Orange CEO: Apple's next iPhone will be smaller, thinner with new SIM

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 53
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,958member
    Thinner, smaller, lighter. Could just be generic comment, but got me thinking. What if the iPhone were less tall, but just as wide? In other words, the phone version of the iPod Nano: all screen on the front surface. Screen could be same size, or even a bit larger, but just doing away with the black (or white) bezel altogether. There have been some patents revealed recently that involve compartmentalizing the screen surface so that different parts do different things--home button could be a region instead of a physical button. Now Apple's concern about shrinking an already pretty small card makes sense. Maybe that's how all this comes together?



    Like the microphone at the bottom, the speaker could be put on the top edge. The shorter phone could be held just below your ear hole instead of over it. Maybe the recent hire of Mr. THX was to rejigger the speaker so that it vectors the sound at an angle to the ear from this position. Or maybe a slight gap between the frame at the top and the glass for the speaker if they wanted to keep it facing the front.



    No problem with the mic being farther from the mouth as Apple has excellent noise cancelation already, and the phone mic is plenty sensitive.
  • Reply 22 of 53
    rhyderhyde Posts: 294member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    How can the screen get bigger if the phone is smaller?



    It's like subtraction stew.
  • Reply 23 of 53
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post


    Thinner, smaller, lighter. Could just be generic comment, but got me thinking. What if the iPhone were less tall, but just as wide? In other words, the phone version of the iPod Nano: all screen on the front surface. Screen could be same size, or even a bit larger, but just doing away with the black (or white) bezel altogether. There have been some patents revealed recently that involve compartmentalizing the screen surface so that different parts do different things--home button could be a region instead of a physical button. Maybe that's how all this comes together?



    Like the microphone at the bottom, the speaker could be put on the top edge. The shorter phone could be held just below your ear hole instead of over it. Maybe the recent hire of Mr. THX was to rejigger the speaker so that it vectors the sound at an angle to the ear from this position.



    The biggest issue with a zero bezel handset is the location of the front-facing camera for Facetime and to a lesser extent, the proximity sensor.



    The speaker could be placed at the top edge, just as the iPod touch 3 had a speaker whose sound emanated from the dock connector opening.



    That said, vectoring the audio from a top-facing port still may not work very well in noisy situations. You can isolate environmental sound by pressing the handset directly against your ear which forms a relatively good seal. A speaker on the top edge of the handset would not allow such an action.
  • Reply 24 of 53
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,958member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    The biggest issue with a zero bezel handset is the location of the front-facing camera for Facetime and to a lesser extent, the proximity sensor.



    Good point, forgot about the damn camera. See my updated post. Maybe the camera could live in my narrow slot at the top between glass/screen and frame?



    So maybe not zero bezel, but minimalist bezel?
  • Reply 25 of 53
    guch20guch20 Posts: 173member
    It doesn't exactly take a Nostradamus to venture a guess that the next iPhone will be thinner than the current model, since each year's model has been thinner than the one previous. That's like guessing that the next iPhone model will be available in black...
  • Reply 26 of 53
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    I really hope that Apple sticks to micro SIMs. Operators in the UK charge iPhone users a 20-50% premium over regular phone users for the same contract. The ability to use any SIM card (with a bit of cutting) helped alleviate this problem.
  • Reply 27 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Apple won't stop until the iPhone is 0.0mm thick, as in, it takes up no volume at all because it's been reduced by one spatial dimension. Hell, if Apple could create a phone that is -3.0mm thick, they'd do it...imagine a phone that doesn't take up space in the Universe, it actually creates new space!



    Sounds like a menger sponge.

    From Wikipedia:



    "The Menger sponge simultaneously exhibits an infinite surface area and encloses zero volume."

  • Reply 28 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Apple won't stop until the iPhone is 0.0mm thick, as in, it takes up no volume at all because it's been reduced by one spatial dimension. Hell, if Apple could create a phone that is -3.0mm thick, they'd do it...imagine a phone that doesn't take up space in the Universe, it actually creates new space!



    Best post ever......
  • Reply 29 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    Btw it seems like the dicks were left behind.



    Sad but true: The rapture DID happen. Alas, it turned out there were so few people worth taking that it passed unnoticed...
  • Reply 30 of 53
    iansilviansilv Posts: 283member
    I'm guessing that will be tomorrow's article
  • Reply 31 of 53
    djsherlydjsherly Posts: 1,031member
    make the dock connector magsafe.
  • Reply 32 of 53
    iansilviansilv Posts: 283member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djsherly View Post


    make the dock connector magsafe.



    Oh crap! Yeah! come to think of it- no brainer! just like the iPad 2 smart covers- connector snaps on just like a magsafe. Good idea. Never thought about it. Makes perfect sense.
  • Reply 33 of 53
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    How can the screen get bigger if the phone is smaller?



    I've heard that Apple is working on perception distortion using a new RDF known internally as Tardis.



    There'll also be an API available later.



    (Okay, just noticed that Paxman is onto this too - great minds...)
  • Reply 34 of 53
    ialan123ialan123 Posts: 1member
    We should have some rule to follow same SIM design for all mobile phones. I remember similar rule being applied and Sony Ericsson had to follow it. It was related to USB Slot i think.
  • Reply 35 of 53
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "All of us told [Apple] it was a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process," Richard said. "It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship. I think that they understood this point. We had a very constructive exchange and dialogue with them," he said.



    "It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship"? Am I the only person who thinks that sounds kinda sinister? If it's security, I'm all for it. But that "managing the customer relationship" thing... I dunno. I feel like I've got a huge thumb-print on top of my head after reading that.
  • Reply 36 of 53
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    "It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship"? Am I the only person who thinks that sounds kinda sinister? If it's security, I'm all for it. But that "managing the customer relationship" thing... I dunno. I feel like I've got a huge thumb-print on top of my head after reading that.



    Its not security. Apples plan there was massively revolutionary - it would have taken back the market from Android. What was it.



    Cheap iPhones sold off contract in non-carrier stores ( although the carriers could have them, if they wanted I suppose). Like iPods. You walk into Apple, or Currys, in the UK, or Best Buy. And there is your iPhone, priced about the same price as the iPod touches.



    They have a programmable sim. You buy it, maybe for someone else, and they have an app on it with the different carriers vying for your custom. When you choose one, your sim is programmed to work with that carrier.



    So buying is a breeze. Buying for someone else is a breeze, no signup. Huge holiday sales.
  • Reply 37 of 53
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post


    I like that. "Constructive exchange." Do it our way or we'll kill your phone.



    LOL exactly my thoughts... Upon threatening to remove subsidies *then* the constructive exchange began.
  • Reply 38 of 53
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    "It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship"? Am I the only person who thinks that sounds kinda sinister? If it's security, I'm all for it. But that "managing the customer relationship" thing... I dunno. I feel like I've got a huge thumb-print on top of my head after reading that.



    The telcos mean: "*We* will not be able to manage (read: own) the customer relationship". That's why they were freaking out.



    Security? Please, that's probably just FUD to scare people from not using new SIM or SIMless technology.
  • Reply 39 of 53
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Apple won't stop until the iPhone is 0.0mm thick, as in, it takes up no volume at all because it's been reduced by one spatial dimension. Hell, if Apple could create a phone that is -3.0mm thick, they'd do it...imagine a phone that doesn't take up space in the Universe, it actually creates new space!



    It already does save space as it saves you having to carry around a separate camera, MP3 player, compass, computer, portable games console, Satnav, calculator, calandar, etc...
  • Reply 40 of 53
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Cheap iPhones sold off contract in non-carrier stores ( although the carriers could have them, if they wanted I suppose). Like iPods. You walk into Apple, or Currys, in the UK, or Best Buy. And there is your iPhone, priced about the same price as the iPod touches.



    The iPhone will never be sold at iPod touch-prices off contract. It's impossible with all of the

    extra R&D, components, testing and licensing that goes into the iPhone. It's only carrier subsidies that keeps it at a price that's palatable to so many people.
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