixels (HD Level)
4" = 389.4 PPI
4.2" = 370.86 PPI
Calculator here: http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html
Seems like the 1152x768 would be perfect for a 4" screen.
Other than the fact that every app (and iOS and the developer tools) would have to be re-written and every new app would likely be tougher to write for with more (undoubled) resolutions to write for.
9to5 has posted a poll on what iPhone users would like to see for screen size on the next iPhone. After 60K+ votes, over 60% of the respondents would accept a larger iPhone if they could have a 4" or larger display. In fact more voters want a much larger display. 4.3" or bigger, than leaving it as is. Going by those results, unscientific tho they may be, it's still a good indicator IMO that most iPhone users aren't particularly happy with the relatively small screens on the current model.
http://9to5mac.com/2012/03/21/could-...y/#more-154581
I think a larger display is certainly in Apple's plans.
Which is why it massively outsells any version of any phone with a larger screen and form factor, right??
My prediction:
Apple will go with a 4-4.1" display at a 16:9 ratio. This maintains the same width as the existing iPhones, and therefore their one-handed usability. The phone may be taller, but the existing top bezel is unnecessarily large, so they could eat into it to minimize the overall size change. The horizontal pixel count would stay the same, but the vertical one would increase. Existing iPhone apps already have to take vertical length changes into account (think the "you're in a call" and the "device connected to hotspot" banners), so many would work already, and the rest could be fixed with minimal changes. The extra height of the display could also afford a (slightly) thicker status bar across the top, opening up possibilities for new notification and/or multitasking features. The extra height available to apps would greatly increase usability when the on-screen keyboard is shown (the one major drawback of the current iPhone aspect ratio).
I'm sure they're also going to re-write everything for another aspect ratio as well as for another resolution and introduce either black bars into many apps or crappy solutions like "pan and scan" into others. It's just so... ...Apple.
Fer shure.
Phones and tablets are fundamentally different. For a tablet, it doesn't really matter if it's 5" or 6" wide, so it's not an issue to adopt the optimum aspect ratio for that kind of devise. But for a phone where the 'pocketability' is a large constraining factor, the difference between 2.3" and 2.6" wide is very much an issue. So maybe here, having a thinner aspect ratio is a worthwhile compromise.
Think about it. Two identical sized phones, one has a 3.8" screen at 3:2 and one has a 4.3" screen at 16:9. The latter has all the screen of the former plus a bit extra on the side. That extra space is gravy. A developer doesn't have to use it, but it's there if they want to. Or at least it is for phones from Android affiliated manufacturers. But for the iPhone, it has to do without.
See above.
And, btw, my unabashed dictionary defines "resolution independence" as the fact that no one actually loses weight or quits smoking three weeks after New Years..... ...which is about as accurate as most of the speculation here......
You're not understanding the difference between the iPod running a Linux-based OS and having no App Store and iOS-based iDevices. YOU CAN'T SWITCH DISPLAY SIZES, RESOLUTIONS, AND ASPECT RATIOS YEAR-OVER-YEAR LIKE THEY DID WITH THE iPOD NANO.
Being a physical button it's possible for the HW to be defective but I have no knowledge of double-clicking only working 50% of the time on iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads. Do you have documentation to back up this claim?
TS is right, you need the HW out. This not negotiable at this time. There is a reason these devices have HW buttons. It certainly wasn't because they couldn't figure out how to make them SW-based.
Which begs the question: WTH doesn't a modern OS support multiple resolutions?
That makes no sense.
4.6" iPhone is not going to happen, so your points are moot.
My point is salient and debunked your hypothesis that it's "not a big deal' to put the current 3.5" UI on a 4.6" display.
Which begs the question: WTH doesn't a modern OS support multiple resolutions?
Why would you want multiple resolutions on a portable device like that? Should there be a HiDPI mode on the iPhone and iPad? How would developers build for that contingency?