Sometimes hardware spec does matter, at least to a certain extent. I don't really care if one chip is running at 1GHz and an other similar one is running at 1.2GHz. It's not that big of a deal. However, the difference between a Cortex A8 based chip and something like the nVidia Tegra 2 is massively huge!
Let's just say that if Apple doesn't put a dual-core CPU in the next iPad, I will be looking at one of the Android tablets instead.
All these rumors of different models of iPhones must have competitors completely confused as to what Apple will do next. It reminds me of anti-missle defense measures for airliners:
"Decoy flares are infrared countermeasures used to protect aircraft from being detected by infrared homing missiles, that is those that detect heat sources like a jet engine. Like a plane?s guardian angels, the flares create false heat targets that confuse the guidance system of an enemy aircraft?s infrared missiles."
I can't wait to see some of the missiles fired by CE companies at Apple's decoy flares.
Doesn't make sense.. decoys for what?. Apple competitors already make 4 plus inch screens.. what, you think this will fool them into making more 4 plus inch screen phones?.
As to smaller phone.. yeah, i can see samsung and htc rushing to make a really small phone (i hope you can detect my sarcasm here).
None of these rumors should or will change a competitor behavior.. in fact, the rumors imply apple is responding to HTC.
To be honest, apple should come out with a 4 inch screen phone. Say what you want about HTC EVO or Droid Incredible or whatever 4.3 inch screen phones are out there.. people love them cause of the screen size. Maybe apple can even get some of those people to switch if they produced a larger sized screen phone.
What's the point? Is there anything significant that you can do with a 4-inch screen that you can't with a 3.5-inch screen?
Apple did not opt for the form factor of the current iPhone by accident. It carefully weighed various factors and decided that 3.5 inches is the best option.
Apple doesn't care what others are doing re form factor. Whereas the competition was trying to make the 7-inch form factor the standard in the tablet market, Apple is sticking by the 10-inch form factor with great success. It's not like smart phones haven't been available with larger screen until now. They've been out there for a while. Apple still sells the iPhone by the millions. No need to change.
And HTC EVO and Droid Incredible has proved that their careful research was incorrect. I know, it sound heretical.. apple wrong?.. no way!!!.. yes way!!!!.
Don't worry your little head.. should apple come out with 4'' screen.. apple minions will be snapping them up by the gadzillions... you can still cling to your small phone. I'm sure apple wouldn't mind.
With all the iPhone rumors I knew it wouldn't be long before this one came up. Whats next the new iPhone is going to be running Android?
Yup - and it will be a clamshell with a hw keyboard. But the most awesome thing is that it will be optimized for outdoor use and come with a windshield wiper! Goodbye greasy finger prints all over the screen.
I agree. I don't see them scaling up the size of the phone much. I'm sure they've tested designs with the black gap on both sides of the screen to the edge of the frame and a design with the screen to the edge of the frame.
I don't think they'll get rid of the Home Button. They also won't change their design w/o having the entire design patented and already submitted hush/hush to the USPTO.
Apple has been telling developers for more than a couple of years now to make sure their apps can handle alternative resolutions. On top of that iOS's GUI is more or less resolution independent, many apps would run fine right out of the box. Third; with each revision of the SDK developers have had to revisit apps anyways. The reality is you keep up or fall off the map.
...
Is it really that hard to imagine developers adding a few png's or whatever to support an alternative screen. The fact is universal apps already work well and demonstrate that screen support is a non issue.
I agree!
I think there are several situations that developers need to address
1) iPn -- iP4 double resolution in same screen size:
-- a) Rethink/redesign needed for many apps to exploit screen real estate
-- b) Small adjustment to some apps to adjust reasolution -iPn Koi Pond looks great on iPad
3) Other potential screens of different sizes and resolutions
-- a) Radically different screen sizes == Rethink/redesign needed for many apps to exploit screen real estate
-- b) Similar screen sizes, different resolutions == small adjustments required
Things Apple can do to help run existing apps without change:
-- scale/letterbox as iPhone to iPad
-- run multiple small apps side by side similar to Honeycomb and WebOS task/widget switcher views
-- enhanced CPU/GPU/OpenGL/GCD/OpenCL support to support graphics & exploit hardware
-- continued [enhanced] provision for universal apps
But here's the thing from a developer standpoint
1) Your small apps still run fine at 1x or 2x on a larger screen
2 Anytime Apple releases a device with a different resolution, it gives the developer an opportunity to refine and reintroduce existing apps -- similar to next year's new car -- mostly the same but more attractive
3) Anytime Apple releases a device with a radically different screen size, it gives the developer an opportunity to rethink, redesign and repackage an entirely new app.
Some developers will see 2) and 3) as maintenance headaches -- others will see them as sales opportunities
Finally, do you actually think that Apple will confine itself to an existiing [legacy] screen size or resolution?
Almost every new iPod was a break with the, then current, iPods.
The iPad, itself, was a break with everything else that Apple, then, made.
Here's my point:
Apple has given (and will continue to give) developers the ability to write apps that can be reworked for many screen sizes and resolutions.
Every new model or new device is a chance for new publicity and a new opportunity for developers.
And HTC EVO and Droid Incredible has proved that their careful research was incorrect. I know, it sound heretical.. apple wrong?.. no way!!!.. yes way!!!!.
Don't worry your little head.. should apple come out with 4'' screen.. apple minions will be snapping them up by the gadzillions... you can still cling to your small phone. I'm sure apple wouldn't mind.
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Are there widespread complaints about the iPhone's size coming from people who are using the device?
You know how this ends. If you get into a size competition, you wind up somewhere no one wants to be. It has never been how Apple does business. Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago. There was nothing technical stopping them.
Besides, you have to consider that a well-designed 3.5-inch device will trump a poorly thought-out 4-inch unit with ease. If you're into raw specs, Apple's products will not appeal. If Apple has more impressive specs, there's a tangible gain to be had. The hardware is a means to an end, not merely impressive-sounding for marketing purposes.
We might also see the home button replaced by a four-finger double-tap (or something along those lines).
Won't happen. Why? Pick up your phone one-handed and try to perform any kind of gesture involving more than two fingers. Horrible user experience. Will only ever come to the iPad, which is a two-handed device anyway.
I can see Apple going to a 4-inch edge-to-edge screen, though. It will be a fresh look and will attract more users than it puts off. Shave a couple of mm off the depth and you have a phone at least as pocketable as the iP4. The only problem would be battery life, but you can be sure Apple is working on that.
If this did happen, the resolution would stay the same. Any 'retina'-related headaches would be nothing compared to the difficulty of causing developers to support multiple screen sizes. Apple is all about consistency of experience. The only way it can ever change the iPhone's resolution is by doubling it in each direction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carmissimo
Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago.
I wouldn't be so sure. You can bet that Apple thought it was important to introduce multitasking and cut-and-paste years before they did so. But Apple doesn't deliver anything until it's got it absolutely right. In this case, that might mean an edge-to-edge 4-inch screen which allows the iP5 to fit within the iP4's footprint and doesn't suck down too much power.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carmissimo
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Because it's still a highly appealing product. The screen is not a 'problem' - just an area that Apple might seek to improve. The iPhone 2G sold in huge numbers without an App Store; the 3GS sold in huge numbers without multitasking; the iP4 sold in record numbers with the antenna issue. That doesn't mean that Apple hasn't sought to make its products better every time. If it doesn't, the Android manufacturers will!
Oh God no. The home button is a fundamental principal design in iOS. If you even take something as arbitrary as taking screenshots - you need the home button. It's supremely important.
I agree. I don't see them scaling up the size of the phone much. I'm sure they've tested designs with the black gap on both sides of the screen to the edge of the frame and a design with the screen to the edge of the frame.
The only issue I see with an edge-of-frame display is accidental overlapping presses with the hand that's holding the phone while the other is meant to be doing the tapping. You only have to briefly pick up an iPhone to see what I'm talking about. Even with the existing design, with that small edge the fingers of the holding hand come awful close to the touch screen.
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Are there widespread complaints about the iPhone's size coming from people who are using the device?
You know how this ends. If you get into a size competition, you wind up somewhere no one wants to be. It has never been how Apple does business. Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago. There was nothing technical stopping them.
Besides, you have to consider that a well-designed 3.5-inch device will trump a poorly thought-out 4-inch unit with ease. If you're into raw specs, Apple's products will not appeal. If Apple has more impressive specs, there's a tangible gain to be had. The hardware is a means to an end, not merely impressive-sounding for marketing purposes.
Who said the current iphone screen size is a problem?. Also to a second point, why can't a 4 inch screen be well designed?. You making a lot of straw arguments here my friend.
Bigger screen ... smaller screen? Give me a break. There's nothing to see here. Move on!
Well actually there is. If they are making a smaller phone they may also like to increase the bigger one slightly to further differentiate them and give the larger one more of a professional-type-product spin. That's not saying it's going to happen or that I personally want it to happen, but it does makes a certain logic sense. Like the way the shuffle got smaller and smaller and smaller, while the other iPod screens got bigger with eventually going to 3.5".
Like others have said here, I only see it happening (making iPhone 4") if they can do so without changing the actual phone's size, by going edge-to-edge on the left and right of the display. And keeping the absolute resolution 960-by-640.
I think Apple should come out with more iPhone models, in 3 different screen sizes, just like there are 3 different sizes of MacBook Pros. If Apple would make an iPhone with a 4" screen, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
The way to make this work is to shrink the size of home button (oval instead of round?) and the earpiece/camera area on the 4" and 3" models, making the top and bottom borders smaller, and then bring the displays edge-to-edge. This is how you fit a 4" display without changing the physical size of the phone, and it's how you make a 3" phone physically smaller without making the screen/touch area too small.
I personally think at this point, the smart-phone market is beginning to mature, and the differentiations that will be a big deal to customers will be the software experience.
While iPhone hardware should surely keep up, Apple simply doesn't need to change it's winning formula too much. The real innovations will be delivering updates to iOS, especially in terms of the notification system, etc.
I just got my Verizon iPhone 4, so maybe I'm trying to justify my purchase and be okay with "skipping" the iPhone 5, but in all fairness, most updates that come with iOS 5 will be close enough of an experience on the iPhone 4 that I'll be fine with it.
Also, LTE isn't coming to iPhone until the 2012 version.
You're implying choice is always a good thing. If they change the iPhone's screen size, there will be only one option for customers. iPhone nano then would a separate product, with a modified UI, likely targeted at teens with a new specific App Store just for it.
2GB phone with 'virtual disk' to home page (on net, you're good)
new lower power A4 chip
same battery life as iPhone 4
soft 'home' button bottom
New Iphone 5 $199/8 299/16
larger screen, same 'retina' dimensions as iPhone 4
2 cameras
universal telephony (2/3G cdma, 2G/3G gsm,LTE)
virtual disk connectivity
NFC
more battery life than current iPhone 4
Mobile Me: Syncs desktop to cloud, cloud to phone/pod/pad
Virtual Disk: Free for 5Gb, 99/year for every 5 after that.
Streaming music: via mobile me: free for XX minutes, $5/m for additionYY minutes a month
All billed through iTMS.
getting to a 79.99 phone (or less), is important to keep cheap androids from being the 'feature+' phone choice, locking new users into a SW/services ecosystem.
The value of Apple is really locking people into Mobile Me, thus locking them into a services platform. As Apple comes up with a way to make telephone contracts month to month and running in parallel (I buy both VZN and ATT services, because I'm a on the go exec needing connectivity everywhere), billed through ITMS, this basically solves the holy grail for the consumer, and is near infinitely sticky for users. (especially if Apple builds an Android app suite for it's cloud services and music... ala windows).
Yes, other companies doesn't do anything and doesn't present anything. Ups, I have arrived from MWC and there was a lot of products
Quote:
Originally Posted by wnurse
Doesn't make sense.. decoys for what?. Apple competitors already make 4 plus inch screens.. what, you think this will fool them into making more 4 plus inch screen phones?.
As to smaller phone.. yeah, i can see samsung and htc rushing to make a really small phone (i hope you can detect my sarcasm here).
None of these rumors should or will change a competitor behavior.. in fact, the rumors imply apple is responding to HTC.
To be honest, apple should come out with a 4 inch screen phone. Say what you want about HTC EVO or Droid Incredible or whatever 4.3 inch screen phones are out there.. people love them cause of the screen size. Maybe apple can even get some of those people to switch if they produced a larger sized screen phone.
A person would have to be completely out of touch with reality to believe that Apple's competitors ignore rather than copy Apple's products.
Comments
Let's just say that if Apple doesn't put a dual-core CPU in the next iPad, I will be looking at one of the Android tablets instead.
All these rumors of different models of iPhones must have competitors completely confused as to what Apple will do next. It reminds me of anti-missle defense measures for airliners:
"Decoy flares are infrared countermeasures used to protect aircraft from being detected by infrared homing missiles, that is those that detect heat sources like a jet engine. Like a plane?s guardian angels, the flares create false heat targets that confuse the guidance system of an enemy aircraft?s infrared missiles."
I can't wait to see some of the missiles fired by CE companies at Apple's decoy flares.
Doesn't make sense.. decoys for what?. Apple competitors already make 4 plus inch screens.. what, you think this will fool them into making more 4 plus inch screen phones?.
As to smaller phone.. yeah, i can see samsung and htc rushing to make a really small phone (i hope you can detect my sarcasm here).
None of these rumors should or will change a competitor behavior.. in fact, the rumors imply apple is responding to HTC.
To be honest, apple should come out with a 4 inch screen phone. Say what you want about HTC EVO or Droid Incredible or whatever 4.3 inch screen phones are out there.. people love them cause of the screen size. Maybe apple can even get some of those people to switch if they produced a larger sized screen phone.
What's the point? Is there anything significant that you can do with a 4-inch screen that you can't with a 3.5-inch screen?
Apple did not opt for the form factor of the current iPhone by accident. It carefully weighed various factors and decided that 3.5 inches is the best option.
Apple doesn't care what others are doing re form factor. Whereas the competition was trying to make the 7-inch form factor the standard in the tablet market, Apple is sticking by the 10-inch form factor with great success. It's not like smart phones haven't been available with larger screen until now. They've been out there for a while. Apple still sells the iPhone by the millions. No need to change.
And HTC EVO and Droid Incredible has proved that their careful research was incorrect. I know, it sound heretical.. apple wrong?.. no way!!!.. yes way!!!!.
Don't worry your little head.. should apple come out with 4'' screen.. apple minions will be snapping them up by the gadzillions... you can still cling to your small phone. I'm sure apple wouldn't mind.
With all the iPhone rumors I knew it wouldn't be long before this one came up. Whats next the new iPhone is going to be running Android?
Yup - and it will be a clamshell with a hw keyboard. But the most awesome thing is that it will be optimized for outdoor use and come with a windshield wiper! Goodbye greasy finger prints all over the screen.
You agree with me.
I agree. I don't see them scaling up the size of the phone much. I'm sure they've tested designs with the black gap on both sides of the screen to the edge of the frame and a design with the screen to the edge of the frame.
I don't think they'll get rid of the Home Button. They also won't change their design w/o having the entire design patented and already submitted hush/hush to the USPTO.
Apple has been telling developers for more than a couple of years now to make sure their apps can handle alternative resolutions. On top of that iOS's GUI is more or less resolution independent, many apps would run fine right out of the box. Third; with each revision of the SDK developers have had to revisit apps anyways. The reality is you keep up or fall off the map.
...
Is it really that hard to imagine developers adding a few png's or whatever to support an alternative screen. The fact is universal apps already work well and demonstrate that screen support is a non issue.
I agree!
I think there are several situations that developers need to address
1) iPn -- iP4 double resolution in same screen size:
-- a) no change needed
2) iPn, iP4 -- iPad Larger Screen, [marginally] Acceptably app scaling
-- a) Rethink/redesign needed for many apps to exploit screen real estate
-- b) Small adjustment to some apps to adjust reasolution -iPn Koi Pond looks great on iPad
3) Other potential screens of different sizes and resolutions
-- a) Radically different screen sizes == Rethink/redesign needed for many apps to exploit screen real estate
-- b) Similar screen sizes, different resolutions == small adjustments required
Things Apple can do to help run existing apps without change:
-- scale/letterbox as iPhone to iPad
-- run multiple small apps side by side similar to Honeycomb and WebOS task/widget switcher views
-- enhanced CPU/GPU/OpenGL/GCD/OpenCL support to support graphics & exploit hardware
-- continued [enhanced] provision for universal apps
But here's the thing from a developer standpoint
1) Your small apps still run fine at 1x or 2x on a larger screen
2 Anytime Apple releases a device with a different resolution, it gives the developer an opportunity to refine and reintroduce existing apps -- similar to next year's new car -- mostly the same but more attractive
3) Anytime Apple releases a device with a radically different screen size, it gives the developer an opportunity to rethink, redesign and repackage an entirely new app.
Some developers will see 2) and 3) as maintenance headaches -- others will see them as sales opportunities
Finally, do you actually think that Apple will confine itself to an existiing [legacy] screen size or resolution?
Almost every new iPod was a break with the, then current, iPods.
The iPad, itself, was a break with everything else that Apple, then, made.
Here's my point:
Apple has given (and will continue to give) developers the ability to write apps that can be reworked for many screen sizes and resolutions.
Every new model or new device is a chance for new publicity and a new opportunity for developers.
Bring 'em!
.
And HTC EVO and Droid Incredible has proved that their careful research was incorrect. I know, it sound heretical.. apple wrong?.. no way!!!.. yes way!!!!.
Don't worry your little head.. should apple come out with 4'' screen.. apple minions will be snapping them up by the gadzillions... you can still cling to your small phone. I'm sure apple wouldn't mind.
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Are there widespread complaints about the iPhone's size coming from people who are using the device?
You know how this ends. If you get into a size competition, you wind up somewhere no one wants to be. It has never been how Apple does business. Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago. There was nothing technical stopping them.
Besides, you have to consider that a well-designed 3.5-inch device will trump a poorly thought-out 4-inch unit with ease. If you're into raw specs, Apple's products will not appeal. If Apple has more impressive specs, there's a tangible gain to be had. The hardware is a means to an end, not merely impressive-sounding for marketing purposes.
We might also see the home button replaced by a four-finger double-tap (or something along those lines).
Won't happen. Why? Pick up your phone one-handed and try to perform any kind of gesture involving more than two fingers. Horrible user experience. Will only ever come to the iPad, which is a two-handed device anyway.
I can see Apple going to a 4-inch edge-to-edge screen, though. It will be a fresh look and will attract more users than it puts off. Shave a couple of mm off the depth and you have a phone at least as pocketable as the iP4. The only problem would be battery life, but you can be sure Apple is working on that.
If this did happen, the resolution would stay the same. Any 'retina'-related headaches would be nothing compared to the difficulty of causing developers to support multiple screen sizes. Apple is all about consistency of experience. The only way it can ever change the iPhone's resolution is by doubling it in each direction.
Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago.
I wouldn't be so sure. You can bet that Apple thought it was important to introduce multitasking and cut-and-paste years before they did so. But Apple doesn't deliver anything until it's got it absolutely right. In this case, that might mean an edge-to-edge 4-inch screen which allows the iP5 to fit within the iP4's footprint and doesn't suck down too much power.
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Because it's still a highly appealing product. The screen is not a 'problem' - just an area that Apple might seek to improve. The iPhone 2G sold in huge numbers without an App Store; the 3GS sold in huge numbers without multitasking; the iP4 sold in record numbers with the antenna issue. That doesn't mean that Apple hasn't sought to make its products better every time. If it doesn't, the Android manufacturers will!
I don't think they'll get rid of the Home Button.
Oh God no. The home button is a fundamental principal design in iOS. If you even take something as arbitrary as taking screenshots - you need the home button. It's supremely important.
I agree. I don't see them scaling up the size of the phone much. I'm sure they've tested designs with the black gap on both sides of the screen to the edge of the frame and a design with the screen to the edge of the frame.
The only issue I see with an edge-of-frame display is accidental overlapping presses with the hand that's holding the phone while the other is meant to be doing the tapping. You only have to briefly pick up an iPhone to see what I'm talking about. Even with the existing design, with that small edge the fingers of the holding hand come awful close to the touch screen.
If the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen is a problem, why is the device still selling in record numbers?
Are there widespread complaints about the iPhone's size coming from people who are using the device?
You know how this ends. If you get into a size competition, you wind up somewhere no one wants to be. It has never been how Apple does business. Certainly if Apple thought for a second that it was important to go with a larger screen, they'd have made that change a long time ago. There was nothing technical stopping them.
Besides, you have to consider that a well-designed 3.5-inch device will trump a poorly thought-out 4-inch unit with ease. If you're into raw specs, Apple's products will not appeal. If Apple has more impressive specs, there's a tangible gain to be had. The hardware is a means to an end, not merely impressive-sounding for marketing purposes.
Who said the current iphone screen size is a problem?. Also to a second point, why can't a 4 inch screen be well designed?. You making a lot of straw arguments here my friend.
Bigger screen ... smaller screen? Give me a break. There's nothing to see here. Move on!
Well actually there is. If they are making a smaller phone they may also like to increase the bigger one slightly to further differentiate them and give the larger one more of a professional-type-product spin. That's not saying it's going to happen or that I personally want it to happen, but it does makes a certain logic sense. Like the way the shuffle got smaller and smaller and smaller, while the other iPod screens got bigger with eventually going to 3.5".
Like others have said here, I only see it happening (making iPhone 4") if they can do so without changing the actual phone's size, by going edge-to-edge on the left and right of the display. And keeping the absolute resolution 960-by-640.
Here is what I'd like to see:
4.0" iPhone 5: 960x640ppi, dual-core "A5" CPU/GPU, 32 & 64GB
3.5" iPhone 5: 960x640ppi, dual-core "A5" CPU/GPU, 16 & 32GB
3.0" iPhone 5: 480x320ppi, single-core A4 CPU/GPU, 8 & 16GB
The way to make this work is to shrink the size of home button (oval instead of round?) and the earpiece/camera area on the 4" and 3" models, making the top and bottom borders smaller, and then bring the displays edge-to-edge. This is how you fit a 4" display without changing the physical size of the phone, and it's how you make a 3" phone physically smaller without making the screen/touch area too small.
While iPhone hardware should surely keep up, Apple simply doesn't need to change it's winning formula too much. The real innovations will be delivering updates to iOS, especially in terms of the notification system, etc.
I just got my Verizon iPhone 4, so maybe I'm trying to justify my purchase and be okay with "skipping" the iPhone 5, but in all fairness, most updates that come with iOS 5 will be close enough of an experience on the iPhone 4 that I'll be fine with it.
Also, LTE isn't coming to iPhone until the 2012 version.
More Choice.
Here is what I'd like to see:
4.0" iPhone 5: 960x640ppi, dual-core "A5" CPU/GPU, 32 & 64GB
3.5" iPhone 5: 960x640ppi, dual-core "A5" CPU/GPU, 16 & 32GB
3.0" iPhone 5: 480x320ppi, single-core A4 CPU/GPU, 8 & 16GB
You're implying choice is always a good thing. If they change the iPhone's screen size, there will be only one option for customers. iPhone nano then would a separate product, with a modified UI, likely targeted at teens with a new specific App Store just for it.
- phase out 3GS (49.99, or even free with plan. until sold out)
- low cost iPhone 4 = 99
CDMA or GSM (same as now)
lower cost iPhone Nano 79.99
iPhone 4 front facing camera (facetime ready)
iPhone 3GS screen resolution smaller screen (retina-like)
CDMA or GSM
NFC
2GB phone with 'virtual disk' to home page (on net, you're good)
new lower power A4 chip
same battery life as iPhone 4
soft 'home' button bottom
New Iphone 5 $199/8 299/16
larger screen, same 'retina' dimensions as iPhone 4
2 cameras
universal telephony (2/3G cdma, 2G/3G gsm,LTE)
virtual disk connectivity
NFC
more battery life than current iPhone 4
Mobile Me: Syncs desktop to cloud, cloud to phone/pod/pad
Virtual Disk: Free for 5Gb, 99/year for every 5 after that.
Streaming music: via mobile me: free for XX minutes, $5/m for additionYY minutes a month
All billed through iTMS.
getting to a 79.99 phone (or less), is important to keep cheap androids from being the 'feature+' phone choice, locking new users into a SW/services ecosystem.
The value of Apple is really locking people into Mobile Me, thus locking them into a services platform. As Apple comes up with a way to make telephone contracts month to month and running in parallel (I buy both VZN and ATT services, because I'm a on the go exec needing connectivity everywhere), billed through ITMS, this basically solves the holy grail for the consumer, and is near infinitely sticky for users. (especially if Apple builds an Android app suite for it's cloud services and music... ala windows).
Yes, other companies doesn't do anything and doesn't present anything. Ups, I have arrived from MWC and there was a lot of products
Doesn't make sense.. decoys for what?. Apple competitors already make 4 plus inch screens.. what, you think this will fool them into making more 4 plus inch screen phones?.
As to smaller phone.. yeah, i can see samsung and htc rushing to make a really small phone (i hope you can detect my sarcasm here).
None of these rumors should or will change a competitor behavior.. in fact, the rumors imply apple is responding to HTC.
To be honest, apple should come out with a 4 inch screen phone. Say what you want about HTC EVO or Droid Incredible or whatever 4.3 inch screen phones are out there.. people love them cause of the screen size. Maybe apple can even get some of those people to switch if they produced a larger sized screen phone.
A person would have to be completely out of touch with reality to believe that Apple's competitors ignore rather than copy Apple's products.