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Apple Appears to Have Ditched Plans for 4-Inch 'iPhone 6c' in 2015
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My point with iPads is the lineup is all about price points and margins. The original iPad mini stuck around because marketing needed at $249 price point and finance said the mini 2 at that price point wouldn't result in the desired margins. So that decision basically meant keeping the mini 2 around and I guess the mini 3 only existed because $299 > $499 was too big of a spread and with the $399 mini 3 marketing could up sell you to the Air 2.
As far as the iPhone goes, if we don't see another C version (or at least not one in plastic) then that probably means Apple's customer surveys indicated people don't want a plastic phone from Apple. I think it's a shame as I always thought the 5C felt great in the hand and didn't feel like cheap plastic in any way. And just from posts on this site it seemed like 5C owners were happy with their device. I definitely got the feeling that the hate for it was coming from people who didn't own it and had no plans to own it. I would prefer Apple continue this differentiation. If plastic isn't popular than maybe do something like the iPod touch with colored aluminum.
I don't think it's leaving but I'm not convinced Apple will discount both the 6 and 6 Plus. They don't need more than one phone at the low-end and mid tier. Discount the 6 and keep the Plus as flagship only.
Me? I'd be willing to pay more than full price to please the wife. Happy wife, happy life. I'd be willing to pay a few hundred more because she keeps her phones for 3-4 years so it's a good investment. These people just don't get that we don't want to take away their ability to buy a bigger phone, we just want the option.
Here is what I see Apple doing: On the iPhone 7 redesign, they significantly reduce the bezels. I did the math a while back and think if they reduce the bezels they could make it really small. I made some mockups a while back so I have attached a quick and dirty comparison. On the left is the iPhone 6, the middle is what you could shave the iPhone 7 down to and still keep the same screen size, and on the right is the iPhone 5S. As you can see, if you shave down the side bezels and top and bottom bezels, the iPhone 7 could be not much larger than a 5S and actually shorter. This would take quite a bit of engineering but would be a great change for a new iPhone redesign in late 2016. It would also make the 5.5" model much more manageable. They could either make a smaller TouchID button (per my mockup, as long as it still works well), or they could integrate it into the screen itself with a sapphire laminate and use Force Touch to activate it. They could actually reduce the top and bottom bezel even more if they did that and either make the space for the earpiece and camera even smaller, or somehow integrate them into the glass itself on the display. I think Apple has a patent for a camera behind an LCD? There is also some interesting stuff you can do nowadays with vibration of glass for a speaker. Though I feel like advancements such as these may have to wait for the iPhone 8 redesign. Apple doesn't like to change too much at once.
Edit: Forgot to mention what the outlines are. The red one is my proposed iPhone 7 dimension, the red one is the iPhone 6, and the green one is the iPhone 5S. The horizontal green line is to compare the other sizes against the 4" 5S height.
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I wouldn't be surprised if Apple releases a 4 inch iPhone a few months after releasing the now-standard and plus sizes, but I WOULD be surprised if they abandoned the 4 inch size completely. The 4 inch screen size is still baked into iOS. If you have an iPhone 6 and you go into Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom, View... change it to Zoomed and you've got the 4 inch display size, zoomed in. On a 6+, Zoomed gets you a 4.7 inch display, zoomed in. It's a little bit confusing to explain, but for people with poor vision, it's fantastic.
I don't think they're idiots, it's just that timing is very tricky. Disruption can take a decade or more. If a company continues to milk the high end it leaves itself vulnerable even as it becomes increasingly profitable. This is the example that Clay Christensen uses for steel. As a company increasingly goes to the high end, it overshoots what customers are willing to pay for leaving a big gap below. Integrated steel companies had increasing performance for over a decade, but failed after the disruptors scaled.
As Apple phones increasingly push $1000 US and with fantastic options in the $400-500 range where many companies can make money, I think Apple's going to be under-pressure in a couple years. Add to the carriers facing increasing pricing pressure to hide that $$$ in services contracts, and it's going to be hard to justify apple's prices. This is also in part why I think Samsung is less profitable - it's staying in lower margin businesses.
Now itunes complicates everything. That service is so sticky, it may be many more years as people keep having to buy Apple products to stay with that ecosystem. So we'll see.
Man that render of a metal iPhone 6C is Sexy as f***. Such a shame it's only a render..
I do have hope though that Apple may one day make a sexy all metal iPhone 4" again, I mean everyone 'thought' the iPod was dead, especially the Touch..... so the experts aren't always right?
Not sure if you're being facetious, but I would love for this to happen.
I know they're not ditching the Plus models, but I wondered what will happen to the current Plus when a new once is released. Whether the lineup might look like this:
iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus.
Don't release a 4" 6C, release a 4" 6S fully speced, thats what we want. No one bought the C cause it was under spec'ed. I've always had the newest iPhone since launch until the 6 came out, I got it and then gave it to my wife and took her 5S.
I don't understand why some people claim that a new 4-inch iPhone would be a step backwards. We get that people want larger phones these days, but it's not like Apple are going to stop making the larger devices just to make a small one. There's no absolute right or wrong size, and therefore screen sizes fluctuating over time is not 'progress' per se; there are only individual opinions. Screen size also shouldn't have to be a measure of technical advancement, which it sadly is especially in the Android world.
I love my iPhone 5 and don't want to go bigger, but I also don't mock iPhone 6 Plus owners for their preference. To each their own.
I love my iPhone 5 and don't want to go bigger, but I also don't mock iPhone 6 Plus owners for their preference. To each their own.
Lol Jesus, calm down with the rhetoric. I'm merely pointing out the possibility that exclusively larger phones are likely to sell better than smaller ones. In any case they will obviously have analyzed the costs vs. benefits of keeping 4-in. phones. "Those of us who don't want phablets" may not constitute a significant market for Apple, or they might simply expect their errant consumers to fall in line as is the usual Apple philosophy.
Re: Asian markets, Apple wants to cater to a market that values ever-larger screen sizes. That 51% statistic actually reflects a pretty recent jump in market share, and a lot of the credit goes to the introduction of the "phablet" iPhone 6/6+. Which, wouldn't you know it, is my point.
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This is a very welcome announcement. No reason to go back, it's all about change and moving forward. Apple has always practiced planned obsolescence. There was simply no good reason to back pedal for the people that cannot accept change.
So why not have an iPhone 6S, same size iPhone 6C, and keeping the 5S for those that prefer the smaller size?
That's essentially what they did with the 5S - 5C and 4S
That's essentially what they did with the 5S - 5C and 4S
There's room for small and large. People have different preferences after all.
Small sizes are great as well, after I got over the "jazz" with having a bigger screen on the iPhone 6 and a few different Android devices, I went back to the 5s and it was amazing using a smaller phone with one hand, the added benefit was it is a much lighter phone to hold and since I use my phone frequently, over time this produced less wrist strain
But larger screens have their place too. My father's vision wasn't too good for smaller phone but for the iPhone 6 with the "zoomed in" mode selected, its been excellent. He's been able to use it no problem. I'll definitely be upgrading him to a 6S with larger storage space this fall)
The issue is that Apple may not be releasing newer 4" phones; for those who prefer the smaller phones, this is an issue regardless of market or sales or whatever. I don't get why some people here are lamenting posters who prefer those smaller sizes. The more options Apple provides (screen sizes), the better for everyone.
Luckily the 5s looks like it will have some legs given how ahead of the tech curve it was when it came out. And given how much support the 4s has received, this is great news in the event a new 4" phone is further off than expected
Small sizes are great as well, after I got over the "jazz" with having a bigger screen on the iPhone 6 and a few different Android devices, I went back to the 5s and it was amazing using a smaller phone with one hand, the added benefit was it is a much lighter phone to hold and since I use my phone frequently, over time this produced less wrist strain
But larger screens have their place too. My father's vision wasn't too good for smaller phone but for the iPhone 6 with the "zoomed in" mode selected, its been excellent. He's been able to use it no problem. I'll definitely be upgrading him to a 6S with larger storage space this fall)
The issue is that Apple may not be releasing newer 4" phones; for those who prefer the smaller phones, this is an issue regardless of market or sales or whatever. I don't get why some people here are lamenting posters who prefer those smaller sizes. The more options Apple provides (screen sizes), the better for everyone.
Luckily the 5s looks like it will have some legs given how ahead of the tech curve it was when it came out. And given how much support the 4s has received, this is great news in the event a new 4" phone is further off than expected
Some great discussion on the topic fascinating to read. I have the iPhone 5 still my daily driver doesn't have Touch ID but I love the size and portability and I can do anything with one hand easily. I'm concerned about going to the 6s that the reach might be too cumbersome. As someone mentioned the home button and speakers camera at top and bottom make the 6 seem taller than it should be if they condensed those areas and still kept the screen at 4.7 it would have been awesome.
Except that with an iPod Touch you got no way to access the internet without a WiFi signal.
I prefer the 3.5" size. I can live with the 4" size, so I have an iPhone 5S. I cannot use a 4.7" phone (except with both hands) so I will never buy one.
With sales of nearly one million iPhones per day, there is no reason why Apple should not make the iPhone in three sizes.
With sales of nearly one million iPhones per day, there is no reason why Apple should not make the iPhone in three sizes.
I agree. Why offer a price reduced iPhone 6 at all instead of the small size and keep the current models? Ie: put an A7 in the 5SC, an A8 in a 4" iPhone 6, and an A9 in whatever follows? No problem. Want a larger phone? That's $100, pal.
Logical, no?
Firstly, even if it's small, it's a loss, and it's a permanent loss.
Secondly, there is another question, how many would-be-happy customers will end up in an unhappy-but-can-temporarily-manage-with situation? Looking at the comments on various websites, that number is really quite big. That hurts the customer satisfaction which Apple success heavily relies on. Plus, some of these customers end up with this unhappy situation because they wanted to spend money but were forced to not spend that money, so that's also Apple's revenue loss.
This is exactly what I suspect they are going to do, except the iPhone 5S will become the 5SC. It has been rumored, and Apple likely designed the 5C plastic case to readily accommodate the 5S when the time came. I think Apple wants to distinguish the free phone from the flagship phones, and the 6 will be bumped down to the $100 mark. There will be no budget Plus. I also don't expect the 5SC to support Pay.
Well looks like there will be no iPhone 6S for me. Perhaps Apple will come to their senses when it comes to the iPhone 7 and make a damn 4inch phone again. Otherwise if this phone ever dies, I'll be buying another iPhone 5S or a different 4inch phone.