Ok, so Apple is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a new design that has the same features as an existing design but is a little smaller? Makes no sense to me.
"Ok, so Apple is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a new design that has the same features as an existing design but is a little larger? Makes no sense to me."
No. Because that LARGE model is SELLING for PREMIUM PRICES.
A smaller model will NOT be able to sell for even $199 with contract
Says who? Says you? I remember 7 months ago when a 4" phone, on the bleeding edge of the technical curve, was selling for $199 with contract.
Larger does not mean more expensive, regardless of whatever perception you want to believe. But does it even have to sell for what the 4.7" is selling for? No, and therefore that perception can be upheld in the consumers mind, too, increasing the value of the phone for the price.
Apple wouldn't be reintroducing anything as they currently sell 4" phones. I agree with others that Apple will keep around the 5C form factor for their entry level handset. Maybe they'll update it with new colors (black would be nice). This year Apple basically said bigger = premium. So if someone is hoping for a premium 4" phone I think you're out of luck. Unless Apple decides to change its mind again and they go back to screen size being the only differentiator. These days with Apple you never know what they're going to do. Sometimes I think they don't know either.
Phones are far more mass-market than computers. So there are probably sizable markets for all the various form factors. This isn't Apple "returning" to the 4" form factor; it's Apple bringing the various advanced features like Touch ID and better cameras to that size phone. Hopefully newer and smaller batteries will be able to deliver acceptable battery lives.
I love my 6+ and consider its size ideal for me. But I can understand that many others might prefer other sizes.
No. Because that LARGE model is SELLING for PREMIUM PRICES.
A smaller model will NOT be able to sell for even $199 with contract
What if that smaller phone phone had the same cam, chipset & features of the plus and instead of the big ass screen it had a better battery life? i would GLADLY pay $199 for that
Ok, so Apple is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a new design that has the same features as an existing design but is a little smaller? Makes no sense to me.
But this is EXACTLY what they did with the 5C. They re-enginered the 5 to replace it as the mid-tier offering. What is being suggested here is no different than that. The 6 will be re-engineered and offered as a 6 mini. And it's not such a major redesign, just shrinking the same design down (a size into which everything fit only last year). The 5S will be transplanted into the 5C case so every iPhone will have Touch ID. When the 7 comes out the 6 mini will become the new free phone and all iPhones will have ?Pay, just in time for complete market saturation of contactless POSTS.
There is a cost to maintaining all of those different designs. The more components all of the phones have in common, the less they cost. This way, the least expensive phone will be only a year out of step with the current phones, ensuring a steady supply of parts already paid for at a lower price point with the previous year's models.
4 inch premium phones are now a niche product. Deal with it. Apple will not waste millions on retooling an entire line to make a 4 inch phone that only a few want.
So you want the phone to be smaller, lighter, and thinner. Yet have better battery life? I mean really. Do you actually hear what you type?
Sorry, but no, it is not a niche market just because Apple does not produce a phone for it.
We know you love your larger phone, but just because you equate bigger to better doesn't mean that all but a few thousand do, too.
I'm ready to upgrade now, but I don't want the larger size. Give me the modern processor, biometric locking, the improved camera, etc, but in the size of the 5 and I'll buy it. Today. I'd buy the 5s if it wasn't so close to EOL.
Phones are far more mass-market than computers. So there are probably sizable markets for all the various form factors. This isn't Apple "returning" to the 4" form factor; it's Apple bringing the various advanced features like Touch ID and better cameras to that size phone. Hopefully newer and smaller batteries will be able to deliver acceptable battery lives.
I love my 6+ and consider its size ideal for me. But I can understand that many others might prefer other sizes.
agree 100%.
the 6+ is a great device. just not practical for everyone. my career & lifestyle dont mesh with having to carry a large (fragile) device. A smaller form factor makes way more sense for many people. My friend is a landlord & electrical contractor who is hanging on to his 4s because he hates the idea of carrying a bigger phone. he is ready to cave and get a 5S, not because he wants it, but because he is afraid they are only going to make big phones moving forward.
So if someone is hoping for a premium 4" phone I think you're out of luck.
I think you're right. It won't be premium, but it will have most of the current feature set of the latest design. I suspect the 6 mini will share the same processor and basic feature sets as the 6S. So if it had been released along side the 6 & 6 Plus, it would have had NFC ?Pay, but perhaps not the latest camera, just like the 6 doesn't have the impressive camera the 6 Plus does. Apple is saving a fair amount between the retina screen sizes, so they just have to trim components to hit their price point. What they don't want to do is limit the pool of devices that can use their revenue generating products like ?Pay and iTunes. It will be better than the 5S to 6 specs, but not identical to the 6S.
4 inch premium phones are now a niche product. Deal with it. Apple will not waste millions on retooling an entire line to make a 4 inch phone that only a few want.
So you want the phone to be smaller, lighter, and thinner. Yet have better battery life? I mean really. Do you actually hear what you type?
Do you read at all? I dont care about it being thinner or lighter. I have never picked up my 5S and said "wow, this is heavy" or "damn this is too thick"
if Apple makes a 6-mini it would use the same design language as the 6.
So thinner, lighter. How do you expect them to make it last longer when its even smaller.
i dont know how to simplify this more: it doesnt have to be as thin as the 6 or 6+.
the note is slightly thicker than the 6+ and has a way better battery life. MANY people would gladly "sacrifice" dealing with a phone the thickness of the 5 to have better battery life and not have a protruding camera lens.
Apple won't waste hundreds of millions designing a METAL phone that will sell for only $99
Making a plastic design and plastic molds is 100x easier and cheaper than all metal. The 5C was easily to make.
You have no idea what you're talking about. The design already exists, all they have to do is scale it, which is a simple matter for their precision controlled equipment. They still have to reconfigure all of the components no matter what the case is made out of. This is the reason the 5S can most likely be easily transplanted into the 5C. Milling smaller 6 cases is not a problem as they already have a plant dedicated to doing this for the 5S which will be sitting idle if they transplant the 5S into the 5C as I suspect. So it will actually be cheaper to do this than continue to manufacture, much less redesign, a plastic phone that they are giving away. Add to this the iPod Touch is metal, and there may be some room to merge those designs on the low end phone thus saving duplicating substantial R&D costs. Besides, those low-end phones are only free to consumers, the phone carriers still pay a substantial price tag for them, more than covering the cost.
Comments
Ok, so Apple is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a new design that has the same features as an existing design but is a little smaller? Makes no sense to me.
"Ok, so Apple is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a new design that has the same features as an existing design but is a little larger? Makes no sense to me."
*cough*
Yeah, this could have been said 12 months ago.
No. Because that LARGE model is SELLING for PREMIUM PRICES.
A smaller model will NOT be able to sell for even $199 with contract
Says who? Says you? I remember 7 months ago when a 4" phone, on the bleeding edge of the technical curve, was selling for $199 with contract.
Larger does not mean more expensive, regardless of whatever perception you want to believe. But does it even have to sell for what the 4.7" is selling for? No, and therefore that perception can be upheld in the consumers mind, too, increasing the value of the phone for the price.
Except no matter how many times people say this, it has never happened, ever.
Phones are far more mass-market than computers. So there are probably sizable markets for all the various form factors. This isn't Apple "returning" to the 4" form factor; it's Apple bringing the various advanced features like Touch ID and better cameras to that size phone. Hopefully newer and smaller batteries will be able to deliver acceptable battery lives.
I love my 6+ and consider its size ideal for me. But I can understand that many others might prefer other sizes.
No. Because that LARGE model is SELLING for PREMIUM PRICES.
A smaller model will NOT be able to sell for even $199 with contract
What if that smaller phone phone had the same cam, chipset & features of the plus and instead of the big ass screen it had a better battery life? i would GLADLY pay $199 for that
There is a cost to maintaining all of those different designs. The more components all of the phones have in common, the less they cost. This way, the least expensive phone will be only a year out of step with the current phones, ensuring a steady supply of parts already paid for at a lower price point with the previous year's models.
you and a few thousand.
4 inch premium phones are now a niche product. Deal with it. Apple will not waste millions on retooling an entire line to make a 4 inch phone that only a few want.
So you want the phone to be smaller, lighter, and thinner. Yet have better battery life? I mean really. Do you actually hear what you type?
Sorry, but no, it is not a niche market just because Apple does not produce a phone for it.
We know you love your larger phone, but just because you equate bigger to better doesn't mean that all but a few thousand do, too.
I'm ready to upgrade now, but I don't want the larger size. Give me the modern processor, biometric locking, the improved camera, etc, but in the size of the 5 and I'll buy it. Today. I'd buy the 5s if it wasn't so close to EOL.
Phones are far more mass-market than computers. So there are probably sizable markets for all the various form factors. This isn't Apple "returning" to the 4" form factor; it's Apple bringing the various advanced features like Touch ID and better cameras to that size phone. Hopefully newer and smaller batteries will be able to deliver acceptable battery lives.
I love my 6+ and consider its size ideal for me. But I can understand that many others might prefer other sizes.
agree 100%.
the 6+ is a great device. just not practical for everyone. my career & lifestyle dont mesh with having to carry a large (fragile) device. A smaller form factor makes way more sense for many people. My friend is a landlord & electrical contractor who is hanging on to his 4s because he hates the idea of carrying a bigger phone. he is ready to cave and get a 5S, not because he wants it, but because he is afraid they are only going to make big phones moving forward.
Tell me how many high end 4 inch Android/Windows phones were sold in the last 6 months?
The ONLY reason why the majority of people bought 4 inch iPhones is because they had no other choice.
I mean seriously whats next? A 3.5 inch phone?
The very same thing can be said about 4.7" iPhones.
Your argument has absolutely no weight without any sort of research and without your "bigger is better" mentality.
you and a few thousand.
4 inch premium phones are now a niche product. Deal with it. Apple will not waste millions on retooling an entire line to make a 4 inch phone that only a few want.
So you want the phone to be smaller, lighter, and thinner. Yet have better battery life? I mean really. Do you actually hear what you type?
Do you read at all? I dont care about it being thinner or lighter. I have never picked up my 5S and said "wow, this is heavy" or "damn this is too thick"
if Apple makes a 6-mini it would use the same design language as the 6.
So thinner, lighter. How do you expect them to make it last longer when its even smaller.
i dont know how to simplify this more: it doesnt have to be as thin as the 6 or 6+.
the note is slightly thicker than the 6+ and has a way better battery life. MANY people would gladly "sacrifice" dealing with a phone the thickness of the 5 to have better battery life and not have a protruding camera lens.