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Photo of Possible 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Rear Shell Surfaces
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
And if I'm the Android manufacturers, I am freaking because the most visible, tangible differentiator of my phones vs. Apple's is about to be mitigated. So now I would have to hope the ecosystem hook (which doesn't belong to me but to Google) will motivate them to stay with my phones when it's time to buy their next one. Else, the remaining differentiation will be in the invisibles like select specs or more RAM, megapixels and so on, AND/OR PRICE, which is already margin-killing aggressive and not a fun thing to cut to try to win business while Apple maintains its fat margins.
All those people that have turned away from iOS because they wanted or needed a bigger screen are now going to have an iOS answer that scratches that particular itch. I suspect that this move will do more in the Apple vs. Samsung war in the first weekend or two than all the lawyers in all of the courts could accomplish in the last few years.
All those people that have turned away from iOS because they wanted or needed a bigger screen are now going to have an iOS answer that scratches that particular itch. I suspect that this move will do more in the Apple vs. Samsung war in the first weekend or two than all the lawyers in all of the courts could accomplish in the last few years.
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Why would you upgrade if you like the existing model? And nothing happened. Maybe they just think that a 4" phone isn't what they will offer, regardless of what you think that you need.
Well, most people choose android over iPhone because they prefer android over iPhone. The fact that Apple releases a bigger screened phone won't change that.
I think that it's people like me who are being targeted, ie folks who do prefer iOS but simply won't put up with the tiny screen any longer.
Well, that's my feeling anyway. I obviously don't have anything to back this up with.
Yeah I don't know that there's ever been a study that says why people chose one over the other although I'd be interested in finding out why if there was one
They'll do nothing but drop "one-handed use" from the marketing bullet list and replace it with some benefit(s) associated with the bigger screens. Apple flip flops often- sometimes dramatically- and every time they just carry on as if they never took some stance that conflicts with the new view supporting what they want to sell now.
Then you're not who they are targeting with it. And I would bet large that you find it ridiculous because you are accustomed to iPhones at 4". However, there is a big world of people out there that buy Android smart phones at sizes up to and exceeding 6". To some of them, 5.5" may seem small and 4.7" may seem "too small". I think THAT's the primary target of a 5.5" iPhone filling an obvious market demand while also directly attacking the most tangible differentiator for Samsung smart phones with the added pull of iOS.
It's high on a lot of people's list because Apple spun it hard to help "us" choose smallish 3.5" and then 4" screens over increasingly popular screens bigger than 4". It's like "thinner", another benefit(?) that Apple has made "us" believe is some hugely important thing. Do "we" really find the 5s too thick? Did we really find the 4 too thick?
Assuming these rumors are true, Apple will likely just drop the "one-handed use" bullet from their marketing spin and this crowd will drop that "priority" right with them. Every time Apple flip flops on something, it's the same: this crowd arguing passionately with the Apple spin before the flip flop and then this crowd arguing with the change afterwards. This will be no different.
In fact, you can see it in the rumors themselves. Go back to before there were any rumors of a bigger-screen iPhone and see post after post ripping into anything over 4" as "abominations", "stupid", "99.9% of people don't want ".
Then look at early rumors of bigger screen iPhones. Majority attack the idea as "abominations", etc.
Then the rumors piled up and it appeared- and now appears- increasingly likely that Apple is going bigger screen. Where's all that "abominations", "stupid", "99.9% " now? It's been replaced by what seems like about 2/3 being ready to buy a 4.7" and the rest being ready to buy a 5.5".
No, the more profitable opportunity shifted to bigger size screens. Apple said so in the Samsung trial. Jobs was a notorious flip flopper. For example, see: http://www.techlicious.com/blog/5-big-flip-flops-from-apple/ and http://www.phonearena.com/news/Tim-Cook-says-Steve-Jobs-taught-him-about-flip-flopping_id30702 Cook says "He (Jobs) would flip on something so fast that you would forget that he was the one taking the 180 degree polar [opposite] position the day before. I saw it daily."
Unfortunately, it appears you go to the 4.7" and like it. There seems to be no rumors of new guts going behind a new iPhone 6 at 4". Personally, I think Apple should also make a 6 with a 4" screen just for that market too but again, I think the profits have shifted to bigger screens such that even Apple is ready to abandon the previously spun, "perfect" size of 4". OR, you can keep using a 5s, 5c or 4 and hope that the lack of interest in bigger screen iPhones by a big segment who only want 4" or less makes Apple rethink this shift such that they decide to resurrect a 4" size too.
If you are influenced by the crowd here, should Apple abandon 4", it will only be a flash of time thereafter before the herd starts putting down everything less than 4.7" as "old", "puny", "how did we ever get by with" and on and on. This crowd only needs Apple to validate the rumors and it will jump right on the bandwagon of the new doctrine. Take out the now inapplicable marketing bullets like "one handed use" and others. Replace then with the new bullets Apple will spin in answer to why 4.7" and 5.5". Then, business as usual. We've seen this many times before...
Upon the iPad 1 launch "why would anyone need a front facing camera in an iPad", "why would someone want to video chat on an iPad?", "I wouldn't want people looking up my nose while I tried to video chat", "stability", etc.
Then Apple launches iPad 2 with FaceTime as the primary, tangible new thing: "FaceTime is terrific shut up and take my money", "can't wait to FaceTime on the iPad 2"
Prior toTV 3 with 1080p:
"720p is good enough", "1080p is a gimmick", "the chart", "until the whole internet is capable of 1080p video being downloaded from iTunes", "storage", "I can't see the difference" (so you can't either), blah, blah, blah.
Then Apple rolls out
All that former bashing and spinning evaporates.
Prior to bigger screen iPhones rumors:
"Steve jobs said ", "3.5 is perfect and everything bigger is an abomination, stupid, etc"
Rumors of a 4" screen:
"Abomination", "Apple would never", "fragmentation", "stupid", "99% don't want", "Steve Jobs said", "one-handed use", "pocketability", "need bigger pants pockets" blah blah blah
Early Rumors of a 4.7" and 5.5":
"Abomination", "Apple would never", "fragmentation", "stupid", "99% don't want", "one-handed use", "pocketability", "need bigger pants pockets" blah blah blah
Later rumors of a 4.7" and 5.5":
"It's kind of growing with me", "4.7" will be OK but 5.5" is crazy", "I can't wait for the 4.7", "one-handed use" (apparently we all found some pants with bigger pockets?)
Apple announces 4.7" and 5.5" (soon):
"Shut up and take my money", "now that I've actually seen them ", "how did we ever get by with those puny screens". Pocketability, one-handed use, etc will just evaporate like no one ever said anything about those issues and hardly anyone will call the new iPhones abominations, stupid, etc.
And that .1% will apparently be enough to buy 150-250 million iPhones in the next year or so.
Shortly thereafter: cue 1000 "which one should I get?" threads.
Best post ever on MR....(obligatory "for ME")
They'll do nothing but drop "one-handed use" from the marketing bullet list and replace it with some benefit(s) associated with the bigger screens. Apple flip flops often- sometimes dramatically- and every time they just carry on as if they never took some stance that conflicts with the new view supporting what they want to sell now.
Then you're not who they are targeting with it. And I would bet large that you find it ridiculous because you are accustomed to iPhones at 4". However, there is a big world of people out there that buy Android smart phones at sizes up to and exceeding 6". To some of them, 5.5" may seem small and 4.7" may seem "too small". I think THAT's the primary target of a 5.5" iPhone filling an obvious market demand while also directly attacking the most tangible differentiator for Samsung smart phones with the added pull of iOS.
It's high on a lot of people's list because Apple spun it hard to help "us" choose smallish 3.5" and then 4" screens over increasingly popular screens bigger than 4". It's like "thinner", another benefit(?) that Apple has made "us" believe is some hugely important thing. Do "we" really find the 5s too thick? Did we really find the 4 too thick?
Assuming these rumors are true, Apple will likely just drop the "one-handed use" bullet from their marketing spin and this crowd will drop that "priority" right with them. Every time Apple flip flops on something, it's the same: this crowd arguing passionately with the Apple spin before the flip flop and then this crowd arguing with the change afterwards. This will be no different.
In fact, you can see it in the rumors themselves. Go back to before there were any rumors of a bigger-screen iPhone and see post after post ripping into anything over 4" as "abominations", "stupid", "99.9% of people don't want ".
Then look at early rumors of bigger screen iPhones. Majority attack the idea as "abominations", etc.
Then the rumors piled up and it appeared- and now appears- increasingly likely that Apple is going bigger screen. Where's all that "abominations", "stupid", "99.9% " now? It's been replaced by what seems like about 2/3 being ready to buy a 4.7" and the rest being ready to buy a 5.5".
No, the more profitable opportunity shifted to bigger size screens. Apple said so in the Samsung trial. Jobs was a notorious flip flopper. For example, see: http://www.techlicious.com/blog/5-big-flip-flops-from-apple/ and http://www.phonearena.com/news/Tim-Cook-says-Steve-Jobs-taught-him-about-flip-flopping_id30702 Cook says "He (Jobs) would flip on something so fast that you would forget that he was the one taking the 180 degree polar [opposite] position the day before. I saw it daily."
Unfortunately, it appears you go to the 4.7" and like it. There seems to be no rumors of new guts going behind a new iPhone 6 at 4". Personally, I think Apple should also make a 6 with a 4" screen just for that market too but again, I think the profits have shifted to bigger screens such that even Apple is ready to abandon the previously spun, "perfect" size of 4". OR, you can keep using a 5s, 5c or 4 and hope that the lack of interest in bigger screen iPhones by a big segment who only want 4" or less makes Apple rethink this shift such that they decide to resurrect a 4" size too.
If you are influenced by the crowd here, should Apple abandon 4", it will only be a flash of time thereafter before the herd starts putting down everything less than 4.7" as "old", "puny", "how did we ever get by with" and on and on. This crowd only needs Apple to validate the rumors and it will jump right on the bandwagon of the new doctrine. Take out the now inapplicable marketing bullets like "one handed use" and others. Replace then with the new bullets Apple will spin in answer to why 4.7" and 5.5". Then, business as usual. We've seen this many times before...
Upon the iPad 1 launch "why would anyone need a front facing camera in an iPad", "why would someone want to video chat on an iPad?", "I wouldn't want people looking up my nose while I tried to video chat", "stability", etc.
Then Apple launches iPad 2 with FaceTime as the primary, tangible new thing: "FaceTime is terrific shut up and take my money", "can't wait to FaceTime on the iPad 2"
Prior to
"720p is good enough", "1080p is a gimmick", "the chart", "until the whole internet is capable of 1080p video being downloaded from iTunes", "storage", "I can't see the difference" (so you can't either), blah, blah, blah.
Then Apple rolls out
All that former bashing and spinning evaporated.
Prior to bigger screen iPhones rumors:
"Steve jobs said ", "3.5 is perfect" and "everything bigger is an abomination", "stupid", etc
Rumors of a 4" screen:
"Abomination", "Apple would never", "fragmentation", "stupid", "99% don't want", "Steve Jobs said", "one-handed use", "pocketability", "need bigger pants pockets" blah blah blah
Early Rumors of a 4.7" and 5.5":
"Abomination", "Apple would never", "fragmentation", "stupid", "99% don't want", "one-handed use", "pocketability", "need bigger pants pockets" blah blah blah
Later rumors of a 4.7" and 5.5":
"It's kind of growing on me", "4.7" will be OK but 5.5" is crazy", "I can't wait for the 4.7", "one-handed use" (apparently we all found some pants with bigger pockets?)
Apple announces 4.7" and 5.5" (soon):
"Shut up and take my money", "now that I've actually seen them ", "how did we ever get by with those puny screens". Pocketability, one-handed use, etc will just evaporate like no one ever said anything about those issues and hardly anyone will call the new iPhones abominations, stupid, etc.
And that .1% will apparently be enough to buy 150-250 million iPhones in the next year or so.
Shortly thereafter: cue 1000 "which one should I get?" threads.
a) you have a lot of time on your hands, lol
b) i dont think people here can truely say they dont want something without actually seeing it. thats why i cant take anyone serious about saying a certain sized phone is not right for them, what a joke. No one knows what they will like until its in their hand, ok maybe like 0.01% knows, but maybe not even that many people. product in hand changes your opinion. period.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I mostly agree. But that doesn't stop this crowd from passionately arguing for anything Apple says or does and against anything anyone else say or does against Apple. Conceptually, we all should be in a perpetual "wait & see" before we pass judgement on every new thing, but practically, "we" tear into each something before we believe Apple might go there, then soften our stance when rumors pile up that Apple is going there, then it's "shut up and take my money" as soon as Apple does go there.
Much like when Apple rolled out an iPad Maxi with retina and an iPad Mini without, this is just one of those split situations where it appears 2 new things are coming and there's splits on which will be better. Pre-launch but heavy in rumors, the bulk of the crowd seems to be favoring 4.7" over 5.5" with some passionately wishing away the 5.5" because they don't want an alternative to the one they want. Once Apple rolls out both so that rumors become reality, "we" will just adapt our spin to support both and all that history of everything above 4" being "abominations", "stupid", etc will never be spun again.
After Apple launched those iPads, the sentiment eventually spun into why it made great sense for a 9.7" screen to be retina while a 7.9" screen didn't need retina… until iPad Mini 2 with Retina and then it did make sense for a 7.9" screen to be retina. Apple just needs to turn rumor into reality, share it's launch marketing bullets in support of why we should love it/them, and then "we" will love it/them. While they are still rumors, the herd is somewhat fractured in it's collective opinion, though it is unifying as more and more leaks bring clarity to what is coming soon.
Much like when Apple rolled out an iPad Maxi with retina and an iPad Mini without, this is just one of those split situations where it appears 2 new things are coming and there's splits on which will be better. Pre-launch but heavy in rumors, the bulk of the crowd seems to be favoring 4.7" over 5.5" with some passionately wishing away the 5.5" because they don't want an alternative to the one they want. Once Apple rolls out both so that rumors become reality, "we" will just adapt our spin to support both and all that history of everything above 4" being "abominations", "stupid", etc will never be spun again.
After Apple launched those iPads, the sentiment eventually spun into why it made great sense for a 9.7" screen to be retina while a 7.9" screen didn't need retina… until iPad Mini 2 with Retina and then it did make sense for a 7.9" screen to be retina. Apple just needs to turn rumor into reality, share it's launch marketing bullets in support of why we should love it/them, and then "we" will love it/them. While they are still rumors, the herd is somewhat fractured in it's collective opinion, though it is unifying as more and more leaks bring clarity to what is coming soon.
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Since Apple has a partnership with Sharp Japan, I wonder if they will be using these new ultra thin bezel screens.
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/08/sharps-new-phones-have-so-little-bezel-its-ridiculous/
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/08/sharps-new-phones-have-so-little-bezel-its-ridiculous/
I think a lot of Joe Public buys a larger screened device (not because it's an Android device, simply because it has a larger screen).
What everyone else is releasing is relevant, the size of phones these days is the new norm. The idea that only Apple knows what we want and need is a crock.
But, I am very surprised that Apple is dumping the users that do not want a larger phone, they are not insignificant, and probably a higher number than us larger phone wanters. That will translate to lost sales. And criticism, which is warranted. They will want 4.7 to be the new Apple norm, and thats fine, but it will be a much larger phone than other 4.7's, thats a problem
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I have read similar across other forums, i was a little surprised to see how many will go back to Apple now that the screen size issue is resolved.
Just watch--Apple will describe the screen size as 5.6 inches, and the people who have said there won't be a 5.5 inch will yell "SEE???"
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Maybe the reason for a protruding camera lens is that there will be a minimal form of true optical zoom, instead of just the grainy digital zoom option. Some reports attribute the bulge to extra hardware needed for image stabilization.
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Maybe the reason for a protruding camera lens is that there will be a minimal form of true optical zoom, instead of just the grainy digital zoom option. Some reports attribute the bulge to extra hardware needed for image stabilization.
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I'm torn, though I really want there to be a 5.5 inch iPhone. It would mean all the "iPhone's screen is too small" naysayers will be silenced, in one upgrade.
I wonder if the 5.5 inch hasn't seen as many leaks because Apple isn't having as many built. After all, there hasn't been 0 leaks, just less than the 4.7 inch.
Certainly not. Everything under 6" is considered so last season by every "phablet aficionado" that I know, and the sweet spot seems to be somewhere around 7" or so. I know a few guys who rock the new 8.4" Galaxy Tab S as their daily driver. Yes, as a phone.
Okay, without entering phablet territory, apple is set. Samsung keep increasing the size of the Galaxy S's screen but most people agree they've hit the limit it can be. If you want a bigger screen, get the Note.
Now Apple can more plausibly say 'if you want a bigger screen, get the iPad mini'.
If it could make phone calls, then yeah. Although its aspect ratio leads to very poor pocketability. It's a lot wider than it's 16:9 slimmed down competitors. It is over an inch wider than eg. the Huawei Mediapad X1, and even wider than the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. And, like said, it can't make phone calls, so you'll have to still carry a phone.
But sure, it is a rather small segment, so I don't really see Apple chasing that market.
Exactly. I think the device that's bigger than 5.5 inches but smaller than 7.9 is like the laptop/tablet hybrid. Companies make them, people buy them, but it's not something Apple will do.
I think you missed my point. 3.5" doesn't even need such optimizations because it was the ideal size for one handed use. My point was that customers have shown that they value other features more than one handed use. If one handed use was the only consideration, we'd never move from 3.5" screens, thats not the case though. Obviously software can help make larger screen more usable, and I'm glad Apple focuses a lot on that, but software optimizations shouldn't be mistaken with an ideal size based on anatomy.
In short, 3.5" is still the ideal size for one handed use, but it may not be the ideal size for a phone. Larger screen phones can still be functional with one hand while bringing a host of other benefits. the ideal size for a phone is more of a personal preference. I just find it annoying when people misinterpret Apple's initial justifications for the 3.5" size.