Apple's 2017 iPhone May Feature Dual-Curve OLED Display

[Tech198]

I wonder if Apple has through this through.......... we don't want to *lift* up just to read text on the edge of a screen do we? It's a resting place..

I still prefer the 1920x1080 of the 6s plus.... The extra 7.25mm just seems like a gimmick that no one will *see* unless u use your phone flat in your palm the whole time.

 

[xsdeus]

Did you forget the whole 'gimmick' of Apple laptops? Thinner than they need to be (right dude, that 11-inch air was SOO thick and heavy it was killing your arm) laptops with less ports, less power and less upgradability?
[doublepost=1464863769][/doublepost]

That's bull. The cost of creatiing developing and producing parts and batteries and pieces that fit in that absurdly thin macbook are certainly high. But let's say you're right. And if 'material cost' is the only 'benefit' you can name, exactly how does that benefit me, the customer? At $1299, if they saved so much on cost, they certainly didn't pass it on to the customer.

I think at this point we can just agree to disagree.

I personally like the thin laptops. I switched from the 2008 unibody MacBook to the 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and subsequently to the 2015 model later on.

I don't think most of Mac users will even bother to customize internals if given the chance; I certainly didn't. Instead, just sell your old device when AppleCare expires, and just buy a new one.

 

[mildocjr]

OK Kepler, if you can answer one question without passing opinion as fact, tell me why having a screen wrap around the edge of your phone is better than not. And screen size is opinion. In fact I'll make it easier on you, give me one fact about Android, backed by a reputable unbiased website why Android is better than iOS, or vice-versa if you will. Iterative websites like consumer reports will not work, every year is different.

lol that's the exact description people have for iPhones not Samsung phones

People who get phones like the edge are wanting it because they want a real smartphone where you can make the most of your smartphone experience and make It how you want it

Think you've got the two the wrong way around

Think you don't know what the definition of a smartphone is.

 

[The Game 161]

OK Kepler, if you can answer one question without passing opinion as fact, tell me why having a screen wrap around the edge of your phone is better than not. And screen size is opinion. In fact I'll make it easier on you, give me one fact about Android, backed by a reputable unbiased website why Android is better than iOS, or vice-versa if you will. Iterative websites like consumer reports will not work, every year is different.


Think you don't know what the definition of a smartphone is.

So a definition of a smart phone is the company telling You how to use it? A smart phone experience is making your phone how you truely want it

Fact is people are looking towards freaking 2017 to Apple finally realising improvements are needed even though everything they will bring out in two years is already on Samsung flap ships

Nothing Apple are planning is anything new

My 6s plus is a great phone and syncs with my devices really well but IOS has gotten boring. The home screen you can't do anything with it. It's the same boring icons year after year And the features are simply not note worthy enough compared to my S7 edge. Maybe IOS 10 Changes something to make things less boring.

 

[mildocjr]

So a definition of a smart phone is the company telling You how to use it? A smart phone experience is making your phone how you truely want it

Fact is people are looking towards freaking 2017 to Apple finally realising improvements are needed even though everything they will bring out in two years is already on Samsung flap ships

Nothing Apple are planning is anything new

I can tell you are stretching for a leg to stand on because I never mentioned anything about Apple and planning something new. It's also called a "flagship" not a flap ship. Everything gets improvements it's called demand.

If Android is leading the pack why do they have such a hard time beating Apple in the consumer reports.

 

[Vanilla35]

Guess I'll hold on to my 6+ for a bit longer. Man this iPhone 7 is going to suck...

This is actually for the iPhone 8. You may want to hold on to your phone for another 2.5 years
[doublepost=1464890859][/doublepost]

I have an iPhone 5s and was super excited about getting an iPhone 7 this year, but all these 2017 iPhones rumors just make me super sad.

I went with a Nexus 6P while I wait till the iPhone 8 (2017)
[doublepost=1464891473][/doublepost]

lol, This is just a rumor, we all know Apple builds tons of prototypes and experiments. Relax no one outside of Apple knows what the final design will be.

So you think they're just testing this and never planning on using it or anything even slightly related whatsoever?
[doublepost=1464891883][/doublepost]

Complete ********, just another "market analyst" throwing darts at a board to see what sticks.

The 2nd (official) and 3rd (unofficial) one to observe the same supply chain confirmation. Sounds more like the grumpy cat doesn't like what he knows will become true.

 

[colbertnation]

I don't work for Apple, so everything I say is speculation.

I think Apple's pursuit of simplicity and thinness could be attributed to a reduction of material costs.

You might think it's a trivial amount, but Apple saved over 4 million US dollars by recycling the scraps of plated gold inside iPhones and other devices.
[doublepost=1464838700][/doublepost]

Materials cost reduction.
[doublepost=1464838735][/doublepost]

See my deduction above.
[doublepost=1464838780][/doublepost]

You got me there....
[doublepost=1464839108][/doublepost]

As long as all edges are covered with a lip, it should be protective.

Even though the left and right edges are depressed, the top and bottom edges aren't, and the highest point will be the lips for those edges (top & bottom).

Whole heatedly disagree. A thinner device doesn't automatically mean material costs reduction. Sometimes, miniaturization can cost more. A smaller or thinner device becomes more error prone at the manufacturing end, meaning a higher defective rate, even with assembly line automation. You should read into supply chain management for more information on that.

Apple's (or more realistically, Tim Cook's) pursuit of margins is what can be attributed to reduction of material costs, and the recycling of old hardware into "new" devices (iPhone SE). Not saying that's wrong - any company has a right to increase margins - but that's more realistic.

 

[mildocjr]

Whole heatedly disagree. A thinner device doesn't automatically mean material costs reduction. Sometimes, miniaturization can cost more. A smaller or thinner device becomes more error prone at the manufacturing end, meaning a higher defective rate, even with assembly line automation. You should read into supply chain management for more information on that.

Apple's (or more realistically, Tim Cook's) pursuit of margins is what can be attributed to reduction of material costs, and the recycling of old hardware into "new" devices (iPhone SE). Not saying that's wrong - any company has a right to increase margins - but that's more realistic.

Honestly I think it's attributed to kids wanting thinner devices, sure it would be nice to have a phone the size of an ink pen with a holographic display but we just aren't there yet. I on the other hand wouldn't mind thicker phones with more battery life, just make the components smaller and fill in the recovered space with battery.

 

[JoeyEatWorld]

I agree it can look nice "from far" (when you look someone with a S7 EDGE), but what is really the plus of these curved screens in everyday usage?
It's a real question I've never used them but I can't figure it out

A lot of people who reviewed the S7 Edge say they don't really use the edge feature. However I have found the Edge screen very helpful. I use it to get quick access to apps and it is really handy for texting people and replying to text messages. Plus I use the Edge feed to get sport scores, news updates, twitter updates, etc. I set the phone on a table and activate the Edge feed while watching TV or like before I go to bed. It is nice as only the edge screen is on. I'm sure if Apple adopts the Edge screen they will utilize the feature better than Android does currently. The Galaxy Note Edge had a lot of useful edge features that Samsung just didn't include on the S7 Edge. So I'm hoping Apple and developers really makes the most of it if this rumor is true.

 

[cmichaelb]

So you think they're just testing this and never planning on using it or anything even slightly related whatsoever?
[doublepost=1464891883][/doublepost]

Too many times I see people freaking out over a rumor. I'm sure they experiment with all kinds of designs. Look at what Apple- was it Jony? - who said they went through over a 100 Macbook air prototypes before they found the right one.

Yes, I believe Apple test some things that are purely for the lab and never meant to see the light of day.

My point is, until Apple announces it, it's all unconfirmed - but fun to speculate.

 

[Khemsmtl]

Useless to me

 

[xsdeus]

Whole heatedly disagree. A thinner device doesn't automatically mean material costs reduction. Sometimes, miniaturization can cost more. A smaller or thinner device becomes more error prone at the manufacturing end, meaning a higher defective rate, even with assembly line automation. You should read into supply chain management for more information on that.

Apple's (or more realistically, Tim Cook's) pursuit of margins is what can be attributed to reduction of material costs, and the recycling of old hardware into "new" devices (iPhone SE). Not saying that's wrong - any company has a right to increase margins - but that's more realistic.

While I agree with you that miniaturization has its own set of costs
(R&D, production investment, etc.), I still stand by my initial reasoning.

Yes, pursuit of thinness isn't free. However, it's one that has its own set of gains as well.
If a device can be made thinner and maintain the same level of performance
(computation, endurance, etc.), then why not? Most people won't complain.
At the same time, there are gains in user comfort (lighter weight),
bigger profit margins (materials cost reduction), etc. (Bragging right?)

Curved-edge screens, however, don't seem to have any sort of realistic gains.
But it comes with its own set of manufacturing headaches.
(I work for a display manufacturer. Cannot say which one, but let this suffice for now..).

**EDIT**

That said.... Apple very well may introduce curved edged screens in the future.
(I have no insider knowledge; this is my personal opinion).
And they may have their own justification behind the decision.
Apple has done things in that past that's left its users perplexed...

All we can do is wait and see.

 

[Rossatron]

Why would anybody want such a terrible feature? :|

 

[BrianKonarsMac]

Siri still has a way to go. Using Siri is still a frustrating experience a good percent of the time. I'm sorry, I don't understand.

I was saying Siri is a gimmick as well. As you mentioned, it is an exercise in frustration unless you want useless joke responses... then it is amusing for the first few minutes.

 

[colbertnation]

While I agree with you that miniaturization has its own set of costs
(R&D, production investment, etc.), I still stand by my initial reasoning.

Yes, pursuit of thinness isn't free. However, it's one that has its own set of gains as well.
If a device can be made thinner and maintain the same level of performance
(computation, endurance, etc.), then why not? Most people won't complain.
At the same time, there are gains in user comfort (lighter weight),
bigger profit margins (materials cost reduction), etc. (Bragging right?)

Curved-edge screens, however, don't seem to have any sort of realistic gains.
But it comes with its own set of manufacturing headaches.
(I work for a display manufacturer. Cannot say which one, but let this suffice for now..).

**EDIT**

That said.... Apple very well may introduce curved edged screens in the future.
(I have no insider knowledge; this is my personal opinion).
And they may have their own justification behind the decision.
Apple has done things in that past that's left its users perplexed...

All we can do is wait and see.

Ah, but see, you are assuming that a thinner product == materials cost reduction. I'm too tired to go through actual numbers, but shaving 1mm off of an iPhone 6 for materials cost reduction would not justify the amount of effort put in to make it 1mm thinner for that sole purpose.

The other reasoning you mentioned (bragging right, if they can make it thinner then why not, etc) do seem to make sense. But definitely not for materials cost reduction. I just don't see it that materials cost reduction was the purpose of making a product 1mm thinner since in my experience in supply chain, and in my opinion, the cost is greater for making an already thin device thinner for the specific purpose of reducing material cost.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I was saying Siri is a gimmick as well. As you mentioned, it is an exercise in frustration unless you want useless joke responses... then it is amusing for the first few minutes.

It's pathetic how little Apple has done with Siri. Try OK Google on an Android phone and see the difference in accuracy. I have an iPhone 6S and when I try Google on an Android phone at the store I am amazed at how much better the speech recognition is. Ditto for using Google Maps on the iPhone vs asking Siri for directions.

 

[xsdeus]

Ah, but see, you are assuming that a thinner product == materials cost reduction. I'm too tired to go through actual numbers, but shaving 1mm off of an iPhone 6 for materials cost reduction would not justify the amount of effort put in to make it 1mm thinner for that sole purpose.

The other reasoning you mentioned (bragging right, if they can make it thinner then why not, etc) do seem to make sense. But definitely not for materials cost reduction. I just don't see it that materials cost reduction was the purpose of making a product 1mm thinner since in my experience in supply chain, and in my opinion, the cost is greater for making an already thin device thinner for the specific purpose of reducing material cost.

Environmental impact is another reason I could think of.. but if you're right, it really doesn't make sense from a financial perspective.

 

[mackinmike]

OMG, it's the Samsung S7 edge.

 

[robeddie]

OMG, it's the Samsung S7 edge.

At the end of the day, the smartphone as we know it is great, and I think really doesn't seem to have any room for truly groundbreaking innovation. The iphone in 2007 was groundbreaking, but now all phones for a long time will be rectangles with screens occupying most if not all of one side. It may be thinner, bigger, etc. But it's still going to be a rectangular object that your hand can hold with a screen on one side. There's practical limitations to doing anything really 'different' at this point.

In fact, I don't hear people clamoring for feature x, y or z. There's just a 'boredom' that it hasn't changed much in almost a decade. But why do we need any change?

I think of it like the computer mouse. An incredibly groundbreaking tool when it was introduced, but has changed little in 30 years. Why?, because it was a perfect tool for human hand and use from the start. And I don't see that as a bad thing, who cares if mice haven't had any groundbreaking changes in 3 decades? It was already a perfect realization of the concept.