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entatlrg

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Mar 2, 2009
3,385
6
Waterloo & Georgian Bay, Canada
This is just a conversational post ... Looking back it's curious why Apple only offered the iPhone in one (small) screen size. I personally have no problem with the screen but clearly consumers want to choose the size themselves, not have an OEM manufacturer do it for them.

Apple innovated and blew open the smartphone market in so many ways, it's both odd and interesting how/why they sort of missed the mark with choice of screen size. I know Apple's not known for offering a great deal of choice but the way the smart phone market is maturing it's becoming almost as strange as if Apple only offered one screen size in the their notebook line.

I understand it's not easy for developers to make app's for various screen sizes regardless it seems Apple slewfooted themselves and missed the mark on a simple yet important point - choice in screen size.
 

0dev

macrumors 68040
Dec 22, 2009
3,947
24
127.0.0.1
Apple don't care about choice, they're Apple. And since they're still selling millions upon millions of units every single month I wouldn't say they missed the mark.
 
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haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,529
5,874
IMO even the screen of Galaxy Note is too small. For real productivity or comfort website/magazine viewing at least an iPad mini (~8") is needed. For older eyes like me the big iPad is perfect.

A phone is good for what a phone does. Calls, texts, occasional facebook checking, simple games, etc.
 

freddiecable

macrumors 6502a
May 16, 2003
656
196
Sweden
I can only agree. Even though having different screen sizes is not part of the innovation - it is part of the differentiation. I'm also one of those geeks that would not mind larger screen and I was happy iphone 4 was a bit bigger. And - on that note - why should I not be able to all regular calls on my ipad mini?
 

Deicide14

macrumors newbie
Jan 2, 2013
3
0
I can only agree. Even though having different screen sizes is not part of the innovation - it is part of the differentiation. I'm also one of those geeks that would not mind larger screen and I was happy iphone 4 was a bit bigger. And - on that note - why should I not be able to all regular calls on my ipad mini?

Well you could if you downloaded apps like Line, Kakao Talk, and Skype etc.
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
I understand it's not easy for developers to make app's for various screen sizes regardless it seems Apple slewfooted themselves and missed the mark on a simple yet important point - choice in screen size.

So you've noticed that Apple tried to make things easier for developers. Funny, I guess, how everyone always says the best thing about the iPhone is its app store's deeper, higher-quality selection of apps. I guess that's just a coincidence! I don't suppose there's any way that happened because of choices Apple made...is there?
 

SupadudeX

macrumors member
Nov 7, 2006
94
0
Agreed. They missed the mark. I won't be buying another iPhone until the increase the screen size.
 

daneoni

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2006
11,575
1,131
Units of iPhone sold and subsequent billions in the bank suggests to me that they are in fact right on the mark.
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
This is just a conversational post ... Looking back it's curious why Apple only offered the iPhone in one (small) screen size. I personally have no problem with the screen but clearly consumers want to choose the size themselves, not have an OEM manufacturer do it for them.

Apple innovated and blew open the smartphone market in so many ways, it's both odd and interesting how/why they sort of missed the mark with choice of screen size. I know Apple's not known for offering a great deal of choice but the way the smart phone market is maturing it's becoming almost as strange as if Apple only offered one screen size in the their notebook line.

I understand it's not easy for developers to make app's for various screen sizes regardless it seems Apple slewfooted themselves and missed the mark on a simple yet important point - choice in screen size.
I would assume it's a very, very thought through decision to offer the screen sizes they do. The only thing I'm a bit surprised over is that they didn't introduce the 4" screen earlier. They probably could have done it with the 4...
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Apple really missed the mark by only offering one screen size in the iPhone, eh?
Yeah, they're not selling at all... :rolleyes:

I mean, I agree, choice is generally better but they certainly haven't "missed the mark" unless your mark is off somewhere else and that's what you're referring to. If screen size is such an important "mark" as alleged in the OP then sales would be significantly impacted.
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
Apple slewfooted themselves and missed the mark on a simple yet important point - choice in screen size.


It's a cliche now to say Apple is the most valuable company in the world, so what have they missed?

U been around at least since 2009, so no need to remind u Apple doesn't have focus groups. They think they know what the consumer (their kind of consumer) want more than what the consumer say they want.

But enuff of that, now that we have iPad mini, which at some point Jobs said they would never make, it's not entirely impossible a big phone may yet appear.
 

DodgeV83

macrumors 6502a
Feb 8, 2012
879
6
It's a cliche now to say Apple is the most valuable company in the world, so what have they missed?

U been around at least since 2009, so no need to remind u Apple doesn't have focus groups. They think they know what the consumer (their kind of consumer) want more than what the consumer say they want.

But enuff of that, now that we have iPad mini, which at some point Jobs said they would never make, it's not entirely impossible a big phone may yet appear.

Jobs said he would never make a 7" tablet. The iPad Mini is 7.9 inches.
 

Ta0jin

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2011
1,249
606
Maryland
Consumers may want to choose their screen size but Apple has never been about giving the consumers what the consumers want, Apple gives the consumers what Apple wants! It's been working for them since day one and if people don't like that there's always a ton of screen options on Android.
 
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s15119

macrumors 68000
Nov 20, 2010
1,856
1,714
This is just a conversational post ... Looking back it's curious why Apple only offered the iPhone in one (small) screen size. I personally have no problem with the screen but clearly consumers want to choose the size themselves, not have an OEM manufacturer do it for them.

Apple innovated and blew open the smartphone market in so many ways, it's both odd and interesting how/why they sort of missed the mark with choice of screen size. I know Apple's not known for offering a great deal of choice but the way the smart phone market is maturing it's becoming almost as strange as if Apple only offered one screen size in the their notebook line.

I understand it's not easy for developers to make app's for various screen sizes regardless it seems Apple slewfooted themselves and missed the mark on a simple yet important point - choice in screen size.


Considering how many billions of iPhones Apple has sold, it's pretty silly to say the "missed the mark". In fact, it seems they hit the mark perfectly.
 

harcosparky

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2008
2,055
2
Every Samsung SIII and Samsung Galazy Note II sold represents a LOST SALE for Apple!

Sometimes, size does matter! ;)
 

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,529
5,874
Every Samsung SIII and Samsung Galazy Note II sold represents a LOST SALE for Apple!

Sometimes, size does matter! ;)

Why? Some people swear that they will never buy Apple products, out of no reason. If they don't buy a Samsung it doesn't mean that the sale will go to Apple.
 

kmpoboy2

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2010
374
1
Alabama
It's funny that now the iPhone screen it's considered small and yet it was considered too big when it was introduced.
 

Pinkie Pie

macrumors regular
Mar 3, 2012
149
11
Los Angeles
I think my 4S is the perfect size - anything bigger won't fit in my hand or pocket! So, yes, if the options are one giant phone or several in different sizes, I'd prefer the latter.
 
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