Adapting to change: a review of Apple's larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 vs. the smaller 4-inch iPhone 5s

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  • Reply 161 of 281
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Now that Apple Pay  has been introduced I think that the 5S in the middle should have been configured with an NFC chip. Instead we get the 6+ and the 5S without NFC.

    I think that Apple is right back to where it was last year with a faulty expectation of its mix...where the demand will be really great for the 6 and not so much as Apple expected for the 6+.
    Remember Apple has watches to sell now which work with the 5S & 5C. Depending on what that watch really does, I might consider it since it will work with Apple Pay on my 5S too.

    The 5C/S and the 6 Plus are the best arguments for buying an Apple Watch I can imagine. And remember merchants won't have NFC implemented readers in 100% of the market until the end of 2015, well after the 6S comes out. There's sure to be bugs to work out, so in the meantime why saturate the market with devices that haven't been fully vetted with the system, nor which can use them at that many locations? Apple has gone this route before, rolling out features to a limited device set (mainly early adopters) and gaining control of the service before eventually rolling it out to legacy devices.

    I fully expect a 6 mini, paired with the 6S and a relatively unchanged Plus. The 5S will be transplanted into the plastic case as the 5CS and be the entry level phone. The 6 mini will be the low and mid-level device in 2016, distinguished from the flagship devices by processor, screen size, battery life, memory, and other expected compromises.
  • Reply 162 of 281
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post





    Serious question: what purpose to Apple would it serve for them to release this information publicly? Think hard about this question: what do they have to gain by telling us? Answer: nothing. We want to know because we all want to play armchair CEO. Everyone in these forums thinks they can second guess Tim Cook and the other Apple senior management.



    You know what Tim Cook might say about releasing such detailed product plans publicly? It's free product segment research for Apple's competitors. Why would Apple hand competitors valuable information about Apple's customer demographics, just to satisfy our curiosity as armchair CEOs?



    Would love to answer this in depth but pushed for time, however, there could be tangible benefits that revolve around the word 'relationship'. I'd like to think that we Apple customers are in a relationship with Apple, as opposed to fandroids and the Googleplex and MS users before them. I emailed Tim once and have since had ongoing discussions with a VP (we all know Tim's email address and know too that he rises early each day to read emails from the likes of us), that's a relationship. How many 6 Plus sales would constitute a success? Will 6 Plus pull in former Samscum users? Will the majority of 6 Plus sales go to new customers with their new Apple IDs and accounts? Will the 6 Plus prove increasingly popular with ageing western populations who can afford it without blinking and therefore, will the 6 Plus and its successors become only more popular over time? We'll know in 10 years time. (I'm still looking to my personal upgrade, implanted and connected to the neo cortex and audio and visual nervous systems lol.) Yes, conceivably, Apple could benefit from releasing such data, under the right circumstances. :) 

  • Reply 163 of 281

    I sure believed that Apple would release a larger screen, as you could see that they were quite popular.

    But to be honest Apple cought me on the left foot with discontinuing the 4'' factor with this years technology.

     

    I was prepared to upgrade this year from my iP5 but now I will wait another year.

    And the discussion of lets see how many phones Apple sells now are without any merit, because we all know Apple will sell more phones than they sold before.

    That is how it was all the years.

     

    Maybe some of you can remember the late 90's when the best and newest had to smaller and smaller until being not being useful anymore. Let's see how this round works out.

  • Reply 164 of 281
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post

     

    I fear that he was preoccupied with the ?Watch, which is why there are all these shoddy flaws in the new iPhones, like the protruding lens, the ugly bands, the slippery grip, the too large size etc.

     

    A slightly thicker 5s size with the rounded corners of the 6 would be perfect. The extra thickness would accommodate a slightly bigger battery, and by next year they would be able to tweak the A9 to produce even more efficiency. Result: a flush camera lens, a phone that's ideal for one-handed use and better battery life.


     

    I believe Jony had to make a choice here:



    He first settled for a bigger screen.



    Which gave him the grip problem.



    He rounded the edges for a smoother grip. He also made the phone as thin as possible.



    His problem was the camera and its lenses. It needed more vertical space than the other components inside the iPhone.



    So, instead of adding more thickness to the rest of the phone (and compromise the grip), Ive and his team decided to have a protruding camera. As a bonus the protruding camera would also have the added benefit of protecting the lens as it can't be laid flat on a surface.

  • Reply 165 of 281
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member

    I just hope "Continuity"** paves the way for a return of the iconic* 3.5 inch form factor.

     

    A 3.5 inch iPhone mini in unapologetic plastic like the 5C and rounded curved glass like the 6 would be awesome.

     

    (*) iconic because the original iPod had the same form factor.

    (**) Continuity would offer me the best of both worlds. A pocketable phone & camera when I am on the go. In transit and on the couch I could use my iPad mini to type and answer phone calls. The iPhone mini would never leave my pocket/bag.

  • Reply 166 of 281
    Nice review however i love the new size and i don't have large hands ! my biggest gripe is trying to take a picture ! I now use the volume up button to take photos and have done so for years now ( or at least it feels like years ) now when i try to press volume up i accidentally press power and turn the bloody phone off !

    i will have to force myself to unlearn the volume up button and go back to the old way ! Note the volume down button does work too in iOS 8 but that didn't help me much either and my brain always goes straight for the volume up button !

    HackDaBox !
  • Reply 167 of 281



    And reflects my own experience 100%... sticking with 6 for now.

  • Reply 168 of 281

    I think Reachability was probably designed with the 6 Plus in mind and they just gave it to the 6 too while they were at it. As a 6 Plus user, I find myself using it quite a bit. I can do most things one handed while using it.

  • Reply 169 of 281
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    I'm worried that next year when I want to replace my 5S there won't be an Apple phone that I can use one-handed. I'm also afraid that some people here will tell me that I need to give up already and that I don't need it.
  • Reply 170 of 281
    sog35 wrote: »
    You like your silly bets, don't you?

    As I said, I believe that from 2015-2019 at least, the ?Watch will sell less than a quarter of the iPhone sales for each of those years. 

    If you wish to bet against that, I'd be happy to. Forget about the self-banning; you know neither of us will do it.

    Are you in or out. You can read my history and see i did not chicken out from my last bet that Apple will release the 5.5.

    Take the bet. I'm predicting Apple will sell over 250% more watches than iPads in its first year. Your suggestion of 2015-2019 is too long of a time peroid.

    Lets do this. 40M watch units. If you refuse than you are not convinced of the words you speak. Lets see you back up your bold words.

    I think Apple are predicted to sell about 190 million iPhones next year, so 25% is 47.5 million. I'm predicting less than that, so we both appear to have won the bet.

    Congratulations!
  • Reply 171 of 281
    How many of the people here claiming that the iPhone 6 is too big actually have one or have used one?

    I find all of the comments deriding large phones hilarious. Asia is a huge and important market for Apple. There, iPhone 6 size phones are the rule not the exception. So too will it be in the US soon.

    That the iPhone 6 is too big to use as a phone is ludicrous.

    I'm rocking a 6+. I have average sized hands. I can hold it comfortably and use it with one hand for light tasks like web surfing without problem. Typing on it is a joy. Reading books and websites is awesome.

    Going back to use the 5s is just plain painful.
  • Reply 172 of 281
    I like the iPhone 6 (4.7"), but I agree that it's awkward to hold and use single handed, which is how I've been using iPhones since 2007. I find the 4" iPhone 5 just the right size, perhaps no larger than 4.3".

    I find myself using the new Reachability feature quite a bit, and it works well, except everytime I invoke it, I am reminded that my phone's screen is too large.

    I hold my iPhone 6 the same way I learned to hold the 5. I don't grip it tightly like the photo in this article. I grasp it on the sides between the base of my index finger and the finger pads of my third and fourth fingers. The index finger simply supports the back of the phone, usually resting in the Apple logo. My last finger is bent towards me, so the phone rests on it: the Lightning connector edges dig into the side of my little finger. My thumb can reach most of the screen (edge to opposite edge), except for the top 3/4". Or approximately the extra height added to the iPhone 6 screen.

    So basically, only the top 3/4" is unreachable by thumb, which is why Reachability works for me. But I wouldn't call this grip especially secure.

    I suspect that if Apple reduced the height of the 6 to that of the 5 and almost got rid of the side bezels, it would be just about okay. Really, though, I think 4.4"-4.5" would be a better size with reduced bezels all round.
  • Reply 173 of 281
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post





    Get it through your thick brain.



    90% of the iPhone target market wants larger phones than 4 inches. How do i know? Because Apple is not stupid and they spend tens of millions of dollars on R&D and market research to figure out what sizes will sell the best.



    You are part of the grand minority that want a 4 inch phone. Either adapt or buy an Android POS. Apple will NEVER make a 4 inch flagship again.



    You keep saying the same stupid thing over and over. That we dont know if a 4 inch 6 would sell better. I'm sorry but I will put my trust in Apple who has a ton more data than you, spends tens of millions on market research, and has sold hundreds of millions of phones in the past. Are you so arrogant that you thing you know more than the collective brain power of the most valuable company onthe planet? Seriously! Your arrogance is sickening.



    Have you interviewed Tens of thousands of iPhone users to see what they want? Hell no. But Apple did. Do you have data on hundreds of millions of iOS users? Do you? Do you have a team of thousands that research what size will please the majority of the market? Hell no. You only depend on your little personal universe and think you know better than Apple. Pathetic.

    It wasn't that long ago that Apple hawked 4 inches as "just right" and "a 4 inch display designed the right way: it's bigger, but it's the same width as the iPhone 4s....so it's just as easy to type with one hand." (https://web.archive.org/web/20121228171616/https://www.apple.com/iphone/features/) Were they aiming to please mainly the "grand minority" back then, or did users just suddenly start to prefer 4.7+ inch displays after the iPhone 5 but not before?

  • Reply 174 of 281
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    d4njvrzf wrote: »
    It wasn't that long ago that Apple hawked 4 inches as "just right" and "a 4 inch display designed the right way: it's bigger, but it's the same width as the iPhone 4s....so it's just as easy to type with one hand." (https://web.archive.org/web/20121228171616/https://www.apple.com/iphone/features/) Were they aiming to please mainly the "grand minority" back then?

    What else would you expect them to say? Of course whatever they made was the perfect size and competitors got it wrong. Marketing 101. Apple is a marvelous marketing machine, oft cited and studied in business classes and dissertations.
    [VIDEO]
  • Reply 175 of 281
    let's call this new flaw the "gripgate"
  • Reply 176 of 281
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Again, all you 4 inch lovers answer this simple question:

    If 4 inches is the perfect size why isn't there a SINGLE premium Android phone that is 4 inches that sells well?
    Why is every single top selling Android phone at least 4.7 inches?

    Apparently the management at Apple knows why. ;)
  • Reply 177 of 281
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post



    Again, all you 4 inch lovers answer this simple question:



    If 4 inches is the perfect size why isn't there a SINGLE premium Android phone that is 4 inches that sells well?

    Why is every single top selling Android phone at least 4.7 inches?

    Maybe because there isn't a single premium Android phone that is 4 inches.

  • Reply 178 of 281
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    yanimac wrote: »
    Re: Applepay, I wonder if you'll be able to use a 5s with the watch to accomplish a payment. The watch does work with the 5s and the nfc chip will be in the watch so I'm hoping this will work. .
    YES! Apple said right at the announcement the Apple Watch will work with the 5S & 5C to allow them to process Apple Pay. this is Apples marketing strategy. Release new giant phones only, forcing users to buy a watch if they don't want to upgrade to the bigger phone, or want the convenience of leaving their phablet in their pockets and bags.
  • Reply 179 of 281
    sog35 wrote: »
    I think Apple are predicted to sell about 190 million iPhones next year, so 25% is 47.5 million. I'm predicting less than that, so we both appear to have won the bet.

    Congratulations!

    But you are calling the Watch a failure if it sells 47 million units in its first year?

    The iPad only sold less than 15 million in its first year! Are you calling the iPad a failure?

    I don't think the ?Watch will reach anywhere near 47 million sales next year. I'm not calling the ?Watch a failure based on any amount of sales; I'm calling the ?Watch a failure right now in its current incomplete incarnation. I guess that Apple may modify the design, but it's unlikely to be significantly different to what we've seen. So, especially due to the digital crown, which I think is the most telling sign of its flawed concept, I condemn the ?Watch to failure already. If Apple radically change the design in its second generation, it might stand a better chance, but I don't think any smartwatch from Apple or anyone else is going to gain anything other than very niche status for the foreseeable future.
  • Reply 180 of 281
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mac_128 View Post





    Remember Apple has watches to sell now which work with the 5S & 5C. Depending on what that watch really does, I might consider it since it will work with Apple Pay on my 5S too.



    The 5C/S and the 6 Plus are the best arguments for buying an Apple Watch I can imagine. And remember merchants won't have NFC implemented readers in 100% of the market until the end of 2015, well after the 6S comes out. There's sure to be bugs to work out, so in the meantime why saturate the market with devices that haven't been fully vetted with the system, nor which can use them at that many locations? Apple has gone this route before, rolling out features to a limited device set (mainly early adopters) and gaining control of the service before eventually rolling it out to legacy devices.



    I fully expect a 6 mini, paired with the 6S and a relatively unchanged Plus. The 5S will be transplanted into the plastic case as the 5CS and be the entry level phone. The 6 mini will be the low and mid-level device in 2016, distinguished from the flagship devices by processor, screen size, battery life, memory, and other expected compromises.

     

    Good points. Forgot that the watch would work with the 5S.

     

    Thank you.

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