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Apple Testing Taller iPhone Prototype with 3.95-Inch 1136x640 Display?

garysturn said:
The best option is to just scale everything up in size but keep the resolution the same. The pixel density is all that would change. You can go from 3.5" to 4" without affecting the Apps at all if you keep the same 960x640 resolution.

Most Apps would not "Just Work" with a newer Aspect Ratio, only some apps that scroll top to bottom might work. Apps with fixed sized screens would have to be boxed and would still be the same size as they are now. And developers would then be forced to write all future apps to two screen sizes or letter box their App.

We will know more at the developers conference when they preview iOS 6. If iOS 6 has provisions for a different Aspect ratio it will be apparent in the new version of the OS and it will come out. If there is no mention of support for different Aspect ratios then we will either get a 3.5" screen or a scaled up larger screen with the same resolution. They would just say it is still a retina display if you hold it an inch further away.
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The only problem is that it creates a ppi of 288 if you do that. Will Apple be able to stick to their guns and say it's a Retina display when they've reduced the density? Yes, I suppose they could argue you hold a 4 inch phone further away from your face but that would be stretching credulity a bit.
 
garysturn said:
The best option is to just scale everything up in size but keep the resolution the same. The pixel density is all that would change. You can go from 3.5" to 4" without affecting the Apps at all if you keep the same 960x640 resolution.

Most Apps would not "Just Work" with a newer Aspect Ratio, only some apps that scroll top to bottom might work. Apps with fixed sized screens would have to be boxed and would still be the same size as they are now. And developers would then be forced to write all future apps to two screen sizes or letter box their App.
Click to expand...

Two problems.
1) Apple is unlikely to decrease the pixel density of the iPhone.
2) You don't actually gain anything other than items on screen are bigger. You can accomplish the same thing by moving the iPhone closer to your face. :D
 
Sasoon said:
I thing it is a bad move to change resolution :confused:. It will complicate developer's life

Here is actual size comparison of Apple iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 3.95
Live comparison
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I honestly can't understand this attitude among developers....

"Well, I've spent a few hours designing this app once....therefore, technology needs to remain stagnant indefinitely so I can keep getting paid without doing any more work".

Face it. Technology isn't stagnant. You'll need to keep doing work to keep getting paid.
 
Im amazed how almost everyone doesn't think its a STUPID decision to make the screen taller only and not larger... Are you serious?????
 
I didn't read any earlier posts but this seems highly doubtful. I don't see apple introducing a new phone at "3.95" " or "almost four inches". Apple would new the kicker of four inches. When they present the new phone they would want to be able to say "four inches" or "over four inches" using 4 inches as a milestone. Anything under is unlikely
 
Lynn Belvedere said:
The beginning of the end for Apple. A taller screen? What would be the point of something so stupid?
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The point is very easy to see. By having a taller screen and reducing bezel below and above the screen, they can equip the phone with a larger display without the making the phone much larger than it is now, effectively killing two birds with one stone. I don't like the aspect ratio much, but if the size is kept to the current iPhone size, it might be a worthwhile trade off for many.
 
apple_iphone_5_3_95_inch_widescreen_mockup_front.png


That would be acceptable :)
 
Would the landscape keyboard still be feasible with this aspect ratio? I'm not sure it would...

And I may be wrong, but didn't this whole rumour just originate as some guy's suggestion?
 
I like the idea of a taller screen, and also a taller screen on the iPad also please.

This means in portrait mode when you are using the on screen keyboard you will have more usable space on screen (not hidden by the soft keyboard) and also when playing movies, the screen will better fit a 16:9 type of typical film aspect ratio.

So, yes, both those are plus's for the iPhone and iPAd please Apple.
 
Ieo said:
I honestly can't understand this attitude among developers....

"Well, I've spent a few hours designing this app once....therefore, technology needs to remain stagnant indefinitely so I can keep getting paid without doing any more work".

Face it. Technology isn't stagnant. You'll need to keep doing work to keep getting paid.
Click to expand...

Developers need to do MORE work with the SAME pay.

Think of a NEW app being designed. The developers need to make their app work for yet another resolution (which takes time). Do you think the bosses will pay the developers more? No. They will have to work longer hours.

It's like you're working at McDonald's and they say, 'We'll be making and selling donuts now', and the McDonald's manager makes you come in an hour earlier to make the donuts, and you don't get paid for the hour earlier.

(iOS developers usually get paid salary or on a contract basis, so the extra hour is unpaid)

iOS is becoming more like Android - and developers have another reason to switch platforms to develop on.
 
Irock619 said:
They're just saying that to avoid negative comments about Tim Cook's engineering strategies and talents. Also, saying that Steve had input on this design will boost sales when the phone is released. You can't believe every rumor you hear or every book you read.
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Umm I'll believe it when it's in his biography, and know myself that it only makes sense for him to be involved in stuff for the next 5 years, like the other people said technology does not happen over night
 
Reason077 said:
The clever thing about only changing the height is that "most" apps (perhaps with the exception of full-screen apps that make assumptions about the screen dimensions) should work at the new height without modification.
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WRONG. Most would have to be black boxed and would still be the same size as they are now. So your new screen isn't any larger anyway. So whats the point.

This taller but not wider screen idea is just plain STUPID. And will not happen.
 
About time

Sweeeeet. It is about time. I have been looking for this since day one of the iPhone.

Also it is nice to read an article on the Front Page that isn't about an Apple Law Suit.
 
Taipan said:
IIRC, Apple (or at least Steve) more than once stated that fragmentation is one of Android's biggest problems. I don't think they would go that route for such a minor amount of additional screen real estate.

The only way I could imagine them doing this is if they reserved the additional space for a fixed bar unusable for apps. They could use it for notifications or a home button replacement or something.
But even that doesn't seem very likely to me.

I like the current size. I think a longer case would probably look weird.
Click to expand...

How is offering different screen sizes fragmentation?

Do you consider the Macbook Pro line to be fragmented because it offers different screen sizes, and resolutions? Many say even the MacBook line is limited and too confined even with the available choices.

I think offering screen size differences is trivial in the overall landscape of the capabilities of iOS and OS X.
 
mgol said:
Micro-USB doesn't carry audio/video. Without it, docking stations are a laugh. Seriously, how much longer will I hear this argument that was debunked long time ago?
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Audio and video are both DATA. USB can carry any type of DATA. You just need 2 devices that use the same language to read the data. Kind of like how Bluetooth Profiles work. Bluetooth is a wireless standard. The Bluetooth Profiles allow any 2 devices to talk to each other based on the profiles they support.
 
bbeagle said:
Developers need to do MORE work with the SAME pay.

Think of a NEW app being designed. The developers need to make their app work for yet another resolution (which takes time). Do you think the bosses will pay the developers more? No. They will have to work longer hours.

It's like you're working at McDonald's and they say, 'We'll be making and selling donuts now', and the McDonald's manager makes you come in an hour earlier to make the donuts, and you don't get paid for the hour earlier.

(iOS developers usually get paid salary, so the extra hour is unpaid)
Click to expand...

Cry me a river with this "SAME PAY" crap. And your McDonald's example is horrible, because some companies do work like that, and that's life. If I work an extra hour, no one says "Oh, here's an extra hour of pay". Developers are professionals. Most professionals now are exempt from overtime. Move on.
 
garysturn said:
You do not know what you are talking about. Changing the Aspect Ratio causes much more problems than just enlarging the screen with the same number of pixels. If you make everything larger to scale, nothing needs to be done to the Apps. You loose a little density of the pixels but you do not affect the Apps.
Click to expand...

OK, I see. You are advocating increasing the physical screen size without changing the number of pixels.

Indeed, this would not affect apps - but the benefits of doing this are limited.
You're not conveying any more information, just making whats already there bigger. I don't think that would be easy for Apple to sell.

A taller screen, on the other hand, gives you more "real estate" for Apps so they can actually display more information at the same time. More text on a web page, for example.

Plus, the taller screen means that the screen's aspect ratio more closely matches that of movies - so you get less letter boxing.
 
Simply making the display taller is a complete waste of time IMHO
The whole aspect ratio needs to increase. It's just way too narrow by today's standards. I would love to switch back to the iPhone, but a taller display is not going to cut it. After using the Galaxy SII, the iPhone just seems like a dinky toy to me.
 
WestonHarvey1 said:
It's not necessarily a technical improvement. It adds fragmentation, which Apple has been good at avoiding so far by having only 2 distinct form factors, both which already require radically different app designs.
Click to expand...

Fragmentation won't be as bad as Android. With the iPhone it will only be a problem until people stop using the iPhone 4S and older iPhones.

Android has many different sizes active in the market and that will not change unless Google mandates that manufacturers only make specific sizes.
 
surma884 said:
Fragmentation won't be as bad as Android. With the iPhone it will only be a problem until people stop using the iPhone 4S and older iPhones.

Android has many different sizes active in the market and that will not change unless Google mandates that manufacturers only make specific sizes.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. Who cares if there are widescreen iPhone apps? The little "plus" sign in the iTunes store could now refer to iPad, iPhone (Widescreen), and iPhone (Standard). Is that super fragmented?
 
Piggie said:
I like the idea of a taller screen, and also a taller screen on the iPad also please.

This means in portrait mode when you are using the on screen keyboard you will have more usable space on screen (not hidden by the soft keyboard) and also when playing movies, the screen will better fit a 16:9 type of typical film aspect ratio.

So, yes, both those are plus's for the iPhone and iPAd please Apple.
Click to expand...

And the trade off is in Landscape mode you will have less content on screen and more screen area displaying the keyboard. So your plus's are now gone.

You still have tiny text in portrait mode and have to keep zooming in and panning around. So there is no advantage except to create more work for developers to redesign their Apps to work on two screen resolutions with no new revenue. This is how Government works, they claim that even though it is a stupid idea they are creating jobs.
 
I want a bigger screen for sure, but I sure hope it's not just taller.
It looks weird to my eyes. If anything I'd rather see them make it wider.
It doesn't really seem like it would offer more useful space. Like if you needed a bigger office and they just gave you one with a higher ceiling!
I hope they just scale it up to at least 4 inches keeping the same aspect ratio.

tys
 
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