tommy0guns

xyzzy01 said:

This would be sad. I'm in the market for a new iPhone this year. I like the smaller form factor, but I'd like everything else. It doesn't have to be a lot cheaper then the others - I'm after the size, not an economy model.

Of course, that means I want feature parity - A9, 2GB memory, force touch. Smaller screen is desirable, and I don't need 128 GB - after I stopped carrying my iTunes library offline on my phone, there's no need. 32 or 64 GB is just fine.

What if all those features just don't make sense in small phone? It's like you want a Smart Car with a V8 and 20 in rims. In order to add all the features of iPhone 6s into the smaller version, you need to compromise a bunch of stuff. Would you give up battery capacity for Force Touch features? Are you ok with a phone that get's to 140 degrees in your hand in order to have the GPU of the A9? Would you notice 2GB over 1GB RAM? Why include top end components if you won't even use them or, worse, it'll compromise functionality?

Here's my opinion why the 4-inch is slightly stripped. The overall size physically limits what you can include in the device. Just looking at how they added 3D touch to the 6s by shrinking the battery is a clear indicator. I see the 5e as a "business" phone. Put in the stuff you must have, leave out the gimmicks. I don't think the 5e was designed with cost at the forefront, but usability as the focus. Lower cost was just a side effect.

I'm a 5s user and have been following these rumors, in expectation of upgrading to this next 4-inch. What I want in a phone is something I can handle easily, works all the time, has durability, can manage my life on a daily basis, and has a battery that lasts forever. I don't need a gaming device, or a DSLR replacement, or a heart rate monitor, or 3D touchery, or a portable TV. I got all those in other iterations. 

I also think heat dissipation of an A9 on 4-inch form is an issue. It doesn't have the same real estate as an iPhone 6 or an iPad. Squeeze a bigger battery in there and you might get Samsung style "hot phone".

Here's the problem: Carplay is not really anything. It's a weird attempt to overlay iOS onto a car info-system. This is opposite from what Apple has always done(until Apple TV). Apple has traditionally incorporated the hardware with the software. It should always work as intended. What Carplay attempts is what Windows has done. Take a ton of random peripherals and try to sort them via an OS, while generating the least amount conflicts and errors possible. Where this product needs to be is a whole new segment all together. Apple should be able to create a self-contained unit that takes over all of the functions of the car's radio, communications, nav, climate, etc. It should be plug and go for the automakers. What's the purpose of Carplay, when I can literally glue an iPhone to the dash and get greater functionality. The auto industry has been waiting for some sort of standardization on the dashboard. Build an all in one unit with a bunch of standard ports and jacks in back. When I say "raise the temp", Siri can raise the damp temp. "Turn on wipers", done. "Call mom", you got it. Siri should be the brain and the interface. Every other device gets connected to her.

entropys said:

I struggle to understand the logic of such levies on hardware.  How does the government know the devices would be used for this purpose? Should device owner A pay or even though they never consume that content, while device owner B consumes 24//7? Customer C only uses fully paid for content, but both customer A and C gets hit with the levy anyway.

And how does the government fairly distribute the funds raised?

Congrats. You just taught yourself Socialism in a single paragraph.

studiomusic said:

I saw an article saying that Microsoft beat Apple in a big way with this... I see it as more desperation to try and get people to use it.
I think SIRI is still going to be on a lot more phones and mobile devices than Cortana, even with this port to iOS and Android.

I think you may have missed the point of this article. Cortana is not meant to be a SIRI replacement. Rather, it is a Windows continuation method. Similar to how a Mac and iOS can "talk" and sync your life, Cortana is more or less the bridge from Windows to iOS when used on an iPhone.