About that Tapered iPhone 5 Design...

[blairh]

While having a 3.5" model and a 4" model makes a lot of sense IMO, perhaps the issue is app developers having to make sure their apps fit two different screen sizes.

I think Apple will bump up the screen size to 4" for the next iPhone. The only question becomes when that is going to be unveiled. My gut says this time next year. Next summer feels too soon and I think Apple is going to transition now from summer releases to the fall. Makes sense with the holiday sales, etc. Also I think it's very safe to assume that Apple will redesign the iPhone for every two generations. 3G - 4. 4S - 5.

 

[deyorew]

I am glad some folks on here are not disappointed. I too was hoping for the iPhone 5, but when I thought about it, other than a slightly larger screen and different body style, I am not sure what I would have expected out of it that the 4S didnt bring...

In fact, I kind of like the dual glass body. The retina display to me was a bigger jump than going to a slightly larger screen...

Also, my AT&T says I am able to start my contract over with a 4S in November. Is that right? I bought the 4 the weekend it came out. Thats not 2 years. I wonder if the delayed launch is that so current 4 owners can quickly get a 4S without much delay....

 

[blairh]

I am glad some folks on here are not disappointed. I too was hoping for the iPhone 5, but when I thought about it, other than a slightly larger screen and different body style, I am not sure what I would have expected out of it that the 4S didnt bring...

In fact, I kind of like the dual glass body. The retina display to me was a bigger jump than going to a slightly larger screen...

Also, my AT&T says I am able to start my contract over with a 4S in November. Is that right? I bought the 4 the weekend it came out. Thats not 2 years. I wonder if the delayed launch is that so current 4 owners can quickly get a 4S without much delay....

I got my iP4 in July of 2010 and I'm eligible for an upgrade in December of 2011. (AT&T). By my math that is 18 months. So I'm thinking anyone who signed a 2 yr contract can buy at discounted rate w/a 2 yr extension after 18 months.

 

[jeffmo]

Personally, I'm really happy with the design and changes made in the 4S. I've been hanging onto my 3GS since June 2009 and it's barely getting by with a cracked to hell screen (which just happened only recently too). I've been enamored with the design and aesthetic of the iPhone 4 since it's release last year but I was wary to upgrade early due to the antenna issues (I have particularly poor ATT reception at my house). So now that the issue has been resolved and they've shrunk the power of my iPad2 into a phone, I'm sold!

The best of both worlds: beautiful design and powerful guts.

 

[tkdbrusco]

tapered design is bad for apple

As far as the iphone 5 goes, I doubt we will see a tapered design or an off center screen. Let's think a bit about where apple is going as a company and how most people use their phones. The biggest growth in smartphones comes from streaming video and games. For most of these things we turn our phones sideways. With the current rumored design of the iphone 5 this would put the screen slightly shifted to the right or left, and while resting in your hands, the tapered design would feel awkward and off kilter. With the new talk of airplay for gaming, it appears that the phone will likely evolve into a remote control for a gaming platform with games streamed from your phone, or apple tv with higher res versions living in the cloud. In this world, I want my phone to be balanced and symmetrical. They can make it thinner, and increase the screen size, maybe even do away with the home button, but the rumored tappered design with the off center screen would drive me nuts for gaming and video. I hope that they don't make that phone. I think it would be an awful decision. I like the current iphone4/4s design, just make the screen a touch bigger and I'm ok with it.

 

[StyxMaker]

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I have no problem with Apple doing minor "spec bump" releases between major design refreshes. The problem is that this spec bump took a year and a half.

Spec bumps should come out 6-9 months after a release. 12-18 months should = new design.

I would suggest that the 'delay' was caused by Apple deciding to move the iPhone updates to the fall quarter and, within that framework, everything (iOS5, iCloud, Siri, and iPhone 4S upgrade), came together right on schedule.

 

[StyxMaker]

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android, samsung, motorola, and htc will run circles around fussy apple starting with galaxy s ii and nexus prime.

Anyone who hasn't been in a comma for the last few year knows that Apple does not get into 'feature matrix' wars with other manufacturers. They don't just sell a cell phone, they sell the whole ecosystem and the user experience it creates and they've just pushed that ecosystem to a higher level.

 

[ChrisTX]

I agreed,

MR and many other sites just overblown this silly rumor and people just had high expectations of something that would never happen in the first place.
It's understandable sites are feeding on this stuff because generate traffic and $ but it just went too far. Now we have to deal with hundreds of disgruntled kids that rather die than buy an iPhone 4S.

To be fair I think this article by MR was excellent though. I was hoping for this design but none the less, am still gunning for an unlocked 4S. However, while most of us now are completely OK with the idea of the 4S. Some of us like myself were just genuinely curious as to what was up with this idea that never came to be. I honestly just wanted to know if someone in the blogsphere had made this up, or if it was really a legitimate design from Apple. Regardless I'll be getting a 4S.

I got my iP4 in July of 2010 and I'm eligible for an upgrade in December of 2011. (AT&T). By my math that is 18 months. So I'm thinking anyone who signed a 2 yr contract can buy at discounted rate w/a 2 yr extension after 18 months.

I got my iPhone 4 day 1, and was one of the first 50 in and out the door, and I'm not eligible until Feb 2012 with AT&T, bummer! However I'll buy the 4S unlocked, so when the iPhone that comes after the 4S is announced, I can buy it subsidized.