iPad Mini: New apple product with 5-7 inch display will appear this year!

[Kolmogorov]

After seeing so many 5 inch 1080P Android phones, I really feel that apple is indeed missing something: Right now they have nothing with 5-7 inch display to offer. Nothing with 5 inch display, nothing with 6 inch display, and nothing with 7 inch display. This really feels wrong now.

So I predict: New apple product with 5-7 inch display will appear this year!

Although I don't know how apple will do it, but isn't it enormously wrong to leave this wide gap open until 2014?!

[HazyCloud]

They didn't update the iPhone's screen for 5 iterations of the iPhone and it still was a fantastic seller. Also, the iPad mini has a screen of 7.9" so it's in the 7" family.

5-6 inches for a phone is ridiculous. While I always want more to see, it has to be comfortable to use or making it large was pointless.

[mrkjsn]

I really doubt that.

[Kolmogorov]

Originally Posted by HazyCloud

They didn't update the iPhone's screen for 5 iterations of the iPhone and it still was a fantastic seller. Also, the iPad mini has a screen of 7.9" so it's in the 7" family.

5-6 inches for a phone is ridiculous. While I always want more to see, it has to be comfortable to use or making it large was pointless.

It doesn't need to be a phone, maybe a 5 inch ipod touch with 1136* 640 display (the same PPI as iPad 4)? I'm not saying it must be this 5 inch ipod touch, just giving a casual example...

Or a 6 inch ipod touch with 16:9 display for games and movies? I really don't know how apple could make an apple-quality product with 5-7 inch display, but this is apple's problem to solve.

[map1978]

In case you haven't really noticed, Apple doesn't follow other brands
They do what they want regardless on what the market introduces
Besides most of these newly announced handsets will be duds..it happens every year

[Bear]

Originally Posted by Kolmogorov

...
So I predict: New apple product with 5-7 inch display will appear this year!
...

And that would be the second generation iPad Mini. The iPad Mini is in the 7" range.

Originally Posted by Kolmogorov

It doesn't need to be a phone, maybe a 5 inch ipod touch with 1136* 640 display (the same PPI as iPad 4)? I'm not saying it must be this 5 inch ipod touch, just giving a casual example...
...

So what would the differentiation be between a 4" and a 5" iPod Touch with the same resolution?

There really isn't room in the lineup for another device. Would would the product differentiation be?

[syd430]

I can see two sizes of iPhones being sold eventually. The current 4" and a larger model. I would of laughed at the possibility of this a year ago, but not anymore. To be clear, I'm not implying that the 4" iphone will be phased out by a larger model, but that both will be sold concurrently for many iterative cycles. It would not contradict their one-handed use mantra, as both models will be available in to the foreseeable future.

Apple have shown that they are willing to do this with tablets, and so it only makes sense that that they will do this with iPhones (which is a much larger market).

And for anybody that thinks that is absurd for Apple to be releasing iDevices with so many different form factors, just remember that this is a company that styled itself a "portable touch device company" (or something to that effect) a few years back, and not a "computer company" anymore. This is clearly their focus going forward, and so it makes sense that they will introduce several new form factors in the years to come .

[Bear]

Originally Posted by syd430

I can see two sizes of iPhones being sold eventually. The current 4" and a larger model. I would of laughed at the possibility of this a year ago, but not anymore.
...

That opposite what the various "news" media are predicting. They're predicting a less expensive model.

The problem with a larger iPhone is what resolution would you make it? The same as the current one? What's the use. The same as the iPad Mini? That would be an odd shape for a phone.

Any other resolutions would require updates to the Apps. And yet another resolution for the app writers to maintain.

I think you're mistaken about what you predict, but only the future will say who is correct.

[Appl3FTW]

tired of these rumors... if it happens it happens people... till then, keep dreaming.

i mean if you really want a screen that big, go for android... apple really could care less

[syd430]

Originally Posted by Bear

That opposite what the various "news" media are predicting. They're predicting a less expensive model.

The problem with a larger iPhone is what resolution would you make it? The same as the current one? What's the use. The same as the iPad Mini? That would be an odd shape for a phone.

Any other resolutions would require updates to the Apps. And yet another resolution for the app writers to maintain.

I think you're mistaken about what you predict, but only the future will say who is correct.

Yes, I am predicting an all new resolution with apps needing to be rewritten.

When you think about it, it doesn't actually change anything. At the moment we have the 4/4S and 5. There are currently 2 main resolutions that apps are written for (let's ignore the pixel doubling of retina displays). The caveat here though is that the 4/4S screens are being phased out.

Lets assume now that the theoretical third resolution iphone is introduced at the same time as the 5S and that the 4/4S are dropped entirely at the same announcement. That leaves us with just a 5, 5S and a theoretical larger iphone with new resolution. In other words, exactly the same situation we find ourselves now.

The key difference here though, is that unlike the 4/4S, the 5's resolution won't be phased out (in order to maintain one-handed usability), so this will actually mark a stabilisation of sorts.

[Bear]

Originally Posted by syd430

...
Lets assume now that the theoretical third resolution iphone is introduced at the same time as the 5S and that the 4/4S are dropped entirely at the same announcement. That leaves us with just a 5, 5S and a theoretical larger iphone with new resolution. In other words, exactly the same situation we find ourselves now.
....

Any apps updated or introduced with the new resolution still needs to maintain compatibility with the 4/4s. After all it will take a couple of years before enough people replace their 4/4s with a newer iPhone.

Therefore it's not the same situation as now in terms of the number of resolutions supported.

[syd430]

Originally Posted by Bear

Any apps updated or introduced with the new resolution still needs to maintain compatibility with the 4/4s. After all it will take a couple of years before enough people replace their 4/4s with a newer iPhone.

Therefore it's not the same situation as now in terms of the number of resolutions supported.

That is true, but it would only be temporary. As long as the 5's resolution is here to stay, I can easily imagine a situation where most developers only write new apps for the 5/5S and a theoretical larger iphone only, by about 2014.

[Kolmogorov]

Originally Posted by syd430

That is true, but it would only be temporary. As long as the 5's resolution is here to stay, I can easily imagine a situation where most developers only write new apps for the 5/5S and a theoretical larger iphone only, by about 2014.

Now I kind of feel that a larger display iPhone will not come in 2013. It seems in 2013 fall apple will have the following phone offering:

iPhone 5S, $ 650, 4 inch display
iPhone 5, $ 550, 4 inch display
budget iPhone, $ 450, 4 inch display

So that apple can discard all 3.5 inch display models and all 30 pin connectors.