The above lines are like... if you dont get me a big screen iPhone, I will sell off my shares. And, Tim Cook is not doing it, had Steve Jobs been alive, he would have done it.
This is really a truth. My friend's Samsung Galaxy SIII shows altogether different colors. We copied our SLR photos to my iPhone and his galaxy. It shows colors very differently and it is sh!t. When you swipe them to next photo... I can see a lag in the screen. But not on iPhone. If iPhone is that big, it will suffer the same problem, it definitely needs hardware acceleration as he mentioned.
I think the reasoning behind the 4inch decision was that when Apple was in development mode, they had market research that people wanted a larger screen, but wanted something they can hold and use with one hand. The 4 inch display is perfect size for MOST users to do that. When the screen gets bigger, it's harder to hold and use with one hand. Plus, this design was Jobs' idea. Now, the other side of the story is that before the S3, larger screen phones 4.3 or larger were selling, but not that well. When the S3 came out, it was the first phone to actually sell over 20 Million units, so I think Apple had to be real careful in making sure there is actually a big enough market. Now, since the S3 and others are selling more, there is more valid market demand for these larger screen phones.
Now, in terms of processing power, they will require additional GPUs and more expensive screen/case, battery, and they might not have been able to do it where there was enough profit margin while still offering it at an somewhat affordable price point.
Screen size is always going to be a moving target, plus Apple wants to make sure it's easy for the developers to cater to these different screen sizes without too much hassle.
A 5inch model? I don't know if I really need a 5 inch model. A 4.5 inch would probably be fine for me, but time will tell as to what they REALLY come out with. I still want to be able to put these things in my pocket and not look like an idiot when I put the phone to my head. I've seen people with 5inch phones and they look kind of stupid when they put them up to their ear. I know that's being a little superficial, but I don't care to bring too much attention to myself with these excessively larger screen phones. I think 4.5, maybe 4.6 might be the optimal size.
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though. I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so. Stock would pop even more on that news and many who might think to switch to samsung would wait till apple did produce a larger screen.
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though.
I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so.
I think they did say so, and Samsung had better be prepared for the impact.
Tim Cook did not say "We think larger screens are bad." or "We will never do it."
He said they wouldn't do one while there were "trade-offs" (*).
In Apple-speak, that's tantamount to saying "we're working on it".
(*) Nicely ignoring the fact that Apple was okay with some screen trade-offs for the first iPad mini model.
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though. I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so. Stock would pop even more on that news and many who might think to switch to samsung would wait till apple did produce a larger screen.
Size is not a 'primary' job of a smart phone. The primary job is to be pocket mobile, responsive, long battery life, great/realistic visibility. (oh, and make phone calls). Size doesn't improve any of those, save for visibility, but the jury is out on the Samsung color rendering. And if it did, at what cost to the other 3 primary jobs?
As for working on a larger screen... as alluded to, they are always working on larger/smaller/faster/skinnier. It just that their current work product is 'crap' (or one can interpolate that from past statements). Too many 'hills to die on' tradeoffs (weight vs battery vs usage cycle, vs display response vs GPU power load), and not enough 'winner' use cases (40 million people are not going to buy a phone just because it's bigger)
Just like size does not make a bullet better. Yes, there are lots of bullet sizes, but there are discrete gaps in size, and you'll note that 9mm (relatively small in the 0.20in to 16.00in range of 'projectiles' Note there is a MAJOR gap between .50 cal and 20mm, and not much between .45 and .50). Why don't you carry a 20mm projectile discharging gun in your pocket... because the size of the shell is huge due to the size of the projectile (I'm sure a scientist will tell you but it takes a lot more than 14x energy to move a 100gm cartridge out of the chamber than a 7.5gm). And for 'mobile' work, 9mm does the job thank you very much.
I'm not saying there isn't a job for a 20mm cartridge, and there aren't millions sold... but one would argue that if you had to be in the handgun business, you'd likely make a .22, a .30, a 9mm, a .40, and if you had 'power users' a .44 magnum. and ditch the rest. Why make a BB gun, and just how many Desert Eagle 50s are being sold today?
So there are optimal size ranges, and some pretty well defined gaps in 'bullets' before you get to 'cartridges' (aka, tablets;-) and then to 'shells' (desktops).
I think they did say so, and Samsung had better be prepared for the impact.
Tim Cook did not say "We think larger screens are bad." or "We will never do it."
He said they wouldn't do one while there were "trade-offs" (*).
In Apple-speak, that's tantamount to saying "we're working on it".
(*) Nicely ignoring the fact that Apple was okay with some screen trade-offs for the first iPad mini model.
They were willing to sacrifice screen quality, but were not willing to sacrifice thinness, weight, and battery life (i.e., iPad mini's job is to maximize portability in a device running iPad apps).
The irony of this whole thing is that Apple (SJ) has been great for taking a market that didn't exist and no one wanted or needed and making vastly successful products (iPhone, iPad). If Apple had cone out w/ a 4.5 to 5 inch screen and told everyone they needed it, it'd be flying off Apple's shelves. I do think there is a large market for the bigger phone as well as the current size. Apple most likely will put out a bigger phone, but not as a market setter, but as a follower. Been a long time since that happened.
The above lines are like... if you dont get me a big screen iPhone, I will sell off my shares. And, Tim Cook is not doing it, had Steve Jobs been alive, he would have done it.
This is really a truth. My friend's Samsung Galaxy SIII shows altogether different colors. We copied our SLR photos to my iPhone and his galaxy. It shows colors very differently and it is sh!t. When you swipe them to next photo... I can see a lag in the screen. But not on iPhone. If iPhone is that big, it will suffer the same problem, it definitely needs hardware acceleration as he mentioned.
I can't imagine a world where Steve Jobs would consider himself Donald Trump's friend.
Nice for him to have his 'revelation', but I don't think the analysts are taking the AR and display pixels, the SDK and the sheets that these displays are cut from into consideration. Merely shouting for 'a larger iPhone display' comes across as neglecting to understand how things are made, and why. Quite uninformed, this analyst.
I'm sure that's part of it, but it goes deeper than just not understanding the intricacies. Let's take a few examples:
Aspect ratio? Apple has already deviated from a path of consistency with the iPhone 5, so that argument seems odd, but if it's actually even an issue at all, it's not all that great a challenge to just pick a size and pixel count that work well with existing models. Or finally just ditch the bitmapped system that imposes such limitations in the first place.
SDK? Samsung can manage that for Android but it's beyond Apple's ability to update for iOS? Do we even know that the required updates would be particularly significant?
Sheet cuts? How many sizes do they do now? Does it really seem likely that cutting another size imposes enough of a challenge to make it impractical?
Or, if we accept the compromise of a voice-enabled iPad, ALL the screen issues are resolved.
I realize I'm picking at specifics that you probably meant in the way of a more general point, but I do so in support of MY point, which is that while many of these issues SEEM perfectly plausible in general terms, when one looks at them more closely they begin to appear less daunting.
So, when the reasons stated by the boss no longer seem like valid obstacles, one is (at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist) left with doubt as to the REAL reason. That's when people naturally start to speculate.
Honestly, I think this just a case of Apple guessing one way and the world going another, and the arguments against it are excuses and deflection. Since the only other alternative is for Tim to say "Damn, we didn't see THIS coming!" what else are they going to do?
The question for me is not whether or not it's feasible or desirable for Apple to offer a larger voice-enabled product, whether a it's a larger iPhone or an iPad Talk, but whether or not the will exists in an overworked lab to make it happen. They may just choose to count on what is demonstrated by the author of this article, which is that even people who want a larger screen will continue to buy iPhones anyway.
It demonstrates what many have said but many others continue to undervalue: that Apple's so-called "eco-system" is a significant part of what drives their brand and deserves more attention when comparing Apple's products to those of its competitors.
For example, I really, really like the idea of a phone with a bigger screen than the iPhone, but I have not purchased a Samsung because of the time, money and effort I have invested in phones, computers, peripherals and services that all play well together. I have no doubt that without too much effort I could probably recreate most of what I have now in a way that would accommodate an Android phone, but that would require that I *do* something whereas just accepting the smaller screen doesn't require any action on my part. Apple keeps me in the fold with the promise that all the Apple devices in our house will play happily ever after together.
It may be noteworthy that while I haven't purchased a Samsung BigFone, neither have I purchased a new iPhone. I'm holding on to my iPhone 4 while I wait in vain for Apple to either add voice to the iPad mini or build a =/>5" iPhone.
[...] "Every single day, I use iOS, iTunes, iBookstore, App Store, FaceTime, etc. and sync with other Apple products," he said, equating his reliance on Apple's ecosystem to "muscle memory."
I get that, and it's part of the reason I'm clinging to an old iPhone 4, hoping Apple will soon offer a 5"-or-bigger iPhone, rather than just buying a Samsung.
That's starting to erode for me though, as the so-called "eco-system" just isn't RELIABLE.
Is it just me, or have others experienced these things?
- Message app ignores some messages, displays others only after several minutes; displays messages out of order; fails to send some messages at all; fails to recognize that a conversation on one device is related to the same conversation on another device
- Apple TV randomly loses network connection, even though it's HARD WIRED, not wireless; "forgets" how to connect to Netflix and YouTube requiring a restart and logging in to those services again; periodically drops AirPlay connection from computers playing to it; fails software update over ethernet and has to be connected via WiFi to fix it
- Time Capsule randomly loses track of the upstream router, reports that the wireless network it's hosting is working fine but that there's no internet service even though connecting to the upstream router shows internet service is just fine; occasionally "loses" link between a computer and its backup
- Airport Extreme used to extend network upstairs periodically "forgets" that there are printer connected to its ethernet ports requiring a restart of every device in the chain
- iCloud occasionally duplicates email messages in either Sent or Inbox folders; message deletions sometimes do not propagate to other devices; sent messages go to recipients but do NOT appear in the Sent folder
There are probably other little annoyances I'm forgetting here, but you get the point. The CONCEPT of the Apple ecosystem got me on board, but the REALITY of it has me wondering if I'd be just as well served with a patchwork system of mail host, online storage, ISP-supplied router and DLNA device(s).
It demonstrates what many have said but many others continue to undervalue: that Apple's so-called "eco-system" is a significant part of what drives their brand and deserves more attention when comparing Apple's products to those of its competitors.
For example, I really, really like the idea of a phone with a bigger screen than the iPhone, but I have not purchased a Samsung because of the time, money and effort I have invested in phones, computers, peripherals and services that all play well together. I have no doubt that without too much effort I could probably recreate most of what I have now in a way that would accommodate an Android phone, but that would require that I *do* something whereas just accepting the smaller screen doesn't require any action on my part. Apple keeps me in the fold with the promise that all the Apple devices in our house will play happily ever after together.
It may be noteworthy that while I haven't purchased a Samsung BigFone, neither have I purchased a new iPhone. I'm holding on to my iPhone 4 while I wait in vain for Apple to either add voice to the iPad mini or build a =/>5" iPhone.
I was in a similar boat as you but made the opposite choice. Was happy with my iPhone and iPad. Apple does make great products. Really unhappy with Apples continued insistence to tell me the 3.5" screen screen size was perfect for me. Switched. Very happy with Android. Screen size is a deal breaker for me. 0% chance of me ever going back to a smaller screen size. The 'stickiness' of the Apple ecosystem now actually works as a detractor for me. I went to buy a tablet and was considering the iPad because it does currently have more robust Apps. But buying it would leave me disjoint between my phone and tablet- so I bought the Android one figuring if I'm unhappy I can still go back and buy an iPad. Actually very happy with the Android tablet. If Apple made a big screen phone it would be a tough choice to go back. If it didn't come with widgets that would be a deal breaker too. Interested to see what Apple does with the iTV but if it is not going to mesh well outside of the Apple ecosystem I'll avoid it as well.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowley
Pretty crappy analogy. Flies don't give flypaper a ~90% customer satisfaction rate.
No, but they stick around for a ridiculously long time (for a fly).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chandra69
The above lines are like... if you dont get me a big screen iPhone, I will sell off my shares. And, Tim Cook is not doing it, had Steve Jobs been alive, he would have done it.
This is really a truth. My friend's Samsung Galaxy SIII shows altogether different colors. We copied our SLR photos to my iPhone and his galaxy. It shows colors very differently and it is sh!t. When you swipe them to next photo... I can see a lag in the screen. But not on iPhone. If iPhone is that big, it will suffer the same problem, it definitely needs hardware acceleration as he mentioned.
I think the reasoning behind the 4inch decision was that when Apple was in development mode, they had market research that people wanted a larger screen, but wanted something they can hold and use with one hand. The 4 inch display is perfect size for MOST users to do that. When the screen gets bigger, it's harder to hold and use with one hand. Plus, this design was Jobs' idea. Now, the other side of the story is that before the S3, larger screen phones 4.3 or larger were selling, but not that well. When the S3 came out, it was the first phone to actually sell over 20 Million units, so I think Apple had to be real careful in making sure there is actually a big enough market. Now, since the S3 and others are selling more, there is more valid market demand for these larger screen phones.
Now, in terms of processing power, they will require additional GPUs and more expensive screen/case, battery, and they might not have been able to do it where there was enough profit margin while still offering it at an somewhat affordable price point.
Screen size is always going to be a moving target, plus Apple wants to make sure it's easy for the developers to cater to these different screen sizes without too much hassle.
A 5inch model? I don't know if I really need a 5 inch model. A 4.5 inch would probably be fine for me, but time will tell as to what they REALLY come out with. I still want to be able to put these things in my pocket and not look like an idiot when I put the phone to my head. I've seen people with 5inch phones and they look kind of stupid when they put them up to their ear. I know that's being a little superficial, but I don't care to bring too much attention to myself with these excessively larger screen phones. I think 4.5, maybe 4.6 might be the optimal size.
[/QUOTE]
Ya don't say.
[QUOTE]Tim Cook must immediately increase the size of the screen...
[/QUOTE]
Donald Trump...
[wait for it...]
... you're FIRED.
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though. I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so. Stock would pop even more on that news and many who might think to switch to samsung would wait till apple did produce a larger screen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Applehawk
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though.
I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so.
I think they did say so, and Samsung had better be prepared for the impact.
Tim Cook did not say "We think larger screens are bad." or "We will never do it."
He said they wouldn't do one while there were "trade-offs" (*).
In Apple-speak, that's tantamount to saying "we're working on it".
(*) Nicely ignoring the fact that Apple was okay with some screen trade-offs for the first iPad mini model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Applehawk
Choices are always better. If a large % of the public are turning to larger screens than Apple should too. I dont know why they have to be so secretive on everything though. I guess for the most part I understand, but if they are working on a larger screen why not come out and just say so. Stock would pop even more on that news and many who might think to switch to samsung would wait till apple did produce a larger screen.
Size is not a 'primary' job of a smart phone. The primary job is to be pocket mobile, responsive, long battery life, great/realistic visibility. (oh, and make phone calls). Size doesn't improve any of those, save for visibility, but the jury is out on the Samsung color rendering. And if it did, at what cost to the other 3 primary jobs?
As for working on a larger screen... as alluded to, they are always working on larger/smaller/faster/skinnier. It just that their current work product is 'crap' (or one can interpolate that from past statements). Too many 'hills to die on' tradeoffs (weight vs battery vs usage cycle, vs display response vs GPU power load), and not enough 'winner' use cases (40 million people are not going to buy a phone just because it's bigger)
Just like size does not make a bullet better. Yes, there are lots of bullet sizes, but there are discrete gaps in size, and you'll note that 9mm (relatively small in the 0.20in to 16.00in range of 'projectiles' Note there is a MAJOR gap between .50 cal and 20mm, and not much between .45 and .50). Why don't you carry a 20mm projectile discharging gun in your pocket... because the size of the shell is huge due to the size of the projectile (I'm sure a scientist will tell you but it takes a lot more than 14x energy to move a 100gm cartridge out of the chamber than a 7.5gm). And for 'mobile' work, 9mm does the job thank you very much.
I'm not saying there isn't a job for a 20mm cartridge, and there aren't millions sold... but one would argue that if you had to be in the handgun business, you'd likely make a .22, a .30, a 9mm, a .40, and if you had 'power users' a .44 magnum. and ditch the rest. Why make a BB gun, and just how many Desert Eagle 50s are being sold today?
So there are optimal size ranges, and some pretty well defined gaps in 'bullets' before you get to 'cartridges' (aka, tablets;-) and then to 'shells' (desktops).
Newsflash: Apple never intended the iPhone to be a one-device computing solution.
Quote:
...Apple executives "have to give customers what they want," the analyst said Monday.
Customers don't know what they want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KDarling
I think they did say so, and Samsung had better be prepared for the impact.
Tim Cook did not say "We think larger screens are bad." or "We will never do it."
He said they wouldn't do one while there were "trade-offs" (*).
In Apple-speak, that's tantamount to saying "we're working on it".
(*) Nicely ignoring the fact that Apple was okay with some screen trade-offs for the first iPad mini model.
They were willing to sacrifice screen quality, but were not willing to sacrifice thinness, weight, and battery life (i.e., iPad mini's job is to maximize portability in a device running iPad apps).
Yup almost 6 months.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chandra69
The above lines are like... if you dont get me a big screen iPhone, I will sell off my shares. And, Tim Cook is not doing it, had Steve Jobs been alive, he would have done it.
This is really a truth. My friend's Samsung Galaxy SIII shows altogether different colors. We copied our SLR photos to my iPhone and his galaxy. It shows colors very differently and it is sh!t. When you swipe them to next photo... I can see a lag in the screen. But not on iPhone. If iPhone is that big, it will suffer the same problem, it definitely needs hardware acceleration as he mentioned.
I can't imagine a world where Steve Jobs would consider himself Donald Trump's friend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie
Nice for him to have his 'revelation', but I don't think the analysts are taking the AR and display pixels, the SDK and the sheets that these displays are cut from into consideration. Merely shouting for 'a larger iPhone display' comes across as neglecting to understand how things are made, and why. Quite uninformed, this analyst.
I'm sure that's part of it, but it goes deeper than just not understanding the intricacies. Let's take a few examples:
Aspect ratio? Apple has already deviated from a path of consistency with the iPhone 5, so that argument seems odd, but if it's actually even an issue at all, it's not all that great a challenge to just pick a size and pixel count that work well with existing models. Or finally just ditch the bitmapped system that imposes such limitations in the first place.
SDK? Samsung can manage that for Android but it's beyond Apple's ability to update for iOS? Do we even know that the required updates would be particularly significant?
Sheet cuts? How many sizes do they do now? Does it really seem likely that cutting another size imposes enough of a challenge to make it impractical?
Or, if we accept the compromise of a voice-enabled iPad, ALL the screen issues are resolved.
I realize I'm picking at specifics that you probably meant in the way of a more general point, but I do so in support of MY point, which is that while many of these issues SEEM perfectly plausible in general terms, when one looks at them more closely they begin to appear less daunting.
So, when the reasons stated by the boss no longer seem like valid obstacles, one is (at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist) left with doubt as to the REAL reason. That's when people naturally start to speculate.
Honestly, I think this just a case of Apple guessing one way and the world going another, and the arguments against it are excuses and deflection. Since the only other alternative is for Tim to say "Damn, we didn't see THIS coming!" what else are they going to do?
The question for me is not whether or not it's feasible or desirable for Apple to offer a larger voice-enabled product, whether a it's a larger iPhone or an iPad Talk, but whether or not the will exists in an overworked lab to make it happen. They may just choose to count on what is demonstrated by the author of this article, which is that even people who want a larger screen will continue to buy iPhones anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmarcoot
How in the world is this considered news worthy?
It demonstrates what many have said but many others continue to undervalue: that Apple's so-called "eco-system" is a significant part of what drives their brand and deserves more attention when comparing Apple's products to those of its competitors.
For example, I really, really like the idea of a phone with a bigger screen than the iPhone, but I have not purchased a Samsung because of the time, money and effort I have invested in phones, computers, peripherals and services that all play well together. I have no doubt that without too much effort I could probably recreate most of what I have now in a way that would accommodate an Android phone, but that would require that I *do* something whereas just accepting the smaller screen doesn't require any action on my part. Apple keeps me in the fold with the promise that all the Apple devices in our house will play happily ever after together.
It may be noteworthy that while I haven't purchased a Samsung BigFone, neither have I purchased a new iPhone. I'm holding on to my iPhone 4 while I wait in vain for Apple to either add voice to the iPad mini or build a =/>5" iPhone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdRed
Customers don't know what they want.
Based on the many, many, many expressed desires stated on this very forum, I strongly disagree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
[...] "Every single day, I use iOS, iTunes, iBookstore, App Store, FaceTime, etc. and sync with other Apple products," he said, equating his reliance on Apple's ecosystem to "muscle memory."
I get that, and it's part of the reason I'm clinging to an old iPhone 4, hoping Apple will soon offer a 5"-or-bigger iPhone, rather than just buying a Samsung.
That's starting to erode for me though, as the so-called "eco-system" just isn't RELIABLE.
Is it just me, or have others experienced these things?
- Message app ignores some messages, displays others only after several minutes; displays messages out of order; fails to send some messages at all; fails to recognize that a conversation on one device is related to the same conversation on another device
- Apple TV randomly loses network connection, even though it's HARD WIRED, not wireless; "forgets" how to connect to Netflix and YouTube requiring a restart and logging in to those services again; periodically drops AirPlay connection from computers playing to it; fails software update over ethernet and has to be connected via WiFi to fix it
- Time Capsule randomly loses track of the upstream router, reports that the wireless network it's hosting is working fine but that there's no internet service even though connecting to the upstream router shows internet service is just fine; occasionally "loses" link between a computer and its backup
- Airport Extreme used to extend network upstairs periodically "forgets" that there are printer connected to its ethernet ports requiring a restart of every device in the chain
- iCloud occasionally duplicates email messages in either Sent or Inbox folders; message deletions sometimes do not propagate to other devices; sent messages go to recipients but do NOT appear in the Sent folder
There are probably other little annoyances I'm forgetting here, but you get the point. The CONCEPT of the Apple ecosystem got me on board, but the REALITY of it has me wondering if I'd be just as well served with a patchwork system of mail host, online storage, ISP-supplied router and DLNA device(s).
Thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by v5v
It demonstrates what many have said but many others continue to undervalue: that Apple's so-called "eco-system" is a significant part of what drives their brand and deserves more attention when comparing Apple's products to those of its competitors.
For example, I really, really like the idea of a phone with a bigger screen than the iPhone, but I have not purchased a Samsung because of the time, money and effort I have invested in phones, computers, peripherals and services that all play well together. I have no doubt that without too much effort I could probably recreate most of what I have now in a way that would accommodate an Android phone, but that would require that I *do* something whereas just accepting the smaller screen doesn't require any action on my part. Apple keeps me in the fold with the promise that all the Apple devices in our house will play happily ever after together.
It may be noteworthy that while I haven't purchased a Samsung BigFone, neither have I purchased a new iPhone. I'm holding on to my iPhone 4 while I wait in vain for Apple to either add voice to the iPad mini or build a =/>5" iPhone.
I was in a similar boat as you but made the opposite choice. Was happy with my iPhone and iPad. Apple does make great products. Really unhappy with Apples continued insistence to tell me the 3.5" screen screen size was perfect for me. Switched. Very happy with Android. Screen size is a deal breaker for me. 0% chance of me ever going back to a smaller screen size. The 'stickiness' of the Apple ecosystem now actually works as a detractor for me. I went to buy a tablet and was considering the iPad because it does currently have more robust Apps. But buying it would leave me disjoint between my phone and tablet- so I bought the Android one figuring if I'm unhappy I can still go back and buy an iPad. Actually very happy with the Android tablet. If Apple made a big screen phone it would be a tough choice to go back. If it didn't come with widgets that would be a deal breaker too. Interested to see what Apple does with the iTV but if it is not going to mesh well outside of the Apple ecosystem I'll avoid it as well.
I agree with SpamSandwich.
The latest iPhone size seems good to me - both "on the hand and at the ear".
An iPad mini with phone capabilities is a middle ground for those who want more screen size & telecoms.
Full iPad and telecoms (with speakerphone for conference capabilities).
We surely don't need an excessive variety of screen sizes ranging from the usable to the bizarre do we? How about:
One your wife can actually hold in her hand.
One which can sit on your lap, and,
Something in between for those who are still unsure.
There's enough waste already without producing every "0.01" screen size variation that everyone might conceivable desire.