The 4" screen was never enhancing. It was just their way of keeping up with the times technically by saying they have a 4" screen. It is not larger, it's just longer. Please save me the technicalities of what larger truly means to anyone that loves to argue the point.
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Apple Considering 4.7" and 5.7" Screens for 2014 iPhone Models, iPhone 5S and Low-Cost iPhone Due in September
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The 4" screen was never enhancing. It was just their way of keeping up with the times technically by saying they have a 4" screen. It is not larger, it's just longer. Please save me the technicalities of what larger truly means to anyone that loves to argue the point.
The same goes for small phones... They're a bit ridiculous too, if you're big.
If you don't care about this or if you're not a small person, then that's nice to have an option. Some Apple fans act like if it is launched, they're automatically forced to buy huge phones. That's not the case. You're not forced to buy a 27 inch Mac if you like or prefer the 21 inch version.
That is faulty logic. It's not 10 million NEW customers. NEW customers are the sine quo non of a healthy business. If all Samsung did was get 10 million S3 customers to trade up to an S4 it's a pyrrhic victory indeed -- that is why the market is concerned.
It's yet to be shown that large screen Android users would switch to a large screen iPhone. Most of the people who use these large screen Androids do so, yes, because they enjoy the large screen, but also because they like Android and/or don't care much for iOS.
Maybe if S4 sales curve starts bending upward again a case can be made for a larger iPhone model, but as of now, from a pure financial perspective it would be a great investment on Apple's part, especially when it needs to concentrate on the core iPhone model offering.
And your point is what? That MacRumors is only a place for people with iPhones? Or that if you have Apple gear but not an iPhone - you aren't entitled to comment
i just don't get this fingerprint sensor BS, i have had it in devices previously, and its a useless gimmicky feature i am not going to bother with, id much rather see NFC and wallet functionality added, oh and the perennial request for a thicker phone with more double or more battery life.
Valid - but for me personally - I switched (mostly) because I wanted a larger screen. If Apple at the time had a larger screened iPhone - I wouldn't have switched. Oh I still also have an iPhone - but it's not my primary phone at all.
Low-Cost iPhone Comic
I find the prospects of a low-cost iPhone interesting -- may help Apple grab more of the low cost market away from Windows and Android and win the lower-priced market kinda like they did with the MP3 market by releasing the iPod shuffle and iPod mini.
I created a comic that mentions this low-cost iPhone and the rumored iWatch and will add more comics -- trying to make my long-time Apple interest more productive You can see it here: http://www.technewshound.com/2013/06/apple-iwatch.html
I find the prospects of a low-cost iPhone interesting -- may help Apple grab more of the low cost market away from Windows and Android and win the lower-priced market kinda like they did with the MP3 market by releasing the iPod shuffle and iPod mini.
I created a comic that mentions this low-cost iPhone and the rumored iWatch and will add more comics -- trying to make my long-time Apple interest more productive
You can see it here: http://www.technewshound.com/2013/06/apple-iwatch.html
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Next year is going to be much more epic... I can see Tim Cook on stage now...
Tim: "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you... (because seriously, he says thank you like 10 times in a row, every time) I am happy you all like the preview of iOS 8. I am thrilled to tell you it will be available for download today. Speaking of iOS 8 and the iPhone officially moving toward 8 years old, I have a surprise for you all. I am going to ask Phil Schiller to join me on stage to announce the new iPhone, with an 8 inch screen!"
Phil: "We decided to start with the same grid system we used to build our unbelievable iOS 7 icons to design the iPhone 8...."
Tim: "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you... (because seriously, he says thank you like 10 times in a row, every time) I am happy you all like the preview of iOS 8. I am thrilled to tell you it will be available for download today. Speaking of iOS 8 and the iPhone officially moving toward 8 years old, I have a surprise for you all. I am going to ask Phil Schiller to join me on stage to announce the new iPhone, with an 8 inch screen!"
Phil: "We decided to start with the same grid system we used to build our unbelievable iOS 7 icons to design the iPhone 8...."
Indeed, and Apple won't make a smaller iPad because Steve Jobs said.......
And almost everyone here said it would be bad also........
Oh, wait.....
Any major player can sell volume on the cheap."Ridiculous" is ignoring the Galaxy S4, that sold 10 million units [Sold, not units shipped to retailers], in less than 1 month.
Hmmm... what size screen does an S4 have....?
There is a market for a larger phone, 10 million people let us know that last month alone. In the same way these very same markets, let Apple know there was a market for a 7" iPad...
Have a nice day.
I see what you did there, but this site is "MacRumors", not "iPhoneRumors". Many of us have been here for a while, and are still Mac, and iOS users. Like yourself, some of us were Apple users before the iPhone, and just like following Apple rumors in general.
Back on topic however, I forget who, but I think it was Walt Mossberg that asked Tim Cook if he was ever going to release multiple iPhones just like there are multiple iPod models(Touch, Shuffle, Nano, etc...). I think this is a great idea, and would address the needs of so many. Cater to the people that want a large screen, and cater to the people that feel like a smaller screen is good enough. That way everyone wins.
Yes, but neither of your scenarios bodes well for Apple fragmenting it's lineup. iPhone growth has slowed, but not stopped. The iPhone 5 is still the most popular phone on the planet.
1) If Galaxy S3 customer don't want an "S" model, OK, but Samsung needs more people to buy the S4 than just S3 upgrades. That is what growth is all about. Clearly the S4 is not getting much traction from NEW customers.
2) If new customers don't want an "S" model then that tells you everything about the model. Apple has never had any sales problems with "S" models. Each and every iPhone has outsold the previous one.
It's not to say the S4 won't do well. It' has, it will continue to sell. But people are not clamoring for its large screen or it would have iPhone 5 sales numbers.
Oh really? How much does the S4 sell for? How much is the iPhone?
Yes. That's what I thought.
With the radically new iOS 7, plus fingerprint technology and whatever else they haven't told us yet, it seems much more likely the next phone from Apple will be the iPhone 6, not a 5S.
As to the 4.7" / 5.7" rumours *I find it easy to believe they are testing them, but hard to believe either will go anywhere. At a pinch, they might look at a 4.7" version next year, but no bigger.
Finally, there is simply no way they will ever release a $99 iPhone. Not going to happen. Nu uh.
As to the 4.7" / 5.7" rumours *I find it easy to believe they are testing them, but hard to believe either will go anywhere. At a pinch, they might look at a 4.7" version next year, but no bigger.
Finally, there is simply no way they will ever release a $99 iPhone. Not going to happen. Nu uh.
Well - there are more factors than what you're considering. Timing, contracts, etc. There's also a fair bit of competition from the HTC One from what I understand.
How long ago did the S3 come out? How long ago did the iPhone 5? My only point being is - if people are in contracts and can't update their phone (Samsung OR iPhone) then you can't really determine (yet).
Also - do you have any stats as to whether those 10M were new customers or not? Or are estimating? Sincere question.
Ultimately I think there are many factors that determine what phone someone chooses. My wife was die hard iPhone and looked at my skyrocket and said she would never get a phone that big. Famous last words. And with no commentary from me (we went in to get the iPhone 5 for her) she (on her own) picked up the HTC One X and really liked it. And even commented that the phone didn't feel big, heavy, etc. One use case doesn't = all. And I am not implying that at all. But it happens. And no - it wasn't because she couldn't afford an iPhone. Or was coerced by a salesman, and several other things some people on here like to assert.
Then perhaps my logic is a faulty as yours then?
Are you telling me that Apple's success is based on new customers? Apple rely heavily on the cult fevour of getting everybody to upgrade every year.
I have owned an iPhone since launch and I am [only..] on my 3rd phone and I consider my upgrade cycles to be conservative. I am still a customer regardless of whether I am existing or not.
A customer is a customer and a sale is a sale, whoever you sell to, or the reasons why.
EDIT: I do however, agree with your second paragraph.
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Jobs was also opposed to a lot of stuff Ive is doing now, like getting rid of the skumorphism stuff .
Sadly we are in an Ive directed apple now, not a collaborative effort between Jobs ideas and Ives designs...Its going to get more arty farty and less useful which each iteration (see the Mac Pro) until Apple are just selling Ive artwork rather than useable devices.
Best thing apple could do going forward, Fire Ive and get some new blood in before its too late.
