Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
About that Tapered iPhone 5 Design...
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
by breaking the usual release cycle Apple has the opportunity to respond to it's competitors rather than having HTC and Samsung one up them every summer...plus I think the Samsung lawsuit is the real cause of no new design this year(I know I've beaten that horse to death and back to life)
This. The iphone 3G was the second iphone. The 3gs was the third iphone. the 4 was the fourth iphone. The 4s is the 5th iphone, so the next one should be iPhone 6.
The mock up of the proposed 5 is beautiful. That would have hit it out of the part with the design. Frankly, I think the 3gs is prettier than the 4, so again, this type of design would have been a hit.
Apple seems to be trying to get people to buy both an iPhone and iPad. I think if they improved the iphone with a larger screen and LTE, most business users would never consider an ipad as the phone would serve all purposes.
It's a disappointment - I was looking to switch, mostly because of all the apple compatible accessories I've bought for my wife, but think I'm going with the next Samsung. Faster speeds, bigger screen, HDMI support - it's manages to be both a phone and tablet better.
"but if we had to guess"
Oh PLEASE DON'T guess !! not again !
We've had 6 months of wild unfounded and ultimately WRONG speculation. I don't know if I can cope with another year if it starting now.
People need to remember that the size of the device is determined by the technology.
If Apple want to go much slimmer, they can only do it a) if the tech allows it or b) if they downgrade the tech.
I believe they looked out at users and saw that the form of the current model (iPhone4 and now iPhone 4S) is popular. That allows them to up the tech with a new powerful process and other goodies.
Personally I don't need a slimmer form, unless I get a slimmer phone PLUS a big tech improvement at the same time. And that is asking a lot ! Maybe this is doable by the end of 2012 or 2013.
Oh PLEASE DON'T guess !! not again !
We've had 6 months of wild unfounded and ultimately WRONG speculation. I don't know if I can cope with another year if it starting now.
People need to remember that the size of the device is determined by the technology.
If Apple want to go much slimmer, they can only do it a) if the tech allows it or b) if they downgrade the tech.
I believe they looked out at users and saw that the form of the current model (iPhone4 and now iPhone 4S) is popular. That allows them to up the tech with a new powerful process and other goodies.
Personally I don't need a slimmer form, unless I get a slimmer phone PLUS a big tech improvement at the same time. And that is asking a lot ! Maybe this is doable by the end of 2012 or 2013.
Seriously, the current iPhone 4 design looks so much better than that rumoured "iPhone 5 design".
Course, eventually, they'll stop naming them in sequence... iPhone 13, and iPhone 27... so perhaps at some point they'll simply call them by the year they're released so at least the numbers feel relatable.
...or simply, call it, iPhone.
Why this concern with design? It's a Tool and an upgrade shouldn't be about the looks. That's a bonus, if the design got better, but definitely not a must.
Horizontal orientation means NO tapered design
There's not going to be any "tapered" or "teardrop" iPhone design. It's a silly thought. Because such a phone would only be ideal in vertical orientation. But when used in horizontal orientation -- as done in countless games -- one side would be thicker and heavier than the other. Not ergonomic. This lack of symmetry would also probably screw with the gyroscopic weight readings, when trying to steer in a driving game for instance.
There's not going to be any "tapered" or "teardrop" iPhone design. It's a silly thought. Because such a phone would only be ideal in vertical orientation. But when used in horizontal orientation -- as done in countless games -- one side would be thicker and heavier than the other. Not ergonomic. This lack of symmetry would also probably screw with the gyroscopic weight readings, when trying to steer in a driving game for instance.
hmm May i ask how is the camera on the 4gs greatly enhanced as everybody is saying (i am not against the 4gs will get one late oct) ? The iphone 4 already has a backside illuminated sensor. Also from what i understand they added megapixels but did not change sensors physical size so wouldnt it make the 4gs about the same or only slightly better then the iphone 4's camera?
Because many iPhone users want to show off their latest phone. It's not only a tool but a fashion thing.
Personally, I wouldn't want a phone with a bigger screen because that would mean a bigger phone. That would be a regressive step, and I'd bet Apple have drawn that conclusion too. It's not hard to envision them looking at a fairly consistent trend in cellphone design towards smaller and smaller devices, and arguing that the recent crop of larger screen Android phones is more about making a cluttered and cumbersome UI more usable than an actual desire amongst their target market for a larger screen. Since they don't see iOS (particularly with Siri) as being cumbersome to use, and undoubtedly don't see any real loss of sales to competing devices with larger screens, they likely see no reason to go in that direction.
As to iPad sales, you're almost certainly right that they don't want to engineer an iPhone which would risk cannibalising iPad sales, but then you can hardly blame them for that - they're in business to make money, not fools of themselves.
The design posted at this thread uses much more of the available front real-estate, as the competitors are now doing. As far as size, smart phones have been trending larger - yes, it's a tradeoff, but it's not like RAZRs fetch a premium anymore.
Yes, but if the iPad business causes design compromises in their phone offerings, that's a longer term problem for Apple.
Having played with a couple of phones with larger screens that fit closer to the edges of the device, I'd say they are more prone to accidental touch input as a result. As to whether smartphones are trending larger, I'd say not in any real sense. That some are gaining in physical size is more a testament to complexity than anything, and contending with that is more about the user interface than real estate....unless of course the manufacturer can't find workarounds in the UI. The proof is in the pudding, which means that while there's no premium for RAZRs anymore, there certainly is for previous iterations of the iPhone.
Whether Apple has a problem relating to design tradeoffs in the iPhone to prevent cannibalisation of ipad sales is very doubtful, even in the long term. And after all, who is in a better position to judge that question than Apple themselves and their design and marketing teams who have a pretty good track record over the past 10 years, or us, a bunch of inexpert commentators who have less than a hundredth of the information that Apple do about their customers' behaviours and preferences. Perhaps they'll take a lead from other manufacturers such as Samsung who also have smartphones and tablets out in the field. Perhaps they've noticed that larger screens don't impact sales of tablets?
The improved camera is definitely the highlight of the 4S. Remember, "The best camera is the one you have with you." As I always have my phone on me, having a point 'n shoot grade camera with built-in editing and HD recording is very compelling.
The faster processor and better download speeds are also welcome but not game-changing. The iPhone 4 is plenty fast when it comes to rendering web pages and launching apps.
Siri...meh. Might be useful in a car but I can't see it being any more efficient than manually opening apps. Will reserve judgement until I play around with it in the Apple store.
As for the screen, I would have welcomed a slightly wider, edge-to-edge screen in the same general package as the iPhone 4. I use my phone for texting more than anything else. My accuracy just isn't so great on the iPhone's virtual keyboard. More screen real estate = more accuracy, at least for those with big paws like me.
The faster processor and better download speeds are also welcome but not game-changing. The iPhone 4 is plenty fast when it comes to rendering web pages and launching apps.
Siri...meh. Might be useful in a car but I can't see it being any more efficient than manually opening apps. Will reserve judgement until I play around with it in the Apple store.
As for the screen, I would have welcomed a slightly wider, edge-to-edge screen in the same general package as the iPhone 4. I use my phone for texting more than anything else. My accuracy just isn't so great on the iPhone's virtual keyboard. More screen real estate = more accuracy, at least for those with big paws like me.
You're kidding, right? Are you engaged in any kind of profession? Doctor? Lawyer? Indian Chief (casino owner)?
I may be in the minority, but...
I love the iPhone 4's design. It is one of the most beautiful phone designs I have ever seen and still is, when I look at the other stuff on the market.
I honestly can't think of any good way to improve on it. Maybe use better glass on the back so it doesn't crack as easily, but I believe some of the early cracking was due to the manufacturing process not having been worked out quite yet. I've not heard of serious back glass cracking problems lately.
It's a great design, and I'd much rather Apple work to refine and improve the existing design than try something totally different and unproven.
And for the record, that rumored tapered design sucks. It looks impossible to grip well without your fingers covering the screen, especially with the screen coming so close to the edge. It also looks more likely to slip out of your hand than the iPhone 4 design.
I love the iPhone 4's design. It is one of the most beautiful phone designs I have ever seen and still is, when I look at the other stuff on the market.
I honestly can't think of any good way to improve on it. Maybe use better glass on the back so it doesn't crack as easily, but I believe some of the early cracking was due to the manufacturing process not having been worked out quite yet. I've not heard of serious back glass cracking problems lately.
It's a great design, and I'd much rather Apple work to refine and improve the existing design than try something totally different and unproven.
And for the record, that rumored tapered design sucks. It looks impossible to grip well without your fingers covering the screen, especially with the screen coming so close to the edge. It also looks more likely to slip out of your hand than the iPhone 4 design.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)
Of course your opinion but I disagree. You don't become a successful business making a lot of money by not being smart about product cycles. Just because other companies release "new" every year doesn't mean Apple should follow. I like that Apple is unique.
Of course your opinion but I disagree. You don't become a successful business making a lot of money by not being smart about product cycles. Just because other companies release "new" every year doesn't mean Apple should follow. I like that Apple is unique.
nevermind. next iPhone will be called iPhone Nano.
No, that's false information. My buddy from the inside told me it's going to be called iPhone Shuffle. With no screen or buttons it just randomly calls people on your contact list.
I'd like to predict a future two-finger or "trackpad" home button.
For gaming, it could become a D-pad.
For regular use, the large home button could works as;
one finger - home or app launcher
two finger - siri assistant
For gaming, it could become a D-pad.
For regular use, the large home button could works as;
one finger - home or app launcher
two finger - siri assistant