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I'm using a Note 3 for development right now, and it fits just fine in either my pants front or read pockets, and in my regular shirt pockets... and I'm a medium sized guy.

Phablets are not really that big. They're kind of small pocket notebook sized.
I'm on the smaller side, and even the smooth-edged 3GS can't fit entirely in a shirt's pocket. It does, however, in a backpocket, but anything over the size of an iPhone 5 overhangs dangerously. Each time I bend over I fear that I'm putting a great stress on the frame. Yet another reason to avoid a plastic-framed phablet. Plus I can only hold it securely spreading my hand wide. This is not comfortable at all.
 
I'm using a Note 3 for development right now, and it fits just fine in either my pants front or read pockets, and in my regular shirt pockets... and I'm a medium sized guy.

Phablets are not really that big. They're kind of small pocket notebook sized.

I agree. The Note 3 is about as big as my Palm TX from 2005. It also had a bigger screen than the iPhone and could be docked to a larger screen when needed.
 
Huge mistake to discontinue the 5c. It's a great design, which adds much needed variety to the iPhone range.

The disappointing sales are due to it being priced/positioned inappropriately.

... The 5C will become the entry level iPhone (perhaps this is what the plan was all along). Maybe it will get 5S specs, but for sure I think there will be color changes.

The 5C is a great design. I'm not even sure they're disappointed with the sales figures. It's not like it's over yet! i hope they keep one that size going forward because it's the max I'd ever think of as suitable for a phone. As for bezel-free, I dunno. I like having a little margin for error so I'm not selecting stuff accidentally and can manage the thing with one hand.

The thing about curved.. um, rather have it flat on both sides. And like now with the 5C where the front rim of the Apple case raises the thing just a tad off the surface when you place it face down. It's perfect. Don't fix what ain't broke...
 
I like Apple and the iPhone, but I am one of those that gave up the iPhone for a bigger Note 3 and now that I have done it, I can't imagine using an iPhone with the small screen. Like you my eye sight isn't what it use to be and so I really appreciate the larger screen. However, it is way more than that for me now that I've owned an Android for a few months. The things I can do on this devices vs my iPhone honestly just makes me feel it is doubtful I will ever go back. Certainly I will always see what Apple is offering, but as of now they lost me.



I think Apple should offer up to 3 sizes. But they rarely do what anyone thinks they should. That in my opinion is eventually going to catch up with them. It is only a matter of time.



Also the person that says if you want a bigger screen get an iPad. That is the dumbest thing I've never heard.


At 64 when I have trouble reading the screen I update my glasses, not
My device.
 
You summarized it pretty well. Except for the technical challenge I see no point in the "curved" screen hype. Imagine you place it face down on a table, then accidentally drop something heavy on it, the flat phone is more likely to survive than the curved one.

The 5C indeed isn't priced attractively enough to differentiate it from the 5S. Same issue with the 4S. They should offer the 16GB for the same price, not a mere 8GB.

I like having a thinner iPhone for the simple reason it gives more room to put a larger bumper on it. I do use it in frequently adverse conditions, in an old truck that's not very clean, and that doesn't have proper support for anything besides a coffee mug. Sometimes it slides to the floor on hard braking and cornering, where snow slush and small gravel await.
 
App developers are already struggling trying to fit boths apps into iPad and iPhone. Now you want to present two different iPhone sizes?

Lol I cannot see that happening.
 
There is only so much Apple can do with regard to scaling up apps to make it easier for developers with a new Iphone 6, either 4.7 or 5.5. Apple will design a product that makes the most sense for consumers, with regard to hardware and battery life. If it will require developers to re-do apps, then they will have to just do it.
 
I was doing some light research onto finger print sensors and biometrics in mobile devices and have made certain posts in the GS5 thread.. ( Here for those interested : https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1710267/)

While looking into the matter I stumbled upon this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esnuP_iJTzY

Looking at this video and reading on authentech's and apple's patents on integrating capacitive biometric sensors onto screens, makes me wonder whether the iPhone 6 could do away with the home button altogether and have a system embedded undreneath the saphire cover for the screen (rumoured) that acts like a virtual home button. This could allow them to better use the bezel at the bottom of the screen to optimize real estate.

Other Areas to Hide a Future Fingerprint Scanner

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...ication-built-right-into-the-home-button.html
 
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Hows that 3.5" Diskette drive working for you?

Also, how do you post to MR on your Beige G3?
Your examples are m00t. Storage on a diskette was almost always too small for common needs, it was prone to failure or corruption, noisy reader, and really slow. And nobody said no need to increase CPU power, as you understate with the G3 example.
 
Your examples are m00t. Storage on a diskette was almost always too small for common needs, it was prone to failure or corruption, noisy reader, and really slow. And nobody said no need to increase CPU power, as you understate with the G3 example.

I agree! My comment is mocking the notion that "if it ain't broke don't fix it," doesn't apply to tech.

Nothing was wrong with the diskette, it wasn't too small for common needs and Apple killed it a good 6 years before people started using flash drives.

Same with the G3, it was plenty fast . . . until something faster came along.

If anything, the notion that the iPhone should just remain the same forever is utterly moot and naive.
 
Their display on the iPhone 5 series is just the right size. No need to change what's not broken.

If the iPhone 5 display is "just the right size", then what were the iPhone displays before that? :)

History shows us that "the right size" for something can change throughout the years, often cycling between big and small, as fashion dictates.

If they want to make a big phone, why not just put a phone chip in an iPad mini.

Because the iPad mini is a LOT bigger than even a large phablet. Phablets fit in most pockets just fine.

sizes.jpg
 
If the iPhone 5 displays is "just the right size", then what were the iPhone displays before that?

History shows us that "the right size" for something can change throughout the years, often cycling between big and small, as fashion dictates.

Not only fashion but user habbits, your own ability to mitigate the compromises that limited you to design a phone at a particular size..your software has gone from IOS6 to IOS8 (by the time the next phone comes around) and your internals are much faster and more refined. Using all these things the designer must evaluate the best course of action. Can you provide a better User expereince with a 5 inch device, or a 4 inch device...Apple will make that tradeoff and i believe will up the device to close to 5" if not just a few inches short.
 
I agree! My comment is mocking the notion that "if it ain't broke don't fix it," doesn't apply to tech.

Nothing was wrong with the diskette, it wasn't too small for common needs and Apple killed it a good 6 years before people started using flash drives.
You still misunderstood. The diskette actually was broken from the start, but we had nothing better. When in 1999 I got my first computer, Apple had killed the diskette a year before, and while there were no Flash drives in common use, CD-R and CD-RW were the most up-to-date technology. I don't remember using diskettes except to exchange data with college's computer that didn't have a CD-burner.

If the iPhone 5 display is "just the right size", then what were the iPhone displays before that? :)
A tad small. Not impossible to live with, just a bit small. I have one 3GS in daily use, and only when I do use an ad-supported application I find it too small.

History shows us that "the right size" for something can change throughout the years, often cycling between big and small, as fashion dictates.
There, you said it. Ergonomics don't depend on fashion. Human hands haven't magically enlarged just because "phablets" have become fashionable. In the metro i met a girl with a Galaxy Note III. I bet she would be completely unable to hold it if she lost the earphones.

Because the iPad mini is a LOT bigger than even a large phablet. Phablets fit in most pockets just fine.
Please, tell me how you stick a Galaxy Note III in a normal pocket.
 
There, you said it. Ergonomics don't depend on fashion. Human hands haven't magically enlarged just because "phablets" have become fashionable. In the metro i met a girl with a Galaxy Note III. I bet she would be completely unable to hold it if she lost the earphones.

To some people, being able to completely used a device one-handed is important. To others, it's not. Especially if common things can still be done, like scrolling or answering a call or a text.

A lot of people use two hands even with their iPhones, just because it's easier.

Heck, the whole point of multi-touch is that it requires two hands.

Please, tell me how you stick a Galaxy Note III in a normal pocket.

Easily! It's only about 4/5 of an inch wider than an iPhone.
 
To some people, being able to completely used a device one-handed is important. To others, it's not. Especially if common things can still be done, like scrolling or answering a call or a text.

A lot of people use two hands even with their iPhones, just because it's easier.

Heck, the whole point of multi-touch is that it requires two hands.



Easily! It's only about 4/5 of an inch wider than an iPhone.

Software and the hardware itself can make things a lot easier. The swipe feature on ios7 has made the 5/5s experience much better for me from a one hand use perspective .. Design wise you could reduce the bezel significantly and that would have an impact on the screen:size ration or whatever..As mentioned by several posters, a 4.5-4.7 inch screen can be fitted onto a phone not much larger than the 5s.
 
To some people, being able to completely used a device one-handed is important. To others, it's not. Especially if common things can still be done, like scrolling or answering a call or a text.

A lot of people use two hands even with their iPhones, just because it's easier.

Heck, the whole point of multi-touch is that it requires two hands.



Easily! It's only about 4/5 of an inch wider than an iPhone.
It's not a matter of using it with one hand. In fact it's impractical to type a text one-handedly. But answering a call? How do you hold such a large phone as the Galaxy Note III to your ear with a firm grip? It gets tiring after a while with a 3GS, and I do have normal-sized hands.

I also have back-pockets that can hold this 3GS just right with its 11.5 height. A Galaxy Note III would technically overshoot the edge with its 15.1 height. Good way to lure pickpockets, or exert undue pressure on the screen when sitting.

Large also means less battery life if you want to keep the device portable. From what I get on an iPhone 3GS with "only" 3.5 inch screen, I prefer not to think about a phablet.

And I don't know what 4/5 inch makes, 3.5" is just nominal to me.
 
It's not a matter of using it with one hand. In fact it's impractical to type a text one-handedly.

Actually, it's quite easy to type a text one-handed on a Note.

There's a one-handed mode that puts a smaller keyboard near to one side.

But answering a call? How do you hold such a large phone as the Galaxy Note III to your ear with a firm grip? It gets tiring after a while with a 3GS, and I do have normal-sized hands.

I think you think it's bigger than it really is. It's only about the width of a 3x5 note card, it's thin, and has a faux leather back that helps with palm grip.

I also have back-pockets that can hold this 3GS just right with its 11.5 height. A Galaxy Note III would technically overshoot the edge with its 15.1 height. Good way to lure pickpockets, or exert undue pressure on the screen when sitting.

True, the Note is about an inch taller and can poke out of a pocket.

However, personally I would never put a phone in my back pocket. That's just asking for all sorts of trouble.

Large also means less battery life if you want to keep the device portable. From what I get on an iPhone 3GS with "only" 3.5 inch screen, I prefer not to think about a phablet.

Google some battery test results.

The Note beats out the iPhone by quite a bit when it comes to battery life. Heck, it beats everything except the largest LG and HTC phablets.

Large means larger battery, plus the Note has some unique hardware to save juice.

Seriously, the reason the Note is so popular is because it packs a lot into a tidy, thin, light space.

Cheers!
 
It's not a matter of using it with one hand. In fact it's impractical to type a text one-handedly. But answering a call? How do you hold such a large phone as the Galaxy Note III to your ear with a firm grip? It gets tiring after a while with a 3GS, and I do have normal-sized hands.

I also have back-pockets that can hold this 3GS just right with its 11.5 height. A Galaxy Note III would technically overshoot the edge with its 15.1 height. Good way to lure pickpockets, or exert undue pressure on the screen when sitting.

Large also means less battery life if you want to keep the device portable. From what I get on an iPhone 3GS with "only" 3.5 inch screen, I prefer not to think about a phablet.

And I don't know what 4/5 inch makes, 3.5" is just nominal to me.

I and hundreds of millions of other people with phones 5 inches or larger do every single day. Guess we're all still struggling to figure out how to use it.
 
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