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Apple Testing Prototype iPhones With Six-Inch Screens, Not Expected This Year
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Apple has stubbornly held to the mantra of right device for the job, and they believe that their target audience will therefor use a small phone for portable computing and a large tablet for lounge computing.
Theoretically, philosophically, even ideally, Apple is right: any scenario is always better served by a 4" phone or a 10" tablet. The ~7" sizes pioneered by Android phoblets, whether they be too-large phones or too-small tablets, offer a compromised experience.
Except Apple does miss a couple key considerations which common folk happen to prioritize quite highly. Price: buy one generalized device instead of two specialized devices. Convenience: it's easier to manage one sufficient device instead of juggling two perfect devices.
My personal experience suggests that price is the key factor though. I don't know anyone who can afford a proper tablet that gives a crap about large phone screens.
I am in support for bigger iPhones...just not 6 inches. I think its too big for an iPhone and I would prefer a 4.8 inch or 5 inch phone.
Not talking about phones. But as a new owner of a 7" Nexus tablet - I have to say the form factor is actually great. Do I love my iPad and the bigger screen - sure. But I didn't care to travel or commute with it. Too big and bulky. The 7" nexus is a great as it combines a good reading size for eBooks and with it's high res screen - offers a very nice experience doing everything else.
No doubt the iPad Mini is selling well because there's a market for a "mid" sized tablet.
yeah, interesting timing on this rumor. I was pretty set to upgrade my 4S to a 5S. I might just have to hold on to it for a little longer to get BIG upgrade.
i know i do not comment often but in this instance i just had to say Ball ocks.
the only way you would achieve that is by not using it. actually Tim cook was right people who buy android don't use them
I also own both an iPad 2 (not even retina!) and the 7" Nexus (the just released 2nd version). I no longer touch the Nexus except for Android-specific software testing (i'm a dev). The screen resolution is just too low; websites feel cramped, like I'm browsing on an iPhone. Except my iPhone actually fits in my pocket, so it's always with me.
When I don't want to settle on a cramped experience and am willing to go get the tablet, I am going to grab the larger iPad. I've already "paid" the inconvenience of having to forgo what fit in my pocket for the thing sitting on my desk in the other room (or wherever), so now it's just a matter of cramped vs not cramped. Easy choice.
No, your assumption raises serious doubt. The Mini sells well because of its price. Not form factor. I'm sure there's some of each, honestly, but price is the big one.
I won't be upgrading from my iPhone 4S until they release a fancy new 3.5" iPhone to replace it. The only way I'll take a larger screen is if they reduce the surrounding bezel enough that the overall form factor is still basically the same size as my 4S. I own a tablet (multiple, actually) for the big stuff. I don't need a phoblet squeezing into my pocket.
keep pocket sized phone
I don't want anything bigger. Many of my pants [especially from Wrangler] have a perfect iPhone-sized pocket on the side.
If you want something bigger, make a special model of the iPad mini
I don't want anything bigger. Many of my pants [especially from Wrangler] have a perfect iPhone-sized pocket on the side.
If you want something bigger, make a special model of the iPad mini
I never ever using iTunes. It's clear that you don't know what other routes you can use to get content on an iphone with all do respect. iTunes is just one way there are many other routes. And To suggest that plastic is stronger then a steel based body is simply not true.
Like I said, it's a matter of taste. I do agree what you state about settings, that's indeed pain in the **** and hacked iPhone models do bring additional interfaces that sometimes have much more to offer when compared to Apple's own iOS true true....
So Apple is a rather closed system, true but the downside of a closed system also has a positive side, I know people who screamed from anger when discovered that their samsung was not working proper due a virus. I'm a user, not a geek I just need a phone which works to call someone and is made with solid materials. Photo's ? I'm not interested, because when I want to make a good picture I use my Canon D7, an iPhone and your samsung don't come close when talking about quality and possibilities. Easy to transfer movies? I've got 2500+ dvd's and blu-rays being a huge movie lover and i'll NEVER watch a movie on such little device, i find that silly and not appealing at all, this includes pads and bigger sized mobiles. They don't come near the experience I get when watching movies on my HD beamer, not close a bit.
I find all these so called extra's you can do with a phone compared with an iPhone simply not relevant because i simply don't care. for me a phone is for phoning and sending msg's. / e-mail and finding my way in cities using maps. That's it. I don't care about bigger phones because for phoning I don't need a table tennis racket size model on my ear.
The whole this is better then that mobile is also not relevant for me, I'm 40+ and interested in what a device can do for me and that's that.
The main reason why I stick with the iPhone is because due of my work I work with Apple, more then 22 years now I work on Apples. I love Apple's ecosystem it's solid and it just works.
So yes, when you find size important, want to see movies on little devices important and don't mind the risk of getting viruses then you can save yourself a lot of money when buying cheaper smartphones, like a samsung. I would do the same.
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Now you do know one: me.
Um, If the countless posts here on MacRumors over that past year is any indication, a TON of people prefer the iPad mini specifically because of it's size.
I've got a friend who bought the iPad 4 and when she used my mini she immediately said she preferred it much more.
So don't project your singular opinion onto everyone else.
Resolution is too low? What? It's 323PPI. That's 3 PPI less than the iPhone 5 (with a much smaller screen size) and considerably higher than the iPad. How is the resolution too low? And you're a developer?
And I posted my use case and preference. You have a different one. Good for you. That doesn't negate mine. We all have to use the best devices that work best for US individually. I merely was arguing against the idea someone posted that 7" is too small for a tablet.
As someone else pointed out - you must not read these forums much if you think that size played little importance in the iPad mini and it's popularity. In fact PRICE was a major "pain" point initially with many thinking it was too high.
If you think a phone larger than 3.5" (screen) is a phoblet - well there's not much I can debate with you. And since Apple has already embraced the 4" screen - you're likely never to upgrade now because they won't be going back.
I'm curious: did she say she preferred it because of the size of the Mini compared to the 4, or because of the weight? I agree with her if it's the latter, because holding the 4 (or the 3, which I own) can get uncomfortable if you are using it for extended periods of time (reading, for example).
I call complete BS on every aspect of this post. You constantly contradict yourself and make absolutely no sense.
First, you're actually claiming the brand new Nexus 7 (with a HD screen) isn't as sharp as the iPad 2? WTF are you smoking, because I want some!
You complain that websites feel cramped on the Nexus 7 ("like I'm browsing on an iPhone"), yet in the VERY NEXT SENTENCE you admit to carrying your iPhone because it fits in your pocket (i.e. it's small...therefore...cramped).
You don't want to settle for a cramped experience, yet you still use your iPhone. Again...no sense.
And you think the Mini sells well because of the price vs. the size??? Again...what are you smoking? Pass that stuff over here. If you think $329 for the Mini is more attractive than $229 for the Nexus 7 or if you think consumers buy the Mini because of it's price vs. it's smaller, more portable size...well, I've got a bridge to sell you. You're delusional if that's ACTUALLY what you think.
And it looks like you'll be hanging on to that 4S for a LOOONNNNGGGG time. If you think Apple is ever going backwards and releasing a "shiny new 3.5" device, you've deluded yourself. Heck, even if they do, it's won't be anything other than shiny plastic...not the metal and glass I'm sure you demand.
I know...change is hard.
Your singular counter opinion has certainly put me in my place. Oh wait...
Let's google for some published analyses on this topic.. try to get a consensus of sorts. Here are quotes from the top hits that actually offered reasoning why the Mini might be doing so well instead of simply stating that it did do well. Bold added by me.
"According to Gartner, customers are starting to opt for budget rather than premium tablets, a shift that has worked in the favour of the iPad Mini." June 2013
"The successive iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 releases in the last few months of 2013 will spur incredible growth ... the growth driver, of course, would be the slimmed down and iOS 7-powered iPad 5 ... it is possible too that the iPad Mini 2 ... will be a huge growth factor..." August 2013
"Sales of the iPad 4 were not expected to be harmed by the smaller, sleeker and cheaper iPad Mini... many consumers have been compelled to, for lack of a better term, downgrade. Others were simply intrigued by the lower price." January 2013
Finally, on the second page, someone suggests that consumers might actually weigh the form factor more importantly than price. And then a few paragraphs later, they contradict themselves regarding consumers, indicating that they make decisions with their wallets.
"The changing levels of demand suggests consumers prefer the smaller footprint of smaller tablets... As a number of reports have illustrated, consumers are more apt to purchase the $99 or free iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, rather than the more profitable and also pricier iPhone 5." March 2013
I realize this isn't the most compelling research or culmination of linked quotes ever, but my singular personal opinion is not the basis of my original statement. Consumers are budget conscious above all else. This is what the evidence shows, simple as that.
The small Android tablets originally gained a foothold in the iPad dominated tablet market specifically because of their price point, often less than half of the iPad's price. The larger Android tablets, with prices similar to iPads, really struggled to gain adoption. Users who could afford iPads still preferred iPads. Handily. But the users who couldn't afford iPads went with cheaper, and consequently smaller, tablets. Then the Mini comes in at a price point Apple hoped would entice those users. For just that little bit more, they too can finally afford that iPad they wanted. And it worked.
You're approach is a very smart one. I wish I would have kept my iPhone 4S, instead of selling it early & pre-ordering an iPhone 5. The lesson I learned is that newer is not always better, and especially during these somewhat indecisive times at Apple.
With my mistake still fresh in my mind, I'm avoiding the upcoming 5S at all costs.
Although the thought of the waiting dragging on for another long year is highly frustrating it's primarily because I have a genuine need for a larger display. My preference for iOS & Apple is wearing thin, but I'll give them one more chance.
Hopefully they will deliver a fresh, significantly improved iPhone this time next year. If Apple fails again, stubbornly retaining its narrow odd 4.0" display, I'll be prepared with a pre-selected Samsung Android picked out.
For what purpose would you need a dock? Bluetooth keyboards are available now.
Pants on the ground!
Retina versus not (PPI) affects the sharpness of things on the screen but is completely irrelevant regarding just how much real estate you have to view a website. You could have a new hi-tech iPhone 6 with "super retina" 1304 PPI running a 2272x1280 screen, but the effective resolution, the actual size of the real estate that website layouts fit into, is still the same old iPhone 5's 568x320. Sure, everything would looks amazingly crisp. It would be almost unreal. But the website you're looking at would still show exactly the same number of words and paragraphs on the screen at a time. You'd still have exactly the same amount of scrolling to read all the content.
So, it would aid the discuss if either of you understood the difference between screen resolution and pixel density. I'm not saying you have to be a dev to understand what you're talking about, but as a dev, it's critical that I do. And I do.
And I never said the new Nexus wasn't sharp. It's very sharp. And that's a fact. I said it was cramped. That's an opinion. To me, its real estate simply feels more like using a [traditionally small] phone than a [traditionally large] tablet.
And I'm sorry that you're unable to grasp my point that I will use my cramped phone when the convenience of it being in my pocket outweighs the inconvenience of lots of scrolling. I mean, that was kind of the whole point. Sometimes convenience outweighs real estate. But when it doesn't, when I get tired of scrolling, I'm not going to go grab a slightly less scrolly device. I'm going to grab something that really gives me that extra real estate.
But your circumstances may vary. This is all home use for me. I don't travel much. Perhaps traveling with a 10" tablet is a lot less convenient than a 7" tablet. I'd just leave all the tablets at home if that were the case. Why bother with a second device that's only marginally larger?
I think screen size opens the door to new innovation.
There's some really useful ideas that Samsung has brought into the Note 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fo5x7ZIPCM
I can't believe I want this, but carrying around an iPhone and an iPad Mini every day, this would negate that need entirely. Bring it on.
