Apple Rumored to Debut 4.8-Inch 'iPhone Math' in June

[Morshu9001]

Originally Posted by rmwebs

I see the armchair experts are out in force again. Yes yes we all know...Apple is doomed, Steve wouldn't have allowed this, blaa blaa blaa.

Are people's views really that narrow index that they seriously think changing the screen size will kill Apple. Grow up.

It's not just that. I guess there are always those people, but I just don't trust this China Times news source, and I doubt it is in Apple's character to make this. But if these rumors solidify, I will sell my AAPL because this will freak other people out.

[osaga]

Originally Posted by Morshu9001

Steve Jobs always implied that the customer is sometimes wrong.

His direct quote is "It's not the consumer's job to know what they want."

I think he would agree that it's now clear that consumers know they want bigger screens.

[teejaysyke]

Watching you people in shambles and tears over this is hilarious.

I think this is a good idea.


Cheap iPhone (99.99)

Normal iPhone 5S (199.99)

Premium iPhone "Math" (299.99)


I don't see why you are complaining, no one is forcing you to buy a larger screen, and you all know that if it's true.

The day its released you'll be claiming Apple has re-birthed Jesus in phone form.

[Nightarchaon]

as long as its a 4.8inch screen that has the ability to have at least an additional column of icons, and not just an iPhone with fisher price huge icons this will be superb once developers update the apps to support the new resolution.

downside, all apps get bigger as they have to hold the new graphics for yet another resolution of iPhone, and apple stubbornly refuse to stop selling the 14GB model (Apple, stop selling your iDevices using HDD sizing, or actually sell 16GB of space, its annoyingly penny pinching things like this in a supposedly high end device thats starting to get you a bad name, my Galaxy SII when empty actually has 16GB of space as advertised)

Plus side, unless apple cock-up by making it as thin as a human hair, battery life might actually last a day, something that the iPhone has been unable to achieve since the iPhones initial launch.

My plan is currently to upgrade to the samsung galaxy note 2, its the perfect sized device, and i just wish apple would converge the iPad mini and iPhone into a device the same size so i didn't have to either carry both a Phone and a tablet around, or use the joke OS called android, but id rather have a clunky, buggy OS and a single device that does everything i want, that fits into a pocket easily, the iPad mini is still just too large to be a device i can carry everywhere, so the note 2 is replacing the need for a kindle/iPad by it size, but means i don't need a phone as well.

Apple choice is clear, it needs a bigger iPhone to stop androids constant cannibalisation of its market share (especially outside the USA), but 4.8inch might be to little, to late, it needs to suck it up and get the iPhablet out ASAP

[newrocket]

Apple we need you to focus on whats important, not a BIG iPhone!!!
They are on the way to becoming just another company and are fading in the background... Let the competition have the hilariously big phones and rather focus on innovation in the current form factor !!!!!!!!!! Jobs would wanted it that way..

[Nightarchaon]

Originally Posted by H2SO4

Then please explain how Porsche have released pretty much the same car, (911), for 30 years running?

You mean the Volkswagen beetle ? thats where the 911 came from you know.

[padapada]

Originally Posted by ECUpirate44

I'm 100x more interested in iOS7 than the iPhone 5S.

So true! It's all about the software. But it seems to be harder to innovate..,

[H2SO4]

Originally Posted by WatchTheThrone

You can't compare a 50K car to a 200 dollar iPhone!! Most teens with a part time job can afford an iphone same cant be said about a porsche!!

Yes you can, my point is, and if you know cars you'll know that there is a huge amount of competition. Releasing something that looks essentially the same but just tweaking performance doesn't necessarily mean the sky is coming down.

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Originally Posted by Nightarchaon

You mean the Volkswagen beetle ? thats where the 911 came from you know.

That too. That looks even more similar. Funnily enough, I don't remember as many complaints about lack of change here though.

[iisdan]

There wont be a larger iphone and there wont be a cheaper one. They have already made it bigger and told people its a common sence size, and already said there wont be a cheaper iphone. If these stupid rumors keep poping up im going to stop following this site.

[Prodo123]

I'm sorry but that's just stupid.
First of all, iPhone Math? Really?
Second, a 3.5" or 4" screen is plenty big. This "demand" for a larger screen isn't really there, other than fans of the Note.

[selva]

Originally Posted by H2SO4

I see the point you are making and don't dispute it.
But be careful with statistics. When comparing make sure that condiions are the same, your own quote notes 'a figure which probably won't be hurt by rolling out on multiple carriers', and this, while comparing amongst just Samsung devices.
When you include another manufacturers goods they hold even less water.

Here’s some more recent Galaxy S3 (4.8 inch) and Galaxy Note (5.5 inch) data:

http://bgr.com/2013/01/14/samsung-ga...-sales-291304/

“After selling more than 30 million Galaxy S III handsets in just 150 days, the numbers were bound to add up fast. Samsung on Monday confirmed that cumulative Galaxy S smartphone sales have now topped 100 million units. Interestingly, the news was first published in a note on Samsung’s official Flickr page.*Sales of Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S III have now reached the 40 million-mark according to the vendor, having taken just seven months to get there. Samsung says Galaxy S II sales hit 40 million units as well, but it took 20 months for the firm’s previous-generation flagship model to reach the milestone. The Galaxy S line is clearly Samsung’s most successful smartphones series, but its Note lineup has also been well-received; Samsung previously confirmed that sales of its Galaxy Note handset topped 10 million units and Galaxy Note II sales surpassed 5 million units.”

You can slice and dice the stats any which way you want but at the end of the day it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room. IMO within a year or two, the phablet market will be the mainstream segment and the 4 inchers will be the minority players. People need to do just too many things with the smartphone now and 4 inches just won’t cut it in another year or two.

[H2SO4]

Originally Posted by Nightarchaon

and apple stubbornly refuse to stop selling the 14GB model (Apple, stop selling your iDevices using HDD sizing, or actually sell 16GB of space, its annoyingly penny pinching things like this in a supposedly high end device thats starting to get you a bad name, my Galaxy SII when empty actually has 16GB of space as advertised)

I think it's pretty much industry standard.

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Originally Posted by selva

Here’s some more recent Galaxy S3 (4.8 inch) and Galaxy Note (5.5 inch) data:

“After selling more than 30 million Galaxy S III handsets in just 150 days, the numbers were bound to add up fast. Samsung on Monday confirmed that cumulative Galaxy S smartphone sales have now topped 100 million units. Interestingly, the news was first published in a note on Samsung’s official Flickr page.*Sales of Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S III have now reached the 40 million-mark according to the vendor, having taken just seven months to get there. Samsung says Galaxy S II sales hit 40 million units as well, but it took 20 months for the firm’s previous-generation flagship model to reach the milestone. The Galaxy S line is clearly Samsung’s most successful smartphones series, but its Note lineup has also been well-received; Samsung previously confirmed that sales of its Galaxy Note handset topped 10 million units and Galaxy Note II sales surpassed 5 million units.”

You can slice and dice the stats any which way you want but at the end of the day it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room. IMO within a year or two, the phablet market will be the mainstream segment and the 4 inchers will be the minority players. People need to do just too many things with the smartphone now and 4 inches just won’t cut it in another year or two.

I'm not slicing and dicing stats, but you are comparing Apples with oranges.
As I said earlier though. I see the point and don't dispute it. But as long as you are playing with the numbers or not telling the whole truth. There will always be an error in your math.

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Originally Posted by Prodo123

Second, a 3.5" or 4" screen is plenty big. This "demand" for a larger screen isn't really there, other than fans of the Note.

I think the demand is there. But bigger screen doesn't necessarily mean a hugely bigger device. Edge to edge screens are coming closer.....

[TheSacredSoul]

I practically have 2 plans that end in october, a year apart

Got my iPhone 5 last yea via a recontract. I hope it's the iPhone Meth or Plus or Max this year and not (only) the iPhone 5S.

[Northgrove]

Hmm, I wonder what they'd do with the resolution on this device to avoid fragmentation. Reuse the current iPhone 5 resolution? I wonder at what point you'll start seeing the pixels. I do think the iPhone 5 Retina display has some leeway although 4.8" might be about as far as Apple could push it.

[BMcCoy]

The rumor does not say that a larger iPhone would be the more expensive premium model.... the opposite in fact. A larger phone would be the cheaper less good phone. Probably a non-retina resolution.

"Digitimes also reported in early January that Apple was working on a bigger, more affordable iPhone that was targeted towards emerging markets"

[flottenheimer]

Hmm, let's see ...

MacBook Air:
11 & 13 inch

MacBook Pro:
13 & 15 inch

MacBook Pro Retina:
13 & 15 inch

iMac:
21.5 & 27 inch

iPad:
7.9 & 9.7 inch

iPhone:
4 & ... 4.8 inch — Why not?

[Michael Scrip]

Originally Posted by Morshu9001

It's the user base (Android). I know a few people who have Android phones very well, and it's impossible to explain why in English, but they're all the kind of person who would buy a huge phone and would NOT use iOS. This is not an insult to them (if someone here interprets it as such).

Interestingly, if you know someone well, and you tell him to choose a random shape out of three options, you can guess much more than 1/3 the time what he is thinking of.

Originally Posted by Morshu9001

The people who use Android are more likely the people who would want a big phone.

My point was... it's very hard to find a flagship phone that is 4" or less. Every company (except Apple) has decided to make their phones bigger. So that's what people buy.

Apple's phones have a maximum of 4" while other companies' phones have a minimum of at least 4.3"

I remember holding the first Droid X and thinking it was a monster. Clearly it wasn't too big... since phones have gotten bigger over time.

If it was a mistake... then maybe we'd see them make subsequent phones smaller. But that's not happening yet.

Well... most companies offer a range of phones... not just one "take it or leave it" model.

So maybe Apple should have 2 flagship phones... a 4" and a 4.8"

[Northgrove]

Originally Posted by TheSacredSoul

I practically have 2 plans that end in october, a year apart

Got my iPhone 5 last yea via a recontract. I hope it's the iPhone Meth or Plus or Max this year and not (only) the iPhone 5S.

I would pay to watch a press conference for an iPhone Meth.

[bjsterilite]

I don't think Apple would release a phone just to cater to a trend that would break their app community they've worked so hard to create.

Lots of rumors have gone around before with really weird details like the "teardrop body" rumor. This is either a prototype project, a bad translation or someone recycled an old rumor article.

[mixel]

I'd be interested in a slightly bigger iPhone out of curiosity!

If an iphone+ does come out though you can be sure a lot of people will deem it as Tim being an industry follower and having lost it. (steve would never have.... etc)

I see SO many people with bigass phones recently, a lot of people obviously like them. Apple can have multiple sizes - why not?

[FrenchMac]

As a developer, the thing that strikes me is that a 4.8-5'' screen iPhone would mean increasing pixel density to something around 440dpi. The aspect ratio of the screen would stay at 16/9 (or around that value) like the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 could have been an intermediate phone that change the ratio of the screen without changing the pixel density.

By augmenting the pixel density, an application design of the iPhone 5 density could be display in full screen on the new phone simply by zooming the user interface. The 3GS/iPhone 4 transition made use of a zooming approach with a integer scale (2.0) but this time the scale would be non integer.

At this density the display artefact that would be created by such a zooming would be invisible to the human eyes.

At this density a screen is closer to what happen with printers: you don't redesign your printing when you go from a 300 dpi printer to a 400 dpi one.

In term of pixel count, I would image a phone with something like 1920x1080 pixels.

As for the iPhone physical size, If you measure the aluminium plate of the back of the iPhone 5, you get a diagonal of 4.5''. With IGZO panels promizing thinner bezel, a iPhone with a 4.8'' screen could be closer to the size of an iPhone 5 than a GSIII.

Just my 2 cents.

[davester]

As long as its not another iPhone Myth, I'll be happy.

[kfury77]

iPhone Math? It just doesn't Add up. I know that opinion will be Divided, but my Take-away: Multiplying the number of iPhones isn't likely. Plus, it's a silly name.

[Radizo]

It's economics dum dum! Apple has patience and the right timing of all their products. Especially in this mobile race since they had the head start on revolutionizing the mobile phone sector. iPhone in general will become more saturated than ever by 2014. Particularly now that they have opened it to so many markets globally since the first iPhone debut. And the day is coming where the profit & overall iPhone growth will start to flatten and lower YOY. However, you better believe they have all of this accounted for. To continue iPhone's product growth for the next 5 years, a newer iPhone breed will need to emerge to take on the new growth. And it isn't the iPhone 5, as the iPhone 5 will be the last size alteration of the original 2007 class. And will serve to drive lower pricing as each generation of its class hands off to the last making each passing generation even cheaper for consumers. So say hello to the new breed "iPhone HD" or whatever they'll call it. Whether it'll be this year or next it will be inevitable that a 4.8 inch or similar size will come. It's all about Apple timing and business economics 101.

[portishead]

I hope we get a bigger screen iPhone, but I'm sure a million people have already stated, it's not going to be called the 'Math'. Maybe a codename or something.