I believe Apple will go the opposite way. Smaller instead of bigger:
2014
iPhone = 4" screen
iPhone mini = 3,5" screen
iPhone nano? / iWatch? = ?" screen
Before I go: To all those phablet people out there. Why would you need a bigger screen to make a phone call? Would you be happy using an iWatch in combo with your iPad mini?
I do phone calls very seldom and i hope one day all the calls will be done through internet. So i'd prefer to have only one iDevice, for example iPad Mini. But anyway iwatch-ipad mini combo would be nice.
I am 47, up to six months ago I didn't want a larger screen., but now I find I may need glasses and would definitely consider a larger screen iPhone say 4.5 or 4.7"
Must be an iPhone though, I would never consider samsung or android!!
When the browsing the net the ideal size is the iPad and even the mini is not good enough as the eye sight gets worse. Most of the web pages are based on I believe the monitor of the desktop, hence the small size of the fonts.
I know I own an iPad mini.
A larger iPhone will not help when browsing the web but a pair of glasses will do wonders.
agree. Even a 6 inch for is too small for browsing. Why not just get an iPhone+iPadMini?
Anyone with an iPhone and an iPad tends to use the iPad at home far more than the iPhone for that exact reason. But hauling around an iPad Mini with me outside of the home is not a viable option. It is too big and not pocketable like a 4.8" iPhone would be.
I have viewed and handled enough phones like the HTC DNA, HTC one, Galaxy S4 and my own Evo before I got my first iPhone to know that I prefer a larger display and it would better suit my usage. Why is so hard to understand why people want a larger iPhone? I acknowledge and accept the reasons why people prefer the 4" version due to their usage patterns so why can't we get the same respect?
Speaking purely from a business perspective, I believe Apple would be absolutely crazy not to have a 4.5" to 5.0" iPhone and additionally to have a 5.0" to 6.0" phablet as well in their next lineup.
Before the screaming starts, let me give my reasoning
Apple only competes in the premium market for smartphones (>$500 unsubsidized). 100% of that market today, that Apple doesn't own, use screen sizes >= 4.5 inches. To take back any of that market, those users today would have to 'down-size' their screens. This isn't desirable and makes it harder for Apple to gain back those customers.
Most (likely all) smart phone companies today (including Apple) have a general strategy of smaller screens being associated with lower end models and larger screens with higher end models (and yes I'm aware of a few device specific exceptions, but there is a high correlation between price and screen size). This makes it more difficult for Apple to claim their phones are premium when compared to larger competitive phones, and frankly only Apple could even begin to pull this off. This isn't working as well in Asia as it does in other markets, and Apple needs all the help it can get in Asia. The Chinese market is 3 times larger than the US market and if Apple wants to outperform, they need to build devices that work in that market. Entering Chinese script on a Note using a pen is much easier than using your finger on an iPhone 5.
Generally speaking, screen sizes are increasing and Apple is the big outlier, Apple needs to move with the rest of the industry. The following is a quote from NPD Displaysearch in June of this year:
While just a few years ago the 3.5” iPhone 4 was the leading display size, displays larger than 4.1” account for nearly half of all smartphone displays shipped this year.
”Screen sizes are growing, and resolution is increasing, driving growth in the smartphone display market,” said Hiroshi Hayase, Vice President of Small/Medium Displays at NPD DisplaySearch. “We can expect still more expansion of displays over 5” in the coming quarters
... indicated that Apple is on track to release a new iPhone with a larger screen next year ...
And Apple is sending pretty strong hints to developers that they should use Auto Layout in all their iOS apps. Not such a big deal now, because the iPhone 4 / 4S are gradually becoming a smaller fraction of the iOS device mix. But if Apple does release a bigger-screen iPhone next year, and especially if it has a new pixel geometry, the Auto Layout feature could save a lot of time for all iOS developers.
Another thing about iOS 7: eliminating button graphics and such in Apple's built-in apps clearly indicates to developers that their apps should no longer use background images on buttons etc. And the lack of background images in UI objects like buttons means fewer graphics will need to be updated if and when Apple adds another pixel geometry to the iPhone line. That plus Auto Layout would make it vastly simpler to code apps for different screen sizes.
So what would be a logical next step in iPhone screen size and geometry? I'd guess that Apple will stick with the 16:9 aspect ratio, and a logical step up from 1136x640 would be 1920x1080. Same as the current Apple TV, and that's not a coincidence. AirPlay mirroring of games would work perfectly, since the TV and iPhone screens would have the same geometries. And of course the increased pixel count would allow Apple to claim "Retina" resolution even if the screen were stretched to 4.5 inches or something around that size. And, if it's possible to eliminate the bezel on the long sides of the display panel, it may be possible to stretch the screen to about 4.5 or 4.7 inches without increasing the iPhone's footprint. But only if the screen's visible area is flush with the metal enclosure.
So why next year? Because in all likelihood the iPhone 4S will be dropped from the iOS 8 supported-hardware list next year. Introducing a new iPhone with something like a 1920x1080 screen would add a 2nd screen geometry instead of a 3rd to the mix. Doing so this year would have forced developers to support 3 different screen geometries at once.
Any supplier who is actually doing work for Apple who gives "inside" info to anybody is dead in the water. Real suppliers sign countless NDAs and know the consequences of leaking info. Death to any current and all future business.
The analysts know this, and most of us know this as well.
I'm tired of this rumour, and the iWatch one as well.
The only news here that's worth noting is that the analysts are once again, knowing full well the nature of the business, lying to their clients.
More free ink and link-bait for nothing.
AI - why do you even bother? You could show a little leadership here by not publishing this tripe - leave it to other sites, it tarnishes your otherwise brilliant site. I always come here first as you are almost always the first out of the gate with real breaking news. You don't need these non-news items, why bother?
The iPhone is already selling in large quantities so your contention should be that it'll sell better.
That is my contention and I stand by it. I firmly believe it would draw in a lot of Android buyers who refuse to by an iPhone due to the screen size. People like me with an iPhone already who are unhappy with the screen size would also be far more likely to stick with the platform. The 5s will absolutely be my last phone with a 4" display. My next one will have a minimum of 4.5" or larger and 5" would be just about perfect for me.
Because seeing someone make a call with a 6 inch phone makes them look like a clown.
Those phones can't even fit in people's pockets. Phablet's are compromise products. I can see their use for people who can't afford both a phone and a tablet. That's why they are so popular in China but not in USA/Japan/UK.
Why not just carry a bag with you and put the iPad in the bag?
Yeah, gwmac, what's wrong with you? Asking for a 6" phone. Sheesh!
Because seeing someone make a call with a 6 inch phone makes them look like a clown.
Those phones can't even fit in people's pockets. Phablet's are compromise products. I can see their use for people who can't afford both a phone and a tablet. That's why they are so popular in China but not in USA/Japan/UK.
Why not just carry a bag with you and put the iPad in the bag?
Ever heard of bluetooth? How about speaker phone? Hell, most people I know rarely even use their phones for voice calls anymore. I spend a hell of a lot more time looking at my display than I do holding it up to my ear.
The new Sony Z1 Ultra is huge, I thought the Samsung Note was big but that Sony, holy moly.
Gotta love all the conditionals they have to tack on to be able to market ANY of its features. " src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
Ever heard of bluetooth? How about speaker phone? Hell, most people I know rarely even use their phones for voice calls anymore. I spend a hell of a lot more time looking at my display than I do holding it up to my ear.
If you don't use the phone part, get a bloody iPad mini.
If you don't use the phone part, get a bloody iPad mini.
Where did I say I didn't use the phone part? I actually talk quite a lot on my iPhone but even now I use a jawbone headset. I simply said I spent more time looking at my display as do most people than talking on my iPhone.
Do I really need to keep explaining why the iPad Mini is not even close to being an option? There is a world of difference between a 4" iPhone and a iPad Mini. Just because I want a bigger display does not mean I want an iPad Mini or even a Galaxy Note 3 size. You can fit a Galaxy S4 in your front pocket but the same cannot be said about an iPad mini. There is a world of difference and options in between those two extremes. I want something I can fit in my pocket. Besides which the data plans for an iPad are outrageous compared to phone plans. I get unlimited LTE data along with unlimited voice and text for $50 a month. Data plans for tablets don't come close to matching phone plan prices and I do not know of any unlimited data plans for tablets. Without a texting or voice option that would add further costs and layers of complexity to using an iPad Mini as an iPhone replacement. You would have to use a VoiP service or something like Skype for calls and good luck calling your local 911 from Skype in an emergency.
Comments
I believe Apple will go the opposite way. Smaller instead of bigger:
2014
iPhone = 4" screen
iPhone mini = 3,5" screen
iPhone nano? / iWatch? = ?" screen
Before I go: To all those phablet people out there. Why would you need a bigger screen to make a phone call? Would you be happy using an iWatch in combo with your iPad mini?
I do phone calls very seldom and i hope one day all the calls will be done through internet. So i'd prefer to have only one iDevice, for example iPad Mini. But anyway iwatch-ipad mini combo would be nice.
When the browsing the net the ideal size is the iPad and even the mini is not good enough as the eye sight gets worse. Most of the web pages are based on I believe the monitor of the desktop, hence the small size of the fonts.
I know I own an iPad mini.
A larger iPhone will not help when browsing the web but a pair of glasses will do wonders.
agree. Even a 6 inch for is too small for browsing. Why not just get an iPhone+iPadMini?
Anyone with an iPhone and an iPad tends to use the iPad at home far more than the iPhone for that exact reason. But hauling around an iPad Mini with me outside of the home is not a viable option. It is too big and not pocketable like a 4.8" iPhone would be.
I have viewed and handled enough phones like the HTC DNA, HTC one, Galaxy S4 and my own Evo before I got my first iPhone to know that I prefer a larger display and it would better suit my usage. Why is so hard to understand why people want a larger iPhone? I acknowledge and accept the reasons why people prefer the 4" version due to their usage patterns so why can't we get the same respect?
Speaking purely from a business perspective, I believe Apple would be absolutely crazy not to have a 4.5" to 5.0" iPhone and additionally to have a 5.0" to 6.0" phablet as well in their next lineup.
Before the screaming starts, let me give my reasoning
Apple only competes in the premium market for smartphones (>$500 unsubsidized). 100% of that market today, that Apple doesn't own, use screen sizes >= 4.5 inches. To take back any of that market, those users today would have to 'down-size' their screens. This isn't desirable and makes it harder for Apple to gain back those customers.
Most (likely all) smart phone companies today (including Apple) have a general strategy of smaller screens being associated with lower end models and larger screens with higher end models (and yes I'm aware of a few device specific exceptions, but there is a high correlation between price and screen size). This makes it more difficult for Apple to claim their phones are premium when compared to larger competitive phones, and frankly only Apple could even begin to pull this off. This isn't working as well in Asia as it does in other markets, and Apple needs all the help it can get in Asia. The Chinese market is 3 times larger than the US market and if Apple wants to outperform, they need to build devices that work in that market. Entering Chinese script on a Note using a pen is much easier than using your finger on an iPhone 5.
Generally speaking, screen sizes are increasing and Apple is the big outlier, Apple needs to move with the rest of the industry. The following is a quote from NPD Displaysearch in June of this year:
While just a few years ago the 3.5” iPhone 4 was the leading display size, displays larger than 4.1” account for nearly half of all smartphone displays shipped this year.
”Screen sizes are growing, and resolution is increasing, driving growth in the smartphone display market,” said Hiroshi Hayase, Vice President of Small/Medium Displays at NPD DisplaySearch. “We can expect still more expansion of displays over 5” in the coming quarters
... indicated that Apple is on track to release a new iPhone with a larger screen next year ...
And Apple is sending pretty strong hints to developers that they should use Auto Layout in all their iOS apps. Not such a big deal now, because the iPhone 4 / 4S are gradually becoming a smaller fraction of the iOS device mix. But if Apple does release a bigger-screen iPhone next year, and especially if it has a new pixel geometry, the Auto Layout feature could save a lot of time for all iOS developers.
Another thing about iOS 7: eliminating button graphics and such in Apple's built-in apps clearly indicates to developers that their apps should no longer use background images on buttons etc. And the lack of background images in UI objects like buttons means fewer graphics will need to be updated if and when Apple adds another pixel geometry to the iPhone line. That plus Auto Layout would make it vastly simpler to code apps for different screen sizes.
So what would be a logical next step in iPhone screen size and geometry? I'd guess that Apple will stick with the 16:9 aspect ratio, and a logical step up from 1136x640 would be 1920x1080. Same as the current Apple TV, and that's not a coincidence. AirPlay mirroring of games would work perfectly, since the TV and iPhone screens would have the same geometries. And of course the increased pixel count would allow Apple to claim "Retina" resolution even if the screen were stretched to 4.5 inches or something around that size. And, if it's possible to eliminate the bezel on the long sides of the display panel, it may be possible to stretch the screen to about 4.5 or 4.7 inches without increasing the iPhone's footprint. But only if the screen's visible area is flush with the metal enclosure.
So why next year? Because in all likelihood the iPhone 4S will be dropped from the iOS 8 supported-hardware list next year. Introducing a new iPhone with something like a 1920x1080 screen would add a 2nd screen geometry instead of a 3rd to the mix. Doing so this year would have forced developers to support 3 different screen geometries at once.
Just a thought.
Really?
Does anybody believe this?
Any supplier who is actually doing work for Apple who gives "inside" info to anybody is dead in the water. Real suppliers sign countless NDAs and know the consequences of leaking info. Death to any current and all future business.
The analysts know this, and most of us know this as well.
I'm tired of this rumour, and the iWatch one as well.
The only news here that's worth noting is that the analysts are once again, knowing full well the nature of the business, lying to their clients.
More free ink and link-bait for nothing.
AI - why do you even bother? You could show a little leadership here by not publishing this tripe - leave it to other sites, it tarnishes your otherwise brilliant site. I always come here first as you are almost always the first out of the gate with real breaking news. You don't need these non-news items, why bother?
Seriously.
dmz
The iPhone is already selling in large quantities so your contention should be that it'll sell better.
The iPhone is already selling in large quantities so your contention should be that it'll sell better.
That is my contention and I stand by it. I firmly believe it would draw in a lot of Android buyers who refuse to by an iPhone due to the screen size. People like me with an iPhone already who are unhappy with the screen size would also be far more likely to stick with the platform. The 5s will absolutely be my last phone with a 4" display. My next one will have a minimum of 4.5" or larger and 5" would be just about perfect for me.
Because seeing someone make a call with a 6 inch phone makes them look like a clown.
Those phones can't even fit in people's pockets. Phablet's are compromise products. I can see their use for people who can't afford both a phone and a tablet. That's why they are so popular in China but not in USA/Japan/UK.
Why not just carry a bag with you and put the iPad in the bag?
Yeah, gwmac, what's wrong with you? Asking for a 6" phone. Sheesh!
Oh... wait...
Because seeing someone make a call with a 6 inch phone makes them look like a clown.
Those phones can't even fit in people's pockets. Phablet's are compromise products. I can see their use for people who can't afford both a phone and a tablet. That's why they are so popular in China but not in USA/Japan/UK.
Why not just carry a bag with you and put the iPad in the bag?
Ever heard of bluetooth? How about speaker phone? Hell, most people I know rarely even use their phones for voice calls anymore. I spend a hell of a lot more time looking at my display than I do holding it up to my ear.
The irony is that he thinks he speaks for everyone.
The new Sony Z1 Ultra is huge, I thought the Samsung Note was big but that Sony, holy moly.
Gotta love all the conditionals they have to tack on to be able to market ANY of its features.
" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
If you don't use the phone part, get a bloody iPad mini.
Or a clean one, whichever.
If you don't use the phone part, get a bloody iPad mini.
Add the ability to make phone calls and I would be all over that, well after Apple releases a retina version that is.
You can, provided you’re only calling other Apple devices.
If you don't use the phone part, get a bloody iPad mini.
Where did I say I didn't use the phone part? I actually talk quite a lot on my iPhone but even now I use a jawbone headset. I simply said I spent more time looking at my display as do most people than talking on my iPhone.
Do I really need to keep explaining why the iPad Mini is not even close to being an option? There is a world of difference between a 4" iPhone and a iPad Mini. Just because I want a bigger display does not mean I want an iPad Mini or even a Galaxy Note 3 size. You can fit a Galaxy S4 in your front pocket but the same cannot be said about an iPad mini. There is a world of difference and options in between those two extremes. I want something I can fit in my pocket. Besides which the data plans for an iPad are outrageous compared to phone plans. I get unlimited LTE data along with unlimited voice and text for $50 a month. Data plans for tablets don't come close to matching phone plan prices and I do not know of any unlimited data plans for tablets. Without a texting or voice option that would add further costs and layers of complexity to using an iPad Mini as an iPhone replacement. You would have to use a VoiP service or something like Skype for calls and good luck calling your local 911 from Skype in an emergency.
Here's iPhone6, or so the internet tells me
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/33179/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]