I am pretty certain that when/if Apple brings out a larger screened iPhone the marketing blitz will be all forward looking, talking about the great strides they have made to ensure minimal fragmentation and the fact that all regular apps will work out of the box. The main focus will not necessarily be on the fact that the screen is larger but instead more granularly on other specific advances made, perhaps directly linked to a larger screen size. There will always be critics and Apple has never really responded to them directly. Why would they?
Exactly. Apple will tout a bigger iPhone (<5") will have better battery life, better tech, etc.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
For Japan, we can only hope Apple keeps alive the iPhone 5s. Anything larger may bomb among half the public. A Japanese friend had a cell phone so small, I jokingly told her that it looked like a "Barbie doll phone." She liked it that way.
I wouldn't mind a slightly larger screen, but for many the iPhone is already almost too large.
I agree it would be hard to be so smooth again. But would they consider making the iPod Touch bigger but not the iPhone? It solves the problem of holding something big up to your face, since it doesn't take calls.
I don't think they'd just do the iPod Touch. They put very little R&D into their iPod line so i don't see them using a larger display just for it. On top of that, I really don't want to see that because it would then mean a larger display with the same pixels as the current iPod Touch. I'm hoping Apple goes all-in with a higher resolution which means a lot of back end updates to their OS and SDK for developer support. I wonder about the PPI for the display, too.
They might have to start all that scratch because of all the needed changes for going to a larger display on the same aspect ratio which means they could be considering a higher PPI simply because that part is now convenient and the HW can take it. I'm hoping and betting against 264 PPI at 4.94" that will allow them to do nothing with the OS or SDK. But they don't have to use the iPad Air's display.
They could go with, say, 4.5" display without changing anything else and that would be 290 PPI which is still Retina for nearly all the population. At 4.5" that would be a device that is 8.66 in sq (55.87 cm sq) compared to the 4" version at 6.84 in sq (44.14 cm sq) for the 4" version. To me that seems like a decent bump in size with little effort, especially if are working on a more complete, future-foward system which could still take a couple years to get right. And at 4.5" they may be able to keep the size and weight inline with the iPhone 5S if they can reduce the bezel, header and footer.
The critics also said Apple should spin-off the Mac and license MacOS to clone makers because that formula worked so well for Microsoft and Windows 98 was on top of the goddamned world just do what Microsoft did and you'll be rich.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
Most people didn't spend hours staring at the display of their Motorola Razr which is why smaller was a good thing back then. People now spend a lot of time staring at the screen on smartphones which is why bigger is a good thing now.
I don't think they'd just do the iPod Touch. They put very little R&D into their iPod line so i don't see them using a larger display just for it. On top of that, I really don't want to see that because it would then mean a larger display with the same pixels as the current iPod Touch. I'm hoping Apple goes all-in with a higher resolution which means a lot of back end updates to their OS and SDK for developer support. I wonder about the PPI for the display, too.
They might have to start all that scratch because of all the needed changes for going to a larger display on the same aspect ration which means they could be considering a higher PPI simply because that part is now convenient and the HW can take it. I'm hoping and betting against 264 PPI at 4.94" that will allow them to do nothing with the OS or SDK. But they don't have to use the iPad Air's display.
They could go with, say, 4.5" display without changing anything else and that would be 290 PPI which is still Retina for nearly all the population. At 4.5" that would be a device that is 8.66 in sq (55.87 cm sq) compared to the 4" version at 6.84 in sq (44.14 cm sq) for the 4" version. To me that seems like a decent bump in size with little effort, especially if are working on a more complete, future-foward system which could still take a couple years to get right. And at 4.5" they may be able to keep the size and weight inline with the iPhone 5S if they can reduce the bezel, header and footer.
That is a well thought out argument. And I agree with the bezel comment, because they really like one-handed operation, and 4" is pretty much the limit for that, so if they are going to go to 4.5" they must be going to reduce the bezel at the same time to allow the thumb to reach further.
It's simple. The market wants a larger screen so Apple will likely be obliging. I think they need to keep the current size of 4" as an option though. Lots of people don't want more width. Based on all the rumours and speculation, a 4", 4.7" and a 5.5" will be available at the end of this year. That way Apple can cover everyone's needs.
Well if it's that simple, why are we getting it in 2014 and not 2012 or 2013? Unless Apple leadership thought the large screen phones were a fad that would die out?
If the iPhone 6 in addition to including a larger display improves upon battery life to a noticeable degree, includes an A8 and doubles storage to 32/64/128 it will be touted as the most revolutionary iPhone since the very first one. Pretty much all of that is likely with the exception of more storage. I haven't heard any rumors concerning whether they will stick with 16/32/64 or double that. Now that Android phones are beginning to offer 64GB and also allow an additional 128GB for a total of 192GB that makes 64GB maximum on the iPhone far less impressive than several years ago. A bigger display and doubling the storage might be a bit too much to hope for in one release but that would be fantastic.
It's simple. The market wants a larger screen so Apple will likely be obliging. I think they need to keep the current size of 4" as an option though. Lots of people don't want more width. Based on all the rumours and speculation, a 4", 4.7" and a 5.5" will be available at the end of this year. That way Apple can cover everyone's needs.
Agreed. Apple did the same with the iPod, and the iPad.
I don't know if there will be 2 new phones however. however, I'll wait until iOS8 is discussed at WWDC as to the methods for dynamically scaling apps across multiple screen resolutions and geometries.
the method for entering Chinese, Korean or Japanese characters is different than with roman characters. when you change the keyboard to using Chinese, Korean or Japanese, half of the screen on a pre-iphone 5 is taken up by the input area, so it seems to make sense that the Chinese, Korean and the Japanese desire a larger screen.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
Add enough features to your brick and people will buy it and carry it around in a shoulder-bag.
If the iPhone 6 in addition to including a larger display improves upon battery life to a noticeable degree, includes an A8 and doubles storage to 32/64/128 it will be touted as the most revolutionary iPhone since the very first one. Pretty much all of that is likely with the exception of more storage. I haven't heard any rumors concerning whether they will stick with 16/32/64 or double that. Now that Android phones are beginning to offer 64GB and also allow an additional 128GB for a total of 192GB that makes 64GB maximum on the iPhone far less impressive than several years ago. A bigger display and doubling the storage might be a bit too much to hope for in one release but that would be fantastic.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against Apple when you think Specs are on the line!"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha.... <dead>.
Specs aren't where apple fights it's wars... performance on the job is the critical measure.
doubling storage goes against apple ecosystem model, esp. on the phone.
Well if it's that simple, why are we getting it in 2014 and not 2012 or 2013? Unless Apple leadership thought the large screen phones were a fad that would die out?
You were right in an earlier post. Apple works in 2 year cycles. At least they have since the iPhone 3. Unless the iPhone 6 introduces some radical new display technology never before seen on any other device, that will prove the technology was available earlier. Was it available in large enough quantity last year? Who knows..
Apple touted one handed use as as a paradigm that no longer seems very important to most people or indeed app developers. Take a look at most of the top paid or free apps. The majority work either far better in landscape and many do not even offer portrait as an option at all. The number of people using the current iPhone in landscape suggest one handed is no longer king. The first iPhone was a phone that also had a few cool apps. The current iPhone is a computer that also offer phone calls as a much less used feature. Once that shift happened one handed use was much less important. Smartphones are now much more about 2 thumbs than one hand.
But just because Apple was late to the party doesn't mean they won't make an awesome big display iPhone. The criticism will last about as long as the jokes about the name "iPad" lasted many years ago which is to say not long at all. Apple doesn't need to explain or justify it at all since people will be too busy throwing money at them. There is a lot you can copy from other phones but display size isn't one of them.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
We also used to make fun of those older brick-sized Motorola StarTAC phones as clunky and dated, but big is coming back with a goddamned vengeance, and you will like it goddamnit.
I don't see the big deal here. What is the opposition to an Apple phablet? That Samsung came out with phablets first and you don't want Apple to be seen as emulating Samsung? Please. Samsung came out with phablets as a desperation ploy: they were getting hammered, probably barely breaking even on the writeoffs that the phones that weren't selling plus their massive advertising budget. The phablets not only were very successful for Samsung individually, but made the entire brand more attractive and helped increase sales for all their products.
So Samsung discovered (or rather created) a market that people did not know existed. Big deal. All Apple has to do is come out with a better phablet. You see, Samsung's phablet is merely a bigger version of the same device. It is the same as their regular smartphones but with a bigger screen. Excellent sales gimmick targeted towards the "bling" mindset but not exactly innovation.
What Apple should do is come out with an innovation that makes the best use of the larger screen space and particularly the larger device size, as the larger device size should mean the ability to put better hardware in it. So, Apple could use the larger display and the bigger device size to come out with a true "tweener" device, an "almost" tablet that you can use to place and receive calls, not just a larger phone. They could leverage it being bigger than a phone in some ways (i.e. gaming, productivity for business users, etc.) but smaller than a tablet in others (i.e. taking pictures).
That is essentially what Amazon did with the Fire TV. The newer technology available meant no longer having build a set top box for streaming alone: you can fit all the streaming capacity that you need in a dongle like Chromecast and the Roku stick. So they kept the device at about the same size as a Roku 3 and Apple TV and used the extra space to make it a "tweener" or hybrid device: streamer plus mini-game console plus portal for the Amazon Cloud apps.
So if you quit being averse to it simply because your hated rival had the idea first, you would see that embracing the concept actually offers Apple a chance to introduce almost an entirely new device, essentially an I-Pad Mini that is also a practical phone - instead of being just a bigger phone. Apple should CERTAINLY emulate what Samsung has done with phablets and Amazon has done with a gaming set top box, except do it better.
Comments
Exactly. Apple will tout a bigger iPhone (<5") will have better battery life, better tech, etc.
I wouldn't mind a slightly larger screen, but for many the iPhone is already almost too large.
I don't think they'd just do the iPod Touch. They put very little R&D into their iPod line so i don't see them using a larger display just for it. On top of that, I really don't want to see that because it would then mean a larger display with the same pixels as the current iPod Touch. I'm hoping Apple goes all-in with a higher resolution which means a lot of back end updates to their OS and SDK for developer support. I wonder about the PPI for the display, too.
They might have to start all that scratch because of all the needed changes for going to a larger display on the same aspect ratio which means they could be considering a higher PPI simply because that part is now convenient and the HW can take it. I'm hoping and betting against 264 PPI at 4.94" that will allow them to do nothing with the OS or SDK. But they don't have to use the iPad Air's display.
They could go with, say, 4.5" display without changing anything else and that would be 290 PPI which is still Retina for nearly all the population. At 4.5" that would be a device that is 8.66 in sq (55.87 cm sq) compared to the 4" version at 6.84 in sq (44.14 cm sq) for the 4" version. To me that seems like a decent bump in size with little effort, especially if are working on a more complete, future-foward system which could still take a couple years to get right. And at 4.5" they may be able to keep the size and weight inline with the iPhone 5S if they can reduce the bezel, header and footer.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
Most people didn't spend hours staring at the display of their Motorola Razr which is why smaller was a good thing back then. People now spend a lot of time staring at the screen on smartphones which is why bigger is a good thing now.
I don't think they'd just do the iPod Touch. They put very little R&D into their iPod line so i don't see them using a larger display just for it. On top of that, I really don't want to see that because it would then mean a larger display with the same pixels as the current iPod Touch. I'm hoping Apple goes all-in with a higher resolution which means a lot of back end updates to their OS and SDK for developer support. I wonder about the PPI for the display, too.
They might have to start all that scratch because of all the needed changes for going to a larger display on the same aspect ration which means they could be considering a higher PPI simply because that part is now convenient and the HW can take it. I'm hoping and betting against 264 PPI at 4.94" that will allow them to do nothing with the OS or SDK. But they don't have to use the iPad Air's display.
They could go with, say, 4.5" display without changing anything else and that would be 290 PPI which is still Retina for nearly all the population. At 4.5" that would be a device that is 8.66 in sq (55.87 cm sq) compared to the 4" version at 6.84 in sq (44.14 cm sq) for the 4" version. To me that seems like a decent bump in size with little effort, especially if are working on a more complete, future-foward system which could still take a couple years to get right. And at 4.5" they may be able to keep the size and weight inline with the iPhone 5S if they can reduce the bezel, header and footer.
That is a well thought out argument. And I agree with the bezel comment, because they really like one-handed operation, and 4" is pretty much the limit for that, so if they are going to go to 4.5" they must be going to reduce the bezel at the same time to allow the thumb to reach further.
If the iPhone 6 in addition to including a larger display improves upon battery life to a noticeable degree, includes an A8 and doubles storage to 32/64/128 it will be touted as the most revolutionary iPhone since the very first one. Pretty much all of that is likely with the exception of more storage. I haven't heard any rumors concerning whether they will stick with 16/32/64 or double that. Now that Android phones are beginning to offer 64GB and also allow an additional 128GB for a total of 192GB that makes 64GB maximum on the iPhone far less impressive than several years ago. A bigger display and doubling the storage might be a bit too much to hope for in one release but that would be fantastic.
It's simple. The market wants a larger screen so Apple will likely be obliging. I think they need to keep the current size of 4" as an option though. Lots of people don't want more width. Based on all the rumours and speculation, a 4", 4.7" and a 5.5" will be available at the end of this year. That way Apple can cover everyone's needs.
Agreed. Apple did the same with the iPod, and the iPad.
I don't know if there will be 2 new phones however. however, I'll wait until iOS8 is discussed at WWDC as to the methods for dynamically scaling apps across multiple screen resolutions and geometries.
It's funny; when mobile phones first came on the market, everyone tried to make them smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, since the iPhone everyone wants them bigger and bigger and bigger.
Add enough features to your brick and people will buy it and carry it around in a shoulder-bag.
If the iPhone 6 in addition to including a larger display improves upon battery life to a noticeable degree, includes an A8 and doubles storage to 32/64/128 it will be touted as the most revolutionary iPhone since the very first one. Pretty much all of that is likely with the exception of more storage. I haven't heard any rumors concerning whether they will stick with 16/32/64 or double that. Now that Android phones are beginning to offer 64GB and also allow an additional 128GB for a total of 192GB that makes 64GB maximum on the iPhone far less impressive than several years ago. A bigger display and doubling the storage might be a bit too much to hope for in one release but that would be fantastic.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against Apple when you think Specs are on the line!"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha.... <dead>.
Specs aren't where apple fights it's wars... performance on the job is the critical measure.
doubling storage goes against apple ecosystem model, esp. on the phone.
Same reason why apple doesn't build a phablet.
Well if it's that simple, why are we getting it in 2014 and not 2012 or 2013? Unless Apple leadership thought the large screen phones were a fad that would die out?
You were right in an earlier post. Apple works in 2 year cycles. At least they have since the iPhone 3. Unless the iPhone 6 introduces some radical new display technology never before seen on any other device, that will prove the technology was available earlier. Was it available in large enough quantity last year? Who knows..
Apple touted one handed use as as a paradigm that no longer seems very important to most people or indeed app developers. Take a look at most of the top paid or free apps. The majority work either far better in landscape and many do not even offer portrait as an option at all. The number of people using the current iPhone in landscape suggest one handed is no longer king. The first iPhone was a phone that also had a few cool apps. The current iPhone is a computer that also offer phone calls as a much less used feature. Once that shift happened one handed use was much less important. Smartphones are now much more about 2 thumbs than one hand.
But just because Apple was late to the party doesn't mean they won't make an awesome big display iPhone. The criticism will last about as long as the jokes about the name "iPad" lasted many years ago which is to say not long at all. Apple doesn't need to explain or justify it at all since people will be too busy throwing money at them. There is a lot you can copy from other phones but display size isn't one of them.
We also used to make fun of those older brick-sized Motorola StarTAC phones as clunky and dated, but big is coming back with a goddamned vengeance, and you will like it goddamnit.
Specs aren't where apple fights it's wars... performance on the job is the critical measure.
doubling storage goes against apple ecosystem model, esp. on the phone.
Same reason why apple doesn't build a phablet.
That still hasn't stopped Apple from modifying its specs... upward.
Add enough features to your brick and people will buy it and carry it around in a shoulder-bag.
exactly.
What was the USAF description of the F-4: "the F-4 was an engineer's proof that if you add enough thrust, even a brick can fly"
Let's see what hasn't been added
-hdmi port
-usb port
-java
-flash
-Ogg Vorbis
-removable battery
-sdram
-NFC
-a physical keyboard... or any buttons other than the home button and the power button
- a 6" screen
- a compiler on the phone
- a pony
If you need to carry 128gb of stuff... and have a huge screen or HDMI out, get a MBA (and the adaptor;-)).
If you need to have a portable phone that keeps you always connected to your musics, your video, and the cloud... get an iPhone.
If you need something in between, get an iPad Mini with LTE and Skype (or like me a MBA and a iPhone and tether)
I don't see the big deal here. What is the opposition to an Apple phablet? That Samsung came out with phablets first and you don't want Apple to be seen as emulating Samsung? Please. Samsung came out with phablets as a desperation ploy: they were getting hammered, probably barely breaking even on the writeoffs that the phones that weren't selling plus their massive advertising budget. The phablets not only were very successful for Samsung individually, but made the entire brand more attractive and helped increase sales for all their products.
So Samsung discovered (or rather created) a market that people did not know existed. Big deal. All Apple has to do is come out with a better phablet. You see, Samsung's phablet is merely a bigger version of the same device. It is the same as their regular smartphones but with a bigger screen. Excellent sales gimmick targeted towards the "bling" mindset but not exactly innovation.
What Apple should do is come out with an innovation that makes the best use of the larger screen space and particularly the larger device size, as the larger device size should mean the ability to put better hardware in it. So, Apple could use the larger display and the bigger device size to come out with a true "tweener" device, an "almost" tablet that you can use to place and receive calls, not just a larger phone. They could leverage it being bigger than a phone in some ways (i.e. gaming, productivity for business users, etc.) but smaller than a tablet in others (i.e. taking pictures).
That is essentially what Amazon did with the Fire TV. The newer technology available meant no longer having build a set top box for streaming alone: you can fit all the streaming capacity that you need in a dongle like Chromecast and the Roku stick. So they kept the device at about the same size as a Roku 3 and Apple TV and used the extra space to make it a "tweener" or hybrid device: streamer plus mini-game console plus portal for the Amazon Cloud apps.
So if you quit being averse to it simply because your hated rival had the idea first, you would see that embracing the concept actually offers Apple a chance to introduce almost an entirely new device, essentially an I-Pad Mini that is also a practical phone - instead of being just a bigger phone. Apple should CERTAINLY emulate what Samsung has done with phablets and Amazon has done with a gaming set top box, except do it better.