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.
Apple Could Achieve a 4-Inch iPhone Display by Increasing Height Only
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
julianbdavis
macrumors member
Next iPhone is probably going to have the same screen size as the 4S. Apple thinks that's the "right" size for a phone, Steve probably had a hand in picking it himself, and they won't risk further fragmentation like exists on the other side of the fence.
Smart money is on it not changing. It's not going to affect sales either. The iPhone is still the best smartphone out there and people will line up to buy one year after years even with a 3.5 inch screen.
Smart money is on it not changing. It's not going to affect sales either. The iPhone is still the best smartphone out there and people will line up to buy one year after years even with a 3.5 inch screen.
Moonjumper
macrumors 68030
The iPhone 4 shrunk down a little around the same size screen. I would rather see that happen than a bigger screen.
My iPhone 4 is still bigger than the 3 phones I had before getting an iPhone 3G. Those earlier phones were by Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Strange how companies that touted the compactness of their phones now seem happy to make bigger and bigger phones. The only phone that looks decent from those 3 nowadays is the Nokia Lumia 800, which has a 3.7" screen and a rather unique look.
My iPhone 4 is still bigger than the 3 phones I had before getting an iPhone 3G. Those earlier phones were by Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Strange how companies that touted the compactness of their phones now seem happy to make bigger and bigger phones. The only phone that looks decent from those 3 nowadays is the Nokia Lumia 800, which has a 3.7" screen and a rather unique look.
I'm sorry, but people using different versions of something is the bloody definition of fragmentation. Doesn't matter if it is hardware or software, it is fragmentation.
That's an overly pessimistic view of the situation when you consider that iOS already supports multiple devices with multiple resolutions, and MacOS X supports multiple devices with infinite resolutions. Neither are what we would call fragmented today.
The reality is that the industry has figured out long ago how to support an arbitrary number of display devices from a single operating system. It is true that it is not easy or practical to scale mobile applications arbitrarily since they are typically designed around a fixed pixel display area. But you can letterbox or pillarbox easily, and other solutions such as the one proposed in the original post with regard to scrolling apps are available as well. And just as crucially, you can let the user choose which solutions they prefer, and on a per-app basis. I might want to scale my email app and live with the possible artifacts, but choose to play a game at its native resolution with a blacked out surround. It does not have to be a big issue if you allow for some creative solutions to the problem - an approach Apple has been quite successful with.
A larger, more spacious iPhone screen is inevitable at some point in the future. It will happen. And it will all behave in a graceful way.
4"? The problem is, all the competition is like 4.7"
Apple would yet again be behind. I mean it would be better than 3.5", but still not amazing
Apple would yet again be behind. I mean it would be better than 3.5", but still not amazing
So what you're trying to say is two people, one using an iPhone 3G with iOS 4 and one using an iPhone 4S with 5.1 are using the exact same device? Because that is the message I'm getting.
You can't lambaste Android for fragmentation between OS versions and then say "Oh no iOS is perfect there's zero difference between the first version of iOS and 5.1, iOS can't be fragmented, it's impossible, it's offensive to even imply iOS could ever be fragmented in any possible way."
NutsNGum
macrumors 68030
That sort of depends on your definition of being behind. I prefer my phones smaller, I don't want a phone the size of a portable hard drive in my pocket. A 4" phone to me would be plenty, I really don't like the idea of it simply getting taller though, that seems like a bit of waste of real-estate.
Sort of like buying a huge plot of land and then building a skyscraper out of lollipop sticks.
saturn88
macrumors 6502
"Fragmentation" issue is an excuse for the bad OS. Good OS should be resolution independent (MacOS, Android). Layouts should be fluid with mostly vector based UI components.
At some point Apple would have to completely redesign iOS to make it resolution independent.
Also the current screen ratio 2:3 is inefficient in terms of use of real estate: to much useless space on the top/bottom and inefficient to play video. Apple will be forced to change the screen ratio sooner or later.
Also at some point Apple would have to release multiple phone sizes catering to different needs. Last year 4"-5" smartphones outsold 3.5" smartphones so there is a big demand for larger phones. Samsung sold 5 million 5.3" Galaxy Notes already. I don't mind a bigger phone (it's easier to hold it) but people who want 3.5" iPhone should have it, and people who want a 4.5" iPhone should have it too, just like we have size choices with iMacs and MacBooks.
Last edited:
I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. Really. What you say above has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
What I am saying is that offering different pieces of hardware with different physical characteristics and specifications that run the same OS is something apple already does today and has done for years, so a new iPhone with a new screen is not changing anything appreciably.
I don't lambaste Android.
If I did have a criticism of the Android platform it would be that some devices become obsolescent too early because there is lack of a regulated way for hardware to be upgradeable to the newest OS release. As a corollary, some new devices are not shipped with the latest OS release, nor are even designed to support it properly.
Agree ... in fact, I love the 4S "as is" and I won't upgrade if the main "feature" is a bigger screen. Some Samsungs I can see on the train nowadays makes me shivver - can't believe people call those massive things "phones" and love them ... Granted, people hardly use a phone as phone, but I need to be able to put it in my trouser pockets without walking tilted due to the weight or even worse - not even get in the pocket in the first place because of its size .. I think the 4S is for me personally the best alrounder and I don't see changing in a long time ..
Nope.
That doesn't improve anything. Apple needs to scale up the entire iPhone and increase the size of everything, (software as well) if the size increase is to be for any reason.
Adding an extra bit of height does NOTHING to improve the iPhone. Nothing.
If they want bigger, its so that every icon, every graphic, every line of text is just a bit larger, for easier readability. I don't want a tiny bit of extra space.
That 4" tall example looks just awful.
That doesn't improve anything. Apple needs to scale up the entire iPhone and increase the size of everything, (software as well) if the size increase is to be for any reason.
Adding an extra bit of height does NOTHING to improve the iPhone. Nothing.
If they want bigger, its so that every icon, every graphic, every line of text is just a bit larger, for easier readability. I don't want a tiny bit of extra space.
That 4" tall example looks just awful.
xgman
macrumors 603
Agree. That makes more sense.
----------
That comment alone makes me nervous.
Yes, I know exactly what you mean.
Wait, I thought we were talking about phones? 😕😉
Don't touch the screen!
If I were Apple, I would keep the 3,5" Retina Display and make the case smaller - not bigger. I mean that is the real technical challenge here. Everyone can design a huge smartphone, but only few could put all the latest tech into a compact smartphone. That would also be a good differentiator for the iPhone - all other smartphones would look clunky next to it.
I don't see the point in having more screen real estate on a smartphone screen. I don't need longer lists or more text on the screen. I am fine with having to scroll a bit more. Stretching the screen vertically doesn't make much sense Imo. Making everything bigger is a different story. I have to admit that a 4,3" screen is much more readable than a 3,5" screen because everything is bigger. However, Apple could compensate for the smaller screen by changing UI elements and text sizes in iOS. They should make the UI on the iPhone really simple. That would also make the OS stand out from the competition just when everything becomes more complex on Android devices.
If I were Apple, I would keep the 3,5" Retina Display and make the case smaller - not bigger. I mean that is the real technical challenge here. Everyone can design a huge smartphone, but only few could put all the latest tech into a compact smartphone. That would also be a good differentiator for the iPhone - all other smartphones would look clunky next to it.
I don't see the point in having more screen real estate on a smartphone screen. I don't need longer lists or more text on the screen. I am fine with having to scroll a bit more. Stretching the screen vertically doesn't make much sense Imo. Making everything bigger is a different story. I have to admit that a 4,3" screen is much more readable than a 3,5" screen because everything is bigger. However, Apple could compensate for the smaller screen by changing UI elements and text sizes in iOS. They should make the UI on the iPhone really simple. That would also make the OS stand out from the competition just when everything becomes more complex on Android devices.
Apple could of course use the original iPad resolution. App developers could reuse graphics designed for these 1024 × 768 pixels then, but that’s 4:3 and that ratio doesn’t work well for phones. Anyway, a 4-inch 4:3 screen would be slightly larger than 8 × 6 cm (3.2 × 2.4 inches) and had Retina-safe 320 px/in at XGA resolution. Alas, unlike previous models the iPhone 4(S) is already narrower than 6 cm. That means this hypothetic screen would hardly fit, even with completely removed horizontal bezel (assuming portrait orientation).
I doubt they go 1152 × 768 px (3:2) at 9 × 6 cm, though, which would be a 4¼-inch display with 320 px/in and could run original iPad apps at native resolution with horizontal black bars. That display had 0.88 megapixels which would be about the same amount as 16:9 720p HD video (0.92 Mpx), i.e. a 4% difference not noticable.
----------
That’s true, but only for open ecosystems – iOS isn’t one.
Closed environments have their merits, too. Fo (this) instance, fixed-size bitmaps are more efficient to handle than vector graphics.
----------
Read my tips: Apple will not significantly change the physical dimensions of the iPhone and iPod Touch – ever (except for making it thinner maybe). They probably will change the screen size soon, which will require a change in either ratio or resolution (i.e. pixel count or pixel size). They might even change size and position of the home button. Perhaps they’ll introduce more different-sized touchscreen devices, but all of them will come with new names assigned to them.
I read a lot of whining from people about pointless stuff. For me, 3.5" is just terribly too small. I often get frustrated when trying to view data and usually just put down my phone and wait to use my computer to do it. I've used 4.5" phones and I freakin love the size. It's awesome when you want to do go on the web, you can actually see stuff without zooming in to read a paragraph. Anything smaller than 4.3" would be a disappointment for me.
True but I really hope Apple doesn't enter into this "size war." I like the size of the current iPhone. In the end, it's still a portable mobile device. And considering a vast majority of people put cases on their phones, a 4 inch iPhone would be massive!
----------
Buy an iPad.
The iPhone is already bigger than 4 inches diagonally. Apple could easily fit a 4" 1280x720 screen on the front on the current iPhone and still have room for a speaker, and even a home button if necessary.
I like the size it is. I don't want a bigger phone. I have an iPad. The point of a phone - for me - is small and portable and fits my pocket. I don't want some "droid" type device that can fit in my pocket but you look like an idiot walking around with this big bulge in your pocket. Is it annoying to scroll? Sure. But when I'm using my phone it's usually for quick look ups, not extended surfing.
I also like that I can reach everything holding it in one hand. There's a diagram somewhere that shows the geography of this.
I also like that I can reach everything holding it in one hand. There's a diagram somewhere that shows the geography of this.
redscull
macrumors 6502a
I've been a professional software developer for 16 years, thank you. Usually very UI focused. Your reply sounds like a traditional flash "developer" that understands nothing but fixed pixel layouts.
It's actually rather disappointing that Apple's iOS native controls weren't built "correctly" using relative layouts, anchoring, and client-stretching, which was one of my biggest complaints when I first looked into iOS development. Had their controls been designed with non-fixed resolution in mind, it would actually take no code changes whatsoever for any apps using native controls and Apple's UI guidelines to automatically work perfectly with a new height, just like the mock screenshots demonstrate. The fact that it even takes code changes to make those mocks a reality is a hint at just how amateur the iOS development suite really is, at least, when it comes to UI.
How about a phone that is the same size as the current iPhone, but that uses the space more efficiently?
Something like this:
http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/06/21/introducing-the-nokia-n9-all-it-takes-is-a-swipe/
But with perhaps even less bezel if necessary, so that the overall size of the phone remains the same as the iPhone is today. And of course with a retina display so resolution is 1280x720 instead of the crappy 854x480.
New apps use the full screen. Old apps just use 960x640 pixels worth, while the unused ones remain black (i.e. you just have more effective bezel when using old apps). Possibly, some old apps may be stretched vertically in a manner similar to that suggested in the original article.
Now who can explain to me why this would be a bad thing?