What job does a 'little' larger screen phone do? mobile phones are... mobile. Mobile means small and agile. big means a lot of things,
- more power consumed
- more weight
- more clumsy
- less places to store it.
If you are going to 'fire' an iPhone 5 from it's current job, what isn't it doing that a 4.3" screen will do for you?
Not picking on you in particular but even though it's so frequent, I'm still flummoxed regularly by the number of posters here whose underlying premise is that if a feature or form factor isn't something they want, then no one does (or should) and therefore Apple should never do it. Geez, guys, take your heads out of your navels (or wherever else they're stuck) and look at the larger pic every now and then.
I'm pretty sure the Galaxy SIII is the second best-selling smartphone yet - compared to any single Apple model. I've also used one and found it plenty fast and fluid.
There's clearly a market and as the thread shows many of us aren't hung up on one-hand use as long as we can do some of the basics near the bottom of the phone.
And yes, we have plenty of use cases. There "are more possibilities than are dreamt of in the philosophies" of all you blindered Horatios out there, and slight differences in screen size and form factor may make a wide variety of variations viable for different classes of users (consumers and professional). And Apple already has two current models of its much younger product, the iPad.
The 5" and above phablets may indeed be a fad or very "nichey," however the 4.3-4.8" range is already quite mainstream (and pocketable) in Apple's currently most profitable market segment - multi-purpose smart phones. Also, there's no law that Apple can't be second into variants of successful devices. They didn't have the first music players or phone cams and many other examples where they did just did it better and/or more appealingly with more polish.
The iPhone 5 was clearly a wave in this direction in screen size and heft, but incomplete. When I've held the SIII and 4S side by side, the 4S felt like a sharp-edged lead weight by comparison, and if Apple had had close to the same form factor I'd have bought it that day.
Finally, if they do start offering a larger size contemporaneously with the 5's form factor, it will be interesting to see if the 16:9 decision they made (mostly to keep "ergonomically pure" IMHO) will scale up into something Jonny Ives will feel comfortable raving about in a Keynote video or if they decide it has to be 3:2 to feel right in the hand and carry-around wise. You'd think that if it's running the Phone OS there'd be weight leaning them toward 16:9 unless it's just too tall that way.
The fact that i still have to navigate 3 levels deep to turn on/off wifi is the perfect example.
Why do people turn WiFi off? Even boarding a plane I turn it on immediately after setting it in Airplane mode. Is it because people think it'll drain the battery? I just can't figure out why. Bluetooth I understand; supposedly that's even a security issue. But WiFi? Maybe from hereon out I'll refer to WiFi as WtF.
Each of them have their pro's and cons. To say that the form factor is 'embarrassingly large' does nothing more than highlight a narrow minded view.
Maybe these people mean that it's a uselessly large display if the software hasn't been designed for the larger display. And they'd be right if it's just a blown up version of the same UI design. Similar to a 32" TV and a 60", as stated by Evilution
[...] Maybe these people mean that it's a uselessly large display if the software hasn't been designed for the larger display. And they'd be right if it's just a blown up version of the same UI design. Similar to a 32" TV and a 60", as stated by Evilution
First, I think Evilution's assessment of screen size benefits is... um... well, let's just say "not inclusive of a large segment of the population." (S)he thinks if you want a big TV because you have a big room or bad eyesight you should just sit closer. I don't understand how putting the couch in the middle of the room, or, in the case of a phone, holding it one inch from the end of your nose, is a better solution than just making the screen bigger. I understand the point of pixel density, but whether you zoom in by making the screen bigger or moving closer to a small screen, the result is the same.
Second, you can't draw a direct comparison between TVs and smartphones because the TV UI doesn't require pressing tiny little links on the screen with big fat fumble fingers. A given UI design scaled up for a larger screen does lose pixel density but also increases the size of and spacing between "targets" making them easier to hit. I find the iOS keyboard uncomfortably small at that screen width, often accidentally hit an adjacent link on web pages, and find the text on maps too small for these old eyes to read. Simply scaling up the existing UI would be just fine with me.
Apple can produce all the videos they want about thumb reach, but guess what...I hold my iPhone with two hands as much if not more as I hold it with one hand. When I play any games, reply to emails, texts and many other tasks it is far easier to hold it horizontally in landscape mode with both hands. My favorite game is Modern War, try playing that game vertically with one hand.
I fully understand not everyone uses their iPhone in the same way or uses the same apps. Perhaps some of you tend to use your phone 90% of the time one handed in portrait mode. I don't and for that reason alone I want a larger screen. Apple producing a 4" and a 5" iPhone is a win win for everyone. What exactly is the downside to this?
As AT&T showed, even kids understand this concept.
Kids don't really think things through though:
Bigger is not universally better and while Apple could accommodate a whole bunch of sizes like 11", 12", 13", 14", 15", 16", 17", 18", 19" laptops, they choose to focus on the sizes that fit the largest audience. That will leave some people frustrated just like a lack of plus-size jeans does but every business decides what is going to work for them. If they made a single model bigger by 1", they can't change the resolution so it ends up that the bigger and more expensive model has a lower pixel density.
I don't think anyone hoping for a larger iPhone was satisfied with .5"
You do realise that it's the fastest selling iPhone they've ever sold? I don't think it's far fetched to assume a lot of them were satisfied with it. Also, aren't you proposing a 0.5" increase?
Now, I just can not stand my tiny iPhone 4. And I'm thinking, why oh why doesn't Apple make an iPhone with a big screen?
The iPhone 5 is bigger. The HTC is has around 30% more screen area but the iPhone looks like the best compromise IMO:
They can't just make the single model bigger so they have to have two and 5" is way too big so they have to go with a size that isn't different enough to warrant a separate model. The market will decide this in the end. If larger phones start to sell in big numbers, that's when Apple would consider it but not before.
You do realise that it's the fastest selling iPhone they've ever sold? I don't think it's far fetched to assume a lot of them were satisfied with it. Also, aren't you proposing a 0.5" increase?
They can't just make the single model bigger so they have to have two and 5" is way too big so they have to go with a size that isn't different enough to warrant a separate model. The market will decide this in the end. If larger phones start to sell in big numbers, that's when Apple would consider it but not before.
Of course it was the best selling iPhone yet, it was the newest model. But if you surveyed all of those iPhone 5 customers and asked them if they would have preferred an even larger iPhone it is very possible many and possibly most would have answered yes. I bought an iPhone 4S even though I wanted a larger screen size and wasn't happy with that but decided it was worth it just to try out an iPhone. People like me might buy an iPhone once or twice but will not stay with the platform long term.
I don't know where you have been, but the large form factor are selling like hotcakes. The SIII did extremely well and the S4 this Spring is predicted to top all sales records besting even the iPhone 5. We will have to wait and see if this is true or not but larger displays are not going anywhere and are gaining in popularity. Apple can ignore this trend at their peril.
I don't want a larger iPhone for bragging rights, purely for very practical reasons which I explained in previous posts. The iPhone 6 or 5S or whatever they call it will no doubt also sell very well and probably beat the iPhone 5 record, but the question is how many more sales are they missing out on by not offering a screen size that so many people now demand and cite as their #1 reason for choosing an Android device over an iPhone. I prefer iOS, love Apple hardware quality and the great syncing it offers with my Mac Pro and really would love to stay with an iPhone. But after 15 months with a 4S I realize that I don't want to sacrifice a big beautiful display for those advantages. When I bought the 4S, there weren't a lot of great alternatives and Android was also not that great. But that is no longer true. Android 4.2 is stable and also fast now and there are also many good phones to choose from. By the time of my upgrade this summer it will be a far more difficult decision to stay with the iPhone
Here we go, the devices with wrong sized screens. I hate the phones with 4.65+ screens it is just bad, of course to make this sure what is the difference between a phablet and a 5.3 inch touch screen smart phone? As I have said a 4.5 phone ok, but a 4.9 will not fit in some pockets.
if you surveyed all of those iPhone 5 customers and asked them if they would have preferred an even larger iPhone it is very possible many and possibly most would have answered yes.
Let's assume they did and Apple decided to build one, what size would they go with? I don't see them going to the Galaxy S3 size (4.8"), it just looks too bulky:
You have to imagine that display size with Apple's design around it. They have a certain curvature they use in their products and it won't look right if they shrink the bezels down. If they scaled up the iPhone 5 to the same overall height of the S3, the screen actually wouldn't be that much bigger at all:
That means it needs an entirely new design. Their home button is also quite iconic so it's not likely they'll just throw it away.
I don't know where you have been, but the large form factor are selling like hotcakes. The SIII did extremely well and the S4 this Spring is predicted to top all sales records besting even the iPhone 5.
Well the big phones are just the newest models . Apple will report the iPhone 5 numbers in a couple of weeks and they'll probably match any of Samsung's best quarters. Samsung also has a habit of reporting shipped units and not sold units. Their tablet sales were actually a very small fraction of what they reported.
But anyway, you could similarly survey S3 buyers and ask if they'd have preferred a smaller phone:
'"I think from Samsung's point of view its about offering breadth and depth of choice.
There's lots of people out there who think the Galaxy S3 is an amazing phone, but there's a lot who think it's just too big."
He said the impressive early sales of the iPhone 5 will have spurred the need for a smaller competing device.'
Bigger, smaller, it's all subjective. I think the iPhone 5 is just right. It'll never be a perfect size because one size doesn't fit all but as I say I think it's the closest to a single size that works for everyone and still retains a nice iconic design.
Samsung didn't have an iconic design in the Galaxy S series, they made the Galaxy S like the 3G and the S2 like the iPhone 4. The S3 is now their own design finally and that's ok but it wouldn't be ok for Apple to go the same way.
how many more sales are they missing out on by not offering a screen size that so many people now demand and cite as their #1 reason for choosing an Android device over an iPhone.
How many people have said this? It's common for people to base these things on their own experience as in "everyone I know..." but it's not really possible to extrapolate that into meaningful stats. Samsung's best-selling phone was recently reported to be the Prevail:
This is a 3.2" phone with 320x240 resolution. Its selling point is price and that seems to be the defining benefit of Android phones - you can get one for under $200 paid outright with no contract.
Let's assume they did and Apple decided to build one, what size would they go with? I don't see them going to the Galaxy S3 size (4.8"), it just looks too bulky:
You have to imagine that display size with Apple's design around it. They have a certain curvature they use in their products and it won't look right if they shrink the bezels down. If they scaled up the iPhone 5 to the same overall height of the S3, the screen actually wouldn't be that much bigger at all:
That means it needs an entirely new design. Their home button is also quite iconic so it's not likely they'll just throw it away.
Well the big phones are just the newest models . Apple will report the iPhone 5 numbers in a couple of weeks and they'll probably match any of Samsung's best quarters. Samsung also has a habit of reporting shipped units and not sold units. Their tablet sales were actually a very small fraction of what they reported.
But anyway, you could similarly survey S3 buyers and ask if they'd have preferred a smaller phone:
'"I think from Samsung's point of view its about offering breadth and depth of choice.
There's lots of people out there who think the Galaxy S3 is an amazing phone, but there's a lot who think it's just too big."
He said the impressive early sales of the iPhone 5 will have spurred the need for a smaller competing device.'
Bigger, smaller, it's all subjective. I think the iPhone 5 is just right. It'll never be a perfect size because one size doesn't fit all but as I say I think it's the closest to a single size that works for everyone and still retains a nice iconic design.
Samsung didn't have an iconic design in the Galaxy S series, they made the Galaxy S like the 3G and the S2 like the iPhone 4. The S3 is now their own design finally and that's ok but it wouldn't be ok for Apple to go the same way.
How many people have said this? It's common for people to base these things on their own experience as in "everyone I know..." but it's not really possible to extrapolate that into meaningful stats. Samsung's best-selling phone was recently reported to be Samsung's best-selling phone:
This is a 3.2" phone with 320x240 resolution. Its selling point is price and that seems to be the defining benefit of Android phones - you can get one for under $200 paid outright with no contract.
Completely agree and I've said similar things in this thread.
The top selling Androids are 3 inch phones lacking features even the 3GS had.
Also in the picture you have above of the S3 and iPhone5 the screen size difference doesn't look to be that great and the iPhone is a much better proportioned device.
The S3 is ridiculous, and I'm sure a lot of the sales that Samsung includes in S3 numbers are of the S3 Mini which has a 4 inch screen and is half the price (price being the main selling point of any Android phone). All that to say S3 sales numbers are inflated.
How many people have said this? It's common for people to base these things on their own experience as in "everyone I know..." but it's not really possible to extrapolate that into meaningful stats. Samsung's best-selling phone was recently reported to be Samsung's best-selling phone:
This is a 3.2" phone with 320x240 resolution. Its selling point is price and that seems to be the defining benefit of Android phones - you can get one for under $200 paid outright with no contract.
It is interesting that when people read that Android-based phones are leading over the iPhone that it's assumed that it must be because of the models with the gigantic displays in the LTE flagship models. I have no doubt there are plenty of people that love their huge display phones but what is the market size? There were people that absolutely love the 17" MBP and that doesn't seem to have been big enough for Apple to continue. And there were people that thought the netbook was future of computing and yet we're only barely into 2013 when we find out that the last netbook makers are closing shop.
And there were people that thought the netbook was future of computing and yet we're only barely into 2013 when we find out that the last netbook makers are closing shop.
They all hadn't already? Been five years, for crying out loud!
And not just phablets. Most Samsung smartphones today (and basically all other decent smartphones) are well over 4"
I love my iPhone.... but Apple only recently got to a 4" 16:9 screen... something the original Galaxy S had in 2010. And Samsung smartphones have grown ever since.
Galaxy S 4.0"
Galaxy SII 4.3"
Galaxy SIII 4.8"
How big is too big? I dunno... but I'd like the option to get a larger iPhone. Just a little larger
I don't really think I need a bigger phone but I'd love to have a bigger font option on some screens... my vision is a bit poor.
If Apple can have multiple iPod lines, two iPad lines, then I honestly don't think it would be that hard for them to offer two iPhone lines. Keep the current size for people that want small phones and offer another model for people clamoring for a larger phone. I would honestly be happy with anything between 4.5" to around 5.5" with a strong preference towards 4.8". Even a 4.5" version would be enough to keep me in the fold, I wouldn't be happy but it is just enough to keep me from switching.
I have never suggested that Apple should replace or do away with the 4" model. The market will ultimately make the decision for Apple just like it did for the iPad Mini and on that point I think most of us will agree. I don't see large displays as a fad or people suddenly deciding that their phones are too large. Sure the cheapo 3.2" phones will always sell well because they are cheap. Not because people want a slow and small phone, simply because that is all they can afford.
2013 will be an interesting year and perhaps will decide who was right. I myself doubt Apple will make a larger phone this year and will instead just make an S type upgrade to the 5 like they did with the 4 to 4S. More internal than external changes and perhaps more focus on more iOS enhancements and features than last year.
If I am right and big displays are proven to be far more popular than some of you realize, Apple might decide to offer one in 2014 or 2015. And when they do I will happily buy one. But until they do I can tell you with 100% certainty I will not be using a phone with what I consider to be a far too small display when my upgrade kicks in on June 1. Maybe by then we will have some decent ideas what the 5S or 6 will look like and I might decide to at least wait and see what Apple decides to do, but ultimately I have to choose the phone that works best for me and that means a large display above all else.
You could select 56 point if you wish, and that would help with text messages and email, but do absolutely nothing for most apps where the text size is fixed or buttons are close together and hard to select, or the fact that you have to scroll so much more often on a small screen. 4" regardless of the PPI or resolution will always be just 4" and there is no getting around that limitation for people who simply want a larger display. Maybe if I had never used a larger display before my iPhone I wouldn't be so adamant. Had I only ever used an iPhone then maybe the larger 4" version would have been enough. But for anyone that has used a large display for an extended amount of time it is hard to just accept that 3.5" or 4" is large enough and just settle.
If Apple was to go to a 4.3" screen like my old Droid-X with the HD screen and the higher resolution screen it would be wonderful. I have found that looking at the 4" screen of my Iphone 5 vs my old Droid-X you can see much more in a equally balanced screen where with the I-phone 5 it is not of the same value. I totally agree that the big screen smartphone are nothing but crazey....Apple keep up the great work and make the screen just a little larger, but will fit in a shirtpocket etc...
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff
why?
What job does a 'little' larger screen phone do? mobile phones are... mobile. Mobile means small and agile. big means a lot of things,
- more power consumed
- more weight
- more clumsy
- less places to store it.
If you are going to 'fire' an iPhone 5 from it's current job, what isn't it doing that a 4.3" screen will do for you?
Not picking on you in particular but even though it's so frequent, I'm still flummoxed regularly by the number of posters here whose underlying premise is that if a feature or form factor isn't something they want, then no one does (or should) and therefore Apple should never do it. Geez, guys, take your heads out of your navels (or wherever else they're stuck) and look at the larger pic every now and then.
I'm pretty sure the Galaxy SIII is the second best-selling smartphone yet - compared to any single Apple model. I've also used one and found it plenty fast and fluid.
There's clearly a market and as the thread shows many of us aren't hung up on one-hand use as long as we can do some of the basics near the bottom of the phone.
And yes, we have plenty of use cases. There "are more possibilities than are dreamt of in the philosophies" of all you blindered Horatios out there, and slight differences in screen size and form factor may make a wide variety of variations viable for different classes of users (consumers and professional). And Apple already has two current models of its much younger product, the iPad.
The 5" and above phablets may indeed be a fad or very "nichey," however the 4.3-4.8" range is already quite mainstream (and pocketable) in Apple's currently most profitable market segment - multi-purpose smart phones. Also, there's no law that Apple can't be second into variants of successful devices. They didn't have the first music players or phone cams and many other examples where they did just did it better and/or more appealingly with more polish.
The iPhone 5 was clearly a wave in this direction in screen size and heft, but incomplete. When I've held the SIII and 4S side by side, the 4S felt like a sharp-edged lead weight by comparison, and if Apple had had close to the same form factor I'd have bought it that day.
Finally, if they do start offering a larger size contemporaneously with the 5's form factor, it will be interesting to see if the 16:9 decision they made (mostly to keep "ergonomically pure" IMHO) will scale up into something Jonny Ives will feel comfortable raving about in a Keynote video or if they decide it has to be 3:2 to feel right in the hand and carry-around wise. You'd think that if it's running the Phone OS there'd be weight leaning them toward 16:9 unless it's just too tall that way.
Ah, the Streak. 220grams of nothingness
Don't understand why it flopped; it was running Android after all. Oh well, at least it came with a standard 30-pin connector¡
Why do people turn WiFi off? Even boarding a plane I turn it on immediately after setting it in Airplane mode. Is it because people think it'll drain the battery? I just can't figure out why. Bluetooth I understand; supposedly that's even a security issue. But WiFi? Maybe from hereon out I'll refer to WiFi as WtF.
Maybe these people mean that it's a uselessly large display if the software hasn't been designed for the larger display. And they'd be right if it's just a blown up version of the same UI design. Similar to a 32" TV and a 60", as stated by Evilution
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie
[...] Maybe these people mean that it's a uselessly large display if the software hasn't been designed for the larger display. And they'd be right if it's just a blown up version of the same UI design. Similar to a 32" TV and a 60", as stated by Evilution
First, I think Evilution's assessment of screen size benefits is... um... well, let's just say "not inclusive of a large segment of the population." (S)he thinks if you want a big TV because you have a big room or bad eyesight you should just sit closer. I don't understand how putting the couch in the middle of the room, or, in the case of a phone, holding it one inch from the end of your nose, is a better solution than just making the screen bigger. I understand the point of pixel density, but whether you zoom in by making the screen bigger or moving closer to a small screen, the result is the same.
Second, you can't draw a direct comparison between TVs and smartphones because the TV UI doesn't require pressing tiny little links on the screen with big fat fumble fingers. A given UI design scaled up for a larger screen does lose pixel density but also increases the size of and spacing between "targets" making them easier to hit. I find the iOS keyboard uncomfortably small at that screen width, often accidentally hit an adjacent link on web pages, and find the text on maps too small for these old eyes to read. Simply scaling up the existing UI would be just fine with me.
Kids don't really think things through though:
Bigger is not universally better and while Apple could accommodate a whole bunch of sizes like 11", 12", 13", 14", 15", 16", 17", 18", 19" laptops, they choose to focus on the sizes that fit the largest audience. That will leave some people frustrated just like a lack of plus-size jeans does but every business decides what is going to work for them. If they made a single model bigger by 1", they can't change the resolution so it ends up that the bigger and more expensive model has a lower pixel density.
You do realise that it's the fastest selling iPhone they've ever sold? I don't think it's far fetched to assume a lot of them were satisfied with it. Also, aren't you proposing a 0.5" increase?
The iPhone 5 is bigger. The HTC is has around 30% more screen area but the iPhone looks like the best compromise IMO:
They can't just make the single model bigger so they have to have two and 5" is way too big so they have to go with a size that isn't different enough to warrant a separate model. The market will decide this in the end. If larger phones start to sell in big numbers, that's when Apple would consider it but not before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
You do realise that it's the fastest selling iPhone they've ever sold? I don't think it's far fetched to assume a lot of them were satisfied with it. Also, aren't you proposing a 0.5" increase?
They can't just make the single model bigger so they have to have two and 5" is way too big so they have to go with a size that isn't different enough to warrant a separate model. The market will decide this in the end. If larger phones start to sell in big numbers, that's when Apple would consider it but not before.
Of course it was the best selling iPhone yet, it was the newest model. But if you surveyed all of those iPhone 5 customers and asked them if they would have preferred an even larger iPhone it is very possible many and possibly most would have answered yes. I bought an iPhone 4S even though I wanted a larger screen size and wasn't happy with that but decided it was worth it just to try out an iPhone. People like me might buy an iPhone once or twice but will not stay with the platform long term.
I don't know where you have been, but the large form factor are selling like hotcakes. The SIII did extremely well and the S4 this Spring is predicted to top all sales records besting even the iPhone 5. We will have to wait and see if this is true or not but larger displays are not going anywhere and are gaining in popularity. Apple can ignore this trend at their peril.
I don't want a larger iPhone for bragging rights, purely for very practical reasons which I explained in previous posts. The iPhone 6 or 5S or whatever they call it will no doubt also sell very well and probably beat the iPhone 5 record, but the question is how many more sales are they missing out on by not offering a screen size that so many people now demand and cite as their #1 reason for choosing an Android device over an iPhone. I prefer iOS, love Apple hardware quality and the great syncing it offers with my Mac Pro and really would love to stay with an iPhone. But after 15 months with a 4S I realize that I don't want to sacrifice a big beautiful display for those advantages. When I bought the 4S, there weren't a lot of great alternatives and Android was also not that great. But that is no longer true. Android 4.2 is stable and also fast now and there are also many good phones to choose from. By the time of my upgrade this summer it will be a far more difficult decision to stay with the iPhone
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
I find the photo of the 2 women degrading and demeaning... and from a moderator, of all things.
Let's assume they did and Apple decided to build one, what size would they go with? I don't see them going to the Galaxy S3 size (4.8"), it just looks too bulky:
You have to imagine that display size with Apple's design around it. They have a certain curvature they use in their products and it won't look right if they shrink the bezels down. If they scaled up the iPhone 5 to the same overall height of the S3, the screen actually wouldn't be that much bigger at all:
That means it needs an entirely new design. Their home button is also quite iconic so it's not likely they'll just throw it away.
Well the big phones are just the newest models
But anyway, you could similarly survey S3 buyers and ask if they'd have preferred a smaller phone:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19913940
'"I think from Samsung's point of view its about offering breadth and depth of choice.
There's lots of people out there who think the Galaxy S3 is an amazing phone, but there's a lot who think it's just too big."
He said the impressive early sales of the iPhone 5 will have spurred the need for a smaller competing device.'
Bigger, smaller, it's all subjective. I think the iPhone 5 is just right. It'll never be a perfect size because one size doesn't fit all but as I say I think it's the closest to a single size that works for everyone and still retains a nice iconic design.
Samsung didn't have an iconic design in the Galaxy S series, they made the Galaxy S like the 3G and the S2 like the iPhone 4. The S3 is now their own design finally and that's ok but it wouldn't be ok for Apple to go the same way.
How many people have said this? It's common for people to base these things on their own experience as in "everyone I know..." but it's not really possible to extrapolate that into meaningful stats. Samsung's best-selling phone was recently reported to be the Prevail:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-Prevail-leads-the-way-for-Samsung-in-the-U.S.-from-June-2010-2012_id33180
This is a 3.2" phone with 320x240 resolution. Its selling point is price and that seems to be the defining benefit of Android phones - you can get one for under $200 paid outright with no contract.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
Let's assume they did and Apple decided to build one, what size would they go with? I don't see them going to the Galaxy S3 size (4.8"), it just looks too bulky:
You have to imagine that display size with Apple's design around it. They have a certain curvature they use in their products and it won't look right if they shrink the bezels down. If they scaled up the iPhone 5 to the same overall height of the S3, the screen actually wouldn't be that much bigger at all:
That means it needs an entirely new design. Their home button is also quite iconic so it's not likely they'll just throw it away.
Well the big phones are just the newest models
But anyway, you could similarly survey S3 buyers and ask if they'd have preferred a smaller phone:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19913940
'"I think from Samsung's point of view its about offering breadth and depth of choice.
There's lots of people out there who think the Galaxy S3 is an amazing phone, but there's a lot who think it's just too big."
He said the impressive early sales of the iPhone 5 will have spurred the need for a smaller competing device.'
Bigger, smaller, it's all subjective. I think the iPhone 5 is just right. It'll never be a perfect size because one size doesn't fit all but as I say I think it's the closest to a single size that works for everyone and still retains a nice iconic design.
Samsung didn't have an iconic design in the Galaxy S series, they made the Galaxy S like the 3G and the S2 like the iPhone 4. The S3 is now their own design finally and that's ok but it wouldn't be ok for Apple to go the same way.
How many people have said this? It's common for people to base these things on their own experience as in "everyone I know..." but it's not really possible to extrapolate that into meaningful stats. Samsung's best-selling phone was recently reported to be Samsung's best-selling phone:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-Prevail-leads-the-way-for-Samsung-in-the-U.S.-from-June-2010-2012_id33180
This is a 3.2" phone with 320x240 resolution. Its selling point is price and that seems to be the defining benefit of Android phones - you can get one for under $200 paid outright with no contract.
Completely agree and I've said similar things in this thread.
The top selling Androids are 3 inch phones lacking features even the 3GS had.
Also in the picture you have above of the S3 and iPhone5 the screen size difference doesn't look to be that great and the iPhone is a much better proportioned device.
The S3 is ridiculous, and I'm sure a lot of the sales that Samsung includes in S3 numbers are of the S3 Mini which has a 4 inch screen and is half the price (price being the main selling point of any Android phone). All that to say S3 sales numbers are inflated.
The Galaxy Note 2 is already buy one get one free. Three months after launch. I love it.
You want to talk about disposable crap, I've kept disposable cameras longer than these morons punch out new phones.
It is interesting that when people read that Android-based phones are leading over the iPhone that it's assumed that it must be because of the models with the gigantic displays in the LTE flagship models. I have no doubt there are plenty of people that love their huge display phones but what is the market size? There were people that absolutely love the 17" MBP and that doesn't seem to have been big enough for Apple to continue. And there were people that thought the netbook was future of computing and yet we're only barely into 2013 when we find out that the last netbook makers are closing shop.
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
And there were people that thought the netbook was future of computing and yet we're only barely into 2013 when we find out that the last netbook makers are closing shop.
They all hadn't already? Been five years, for crying out loud!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Scrip
And not just phablets. Most Samsung smartphones today (and basically all other decent smartphones) are well over 4"
I love my iPhone.... but Apple only recently got to a 4" 16:9 screen... something the original Galaxy S had in 2010. And Samsung smartphones have grown ever since.
Galaxy S 4.0"
Galaxy SII 4.3"
Galaxy SIII 4.8"
How big is too big? I dunno... but I'd like the option to get a larger iPhone. Just a little larger
I don't really think I need a bigger phone but I'd love to have a bigger font option on some screens... my vision is a bit poor.
Most had but Asus and Acer are finally closing down production.
Settings » General » Accessibility » Large Text
If Apple can have multiple iPod lines, two iPad lines, then I honestly don't think it would be that hard for them to offer two iPhone lines. Keep the current size for people that want small phones and offer another model for people clamoring for a larger phone. I would honestly be happy with anything between 4.5" to around 5.5" with a strong preference towards 4.8". Even a 4.5" version would be enough to keep me in the fold, I wouldn't be happy but it is just enough to keep me from switching.
I have never suggested that Apple should replace or do away with the 4" model. The market will ultimately make the decision for Apple just like it did for the iPad Mini and on that point I think most of us will agree. I don't see large displays as a fad or people suddenly deciding that their phones are too large. Sure the cheapo 3.2" phones will always sell well because they are cheap. Not because people want a slow and small phone, simply because that is all they can afford.
2013 will be an interesting year and perhaps will decide who was right. I myself doubt Apple will make a larger phone this year and will instead just make an S type upgrade to the 5 like they did with the 4 to 4S. More internal than external changes and perhaps more focus on more iOS enhancements and features than last year.
If I am right and big displays are proven to be far more popular than some of you realize, Apple might decide to offer one in 2014 or 2015. And when they do I will happily buy one. But until they do I can tell you with 100% certainty I will not be using a phone with what I consider to be a far too small display when my upgrade kicks in on June 1. Maybe by then we will have some decent ideas what the 5S or 6 will look like and I might decide to at least wait and see what Apple decides to do, but ultimately I have to choose the phone that works best for me and that means a large display above all else.
Originally Posted by gwmac
…ultimately I have to choose the phone that works best for me and that means a large display above all else.
Here you go. Two years old, so it should be pretty cheap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Most had but Asus and Acer are finally closing down production.
Settings » General » Accessibility » Large Texthttp://www.todayonline.com/Technology/EDC130103-0000104/End-of-an-era--Netbooks-to-be-discontinued-in-2013
You could select 56 point if you wish, and that would help with text messages and email, but do absolutely nothing for most apps where the text size is fixed or buttons are close together and hard to select, or the fact that you have to scroll so much more often on a small screen. 4" regardless of the PPI or resolution will always be just 4" and there is no getting around that limitation for people who simply want a larger display. Maybe if I had never used a larger display before my iPhone I wouldn't be so adamant. Had I only ever used an iPhone then maybe the larger 4" version would have been enough. But for anyone that has used a large display for an extended amount of time it is hard to just accept that 3.5" or 4" is large enough and just settle.
"phablet"?
This has Ballmer's fingerprints all over it.
If Apple was to go to a 4.3" screen like my old Droid-X with the HD screen and the higher resolution screen it would be wonderful. I have found that looking at the 4" screen of my Iphone 5 vs my old Droid-X you can see much more in a equally balanced screen where with the I-phone 5 it is not of the same value. I totally agree that the big screen smartphone are nothing but crazey....Apple keep up the great work and make the screen just a little larger, but will fit in a shirtpocket etc...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Here you go. Two years old, so it should be pretty cheap.
Hahaha comical