Are you disappointed that the next iPhone may not be WIDER? (merged)

[Syk]

Sadly it's not just Apple's hardware choices that suck, it's software too. It'd take more than a 4.3" screen to make me buy one. The fact that you can't install apps from outside the app store (meaning Apple gets full control of what I install on my phone) irks me.

I think the software UI needs an update and more features. It's tired and stale. Heck I'd be happy with just new icons.

I don't have a problem with Apple only allowing App store apps on their device. From a technical stand point it makes sense and helps with troubleshooting and other things. Allowing outside sources and some of those may not be up to the standards of Apple could cause problems. You load some app and it messes with some other system file then the user goes of screaming to Apple that their phone doesn't work.

Multiply that times millions of users and you have people crying Apple stuff sucks. A closed environment is easier to trouble shoot and control problems.

Honestly I think Apple though they will never admit it allows jailsbreaks for users who do like to tinker. I think if they really wanted to they could stop it. It seems like a cat and mouse game. They may make the JB team work for it but still not close it completely.

 

[matttye]

I think the software UI needs an update and more features. It's tired and stale. Heck I'd be happy with just new icons.

I don't have a problem with Apple only allowing App store apps on their device. From a technical stand point it makes sense and helps with troubleshooting and other things. Allowing outside sources and some of those may not be up to the standards of Apple could cause problems. You load some app and it messes with some other system file then the user goes of screaming to Apple that their phone doesn't work.

Multiply that times millions of users and you have people crying Apple stuff sucks. A closed environment is easier to trouble shoot and control problems.

Honestly I think Apple though they will never admit it allows jailsbreaks for users who do like to tinker. I think if they really wanted to they could stop it. It seems like a cat and mouse game. They may make the JB team work for it but still not close it completely.

I agree with everything you said (other than the last part - I do think Apple are trying to stop jailbreakers, they're just not going to dedicate too much money to it). The problem is that not everybody needs things babyproofing for them. Apple clearly target their devices at average Joes, but there's nothing for the more IT literate who like to tinker with their devices. If an app crashes constantly, I would never whinge to Apple, I'd get straight on Google and find out if there's a solution.

They could stick an "advanced mode" setting ten levels deep in the settings and nobody would accidentally enable it. This could allow people to access the file system, install apps from non-app store sources, etc.

I'm under no illusions any of this will actually happen, but it would be cool.

 

[w00t951]

Well, considering we don't even know what kind of permissions iOS apps are granted, who cares? You want the app, and trust it, DL it. If it's suspicious, don't DL it.

But we trust Apple not to allow too many of those apps through. True, the contacts thing was a bit disconcerting, but at least you don't feel unsafe. When I download something from the Android Marketplace (now Google Play Store) I always see that it wants mysterious and dubious access to all of my files and personal information.

 

[Syk]

I agree with everything you said (other than the last part - I do think Apple are trying to stop jailbreakers, they're just not going to dedicate too much money to it). The problem is that not everybody needs things babyproofing for them. Apple clearly target their devices at average Joes, but there's nothing for the more IT literate who like to tinker with their devices. If an app crashes constantly, I would never whinge to Apple, I'd get straight on Google and find out if there's a solution.

They could stick an "advanced mode" setting ten levels deep in the settings and nobody would accidentally enable it. This could allow people to access the file system, install apps from non-app store sources, etc.

I'm under no illusions any of this will actually happen, but it would be cool.

Maybe. I just feel if they really wanted to stop it they could. My phone is jailbroke so I don't have anything against it. Of course they close current loop holes so no one can claim they aren't taking care of security problems I really think they use jailbreakers as a free R&D services of sorts. Either someone comes up with something good and they bring them into the Apple fold or they just flat out implement something from a jailbreak into their next release.

As for the 10 levels deep. If it's there some avg joe will find it just by exploring their phone. Now if they made it some boot sequence like power, home, home, + key, - key, home to enable then yeah you won't have to worry about it being accidently enabled

 

[BaldiMac]

Actually it isn't the first time I mention it.

Did you read your link? Where did it mention the mobile site? Or any mobile site that can't be resized? Again, I can't read your mind if I don't know where you are within a 20 foot radius.

Zoom in accessibilty features would not help one bit. One, you can't use it with one hand. Second, and more importantly, it doesn't do anything useful. I just tried it. All it does is partially zoom in on the screen. It doesn't help with respect to reading mobile sites in portrait. I'm talking about firing up a mobile site like Gawker's and being able to scan the articles before selecting one. In said scenario Zoom doesn't do me any good.

Again, it's not all about you. Accessibility Zoom addresses the problem of text that is too small on a mobile site that can't use pinch-to-zoom. Just because it doesn't work how you want doesn't mean it's useless.

I'm not sure why you keep insisting that a wider screen would not be beneficial. I know we need to take into account resolution at the same time, but I've used plenty of Android devices that render larger text by default in portrait mode for mobile sites. (Compared to the retina display.)

Because with a mobile site with a fixed view, the website picks the size of the font. Without a change in pixel density, there is no reason that simply widening the display by 14% would cause an increase in the font size. It would simply wrap the text differently.

With Android, there are so many different screens to address that websites don't target specific devices, so the font size is going to vary based on different screen sizes and resolutions.

You keep insisting (and again, you still won't conceed) that you listed options that would not benefit me and yet you proceed to repeat that you are giving me useful options and that I want more choices. Myopic view? Are you ***** serious? You can't come up with a viable solution (because one does not exist) but you continue on as if you have proposed wonderful solutions when in reality they are anything but that.

Of the four implemented solutions that I suggested, two would work to increase the font size in the situation that you described. They do have tradeoffs that you don't like. Of the one solution that you suggested, zero would work to increase the font size.

The best solution to the problem that would work in the way you want is simply the option to zoom text in Safari. That would be a great feature. iCab and Atomic browsers currently do this if you want to try them out. Alternatively, the website could allow you to specify a larger font size.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Apparently you own neither a Windows Phone nor an ICS phone. Windows Phone is disgustingly limited. Example: Play Spotify. Respond to text. Spend 20 seconds waiting for Spotify to open. ICS is easier to use than previous versions of Android, but I'm experiencing a lot of problems with my Nexus. Keyboard is not an OS process; lagging and letter dropping is common. All the apps need creepy levels of permission. Random wallpapers will create lag. Web browsing is great until you actually type into a text field.

Point is, the new Android is easier to use - but not easier than iOS. Windows Phone is just annoying to use.

Edit: I own a 4S, Nexus, and owned a Lumia 900 for three weeks.

Not sure which keyboard you used with ics but the stock ics keyboard is light years ahead of iOS. I'm not being hyperbolic. I've never experienced lag or dropped letters. Plus the suggestion bar and the ability to choose and not choose what words to remember is so instrumental to improving the typing experience. Even editing I think is easier on ics.

The iOS keyboard is the one that lags and misses keys and letters constantly. Need examples? Check out the plethora of "damn you iPhone auto correction" type websites there are out there.

And mattye is right. Some things in iOS just make no sense in terms of usability. He's listed a few. There are others. One personal peeve I have is how every time you click to download an app from the application store it kicks you out just to show you the icon bouncing to the home screen. that is far from intuitive. Its cute the first few times but then it becomes horribly annoying. As if apple thinks people will only shop one app at a time every single time.

I agree typing via the browser can some times be difficult depending on the website. This is something I hope chrome will fix eventually. But chrome is in every way a better browser than safari. Swiping to switch tabs is fantastically intuitive. Having to press at least three buttons to switch tabs in safari is not, if you want to talk about usability.

(Previous iPhone 4 and 4s owner if that matters. Currently a galaxy nexus owner.)

 

[pooleman]

Would a taller my not wider screen give us a different aspect ration? I would love apps like Keynote to support 16x9.

 

[aztooh]

Would a taller my not wider screen give us a different aspect ration? I would love apps like Keynote to support 16x9.

Pretty sure that question answers itself

 

[Syk]

Not sure why the 1st three posters got down voted but Apple is staying in the same lane and it is starting to get a little ho hum. When I buy a new phone I sort of want it to look different from my past one. I'm a visual person and I need something that says hey man this is a new phone, not one that looks like the previous one.

Apples MO of small upgrades works on their PC line. It will probably continue to work on the tablet line but on the phone line. I think they may be at the point of saturation to where people will start to look at other options.

A slightly longer i4/s case isn't really all that great when you compare to other phones. They didn't have to go 4.8 but I think a 4.3 screen(wider/taller) would have been a big WOOOOOW.

I understand there is only so much you can do with a form factor and I like the version from last year that some thought was going to be the iPhone5, thin with the curve back.

I'm waiting to see iOS6. If that turns out to be nothing but really iOS 5.5 I'm going to be disappointed. Their own 3D maps isn't going to cut it either.

 

[blairh]

Did you read your link? Where did it mention the mobile site? Or any mobile site that can't be resized? Again, I can't read your mind if I don't know where you are within a 20 foot radius.



Again, it's not all about you. Accessibility Zoom addresses the problem of text that is too small on a mobile site that can't use pinch-to-zoom. Just because it doesn't work how you want doesn't mean it's useless.



Because with a mobile site with a fixed view, the website picks the size of the font. Without a change in pixel density, there is no reason that simply widening the display by 14% would cause an increase in the font size. It would simply wrap the text differently.

With Android, there are so many different screens to address that websites don't target specific devices, so the font size is going to vary based on different screen sizes and resolutions.



Of the four implemented solutions that I suggested, two would work to increase the font size in the situation that you described. They do have tradeoffs that you don't like. Of the one solution that you suggested, zero would work to increase the font size.

The best solution to the problem that would work in the way you want is simply the option to zoom text in Safari. That would be a great feature. iCab and Atomic browsers currently do this if you want to try them out. Alternatively, the website could allow you to specify a larger font size.

I specifically mentioned Gawker's site. Clearly you aren't familiar with it on the iPhone. Hence the confusion.

It's not all about me? That's a new interesting angle to take. So something you suggested absolutely does not work but hey, it's okay, it's not all about me.

Zoom in Accessibility is utterly useless in the situation I have proposed from the start. It zeroes in on one specific area of a site and does nothing with respect to browsing the stories listed. But no, you absolutely positively will not concede this obvious fact and insist it will work when it absolutely will not. It's not about something not working 'how I want it to work' but pointing out the fact that's it's a pointless suggestion in the first place. But knowing you now, you'll find a way to blame me yet again.

Here's a thought......how about changing the pixel density? The bottom line is that there is a way to display larger text in portrait mode by making the display wider. If other actions need to be taken beyond a larger display, so be it, but stop insisting it's impossible.

I tried iCab and Atomic with terrible results. The fact remains that NOTHING is a viable option unless you alter the screen and beyond.

I'm done. Seriously. I will not be responding to your posts anymore. This thread and beyond. You have seriously wasted my time by acting like a child and insisting that you are right when you clearly are not. Nothing you proposed will help in what I'm proposing, despite your continued insistance. Goodbye for good.

 

[BaldiMac]

I specifically mentioned Gawker's site. Clearly you aren't familiar with it on the iPhone. Hence the confusion.

Clearly you aren't familiar with the fact that you have the option to view the mobile version or the full site. I did not know which version you were talking about.

Zoom in Accessibility is utterly useless in the situation I have proposed from the start. It zeroes in on one specific area of a site and does nothing with respect to browsing the stories listed. But no, you absolutely positively will not concede this obvious fact and insist it will work when it absolutely will not. It's not about something not working 'how I want it to work' but pointing out the fact that's it's a pointless suggestion in the first place. But knowing you now, you'll find a way to blame me yet again.

Maybe "utterly useless" means something different for you than me. The problem is that the text is too small. The accessibility feature makes it bigger. That's useful even though you, personally, (and me) would prefer that the text size be increased and rewrapped on screen. That would be a great feature. It could be added to Safari, or it could be added to the website.

Here's a thought......how about changing the pixel density? The bottom line is that there is a way to display larger text in portrait mode by making the display wider. If other actions need to be taken beyond a larger display, so be it, but stop insisting it's impossible.

Seriously? You want to change the hardware pixel density to a worse quality just so the text size will increase? That's just silly when there are simple software solutions that can increase the size while maintaining the quality.

The fact remains that NOTHING is a viable option unless you alter the screen and beyond.

That's not a fact at all. I already described two options. Text Zoom, which is already present in most desktop browsers and text size options on the website itself. What you are asking for doesn't require hardware changes.

 

[blairh]

I'm also disappointed in Apple (assuming this weak update is true). They have the muscle, talent, market share and money to make this next phone blow everyone's expectations out of the water and kill the competition.

Apple could even put out two phones: One 3.5" and one 4.3". Everyone on the planet would get one or the other.

If these rumors are true, however, it will indeed be a sad to see Apple squander the opportunity for such greatness on a cheap, minimal effort update.

It does seem like a strange update. I'm sure it will be awesome in many regards. But simply increasing the vertical experience in portrait mode might not be enough for me to keep using an iPhone. I'm curious what iOS 6 will bring to the table. I mean, I think the next iPhone will be a huge improvement to my iP4, but I question if it's enough for me personally. I'm really intrigued by the SIII.

 

[TwoBytes]

Can we keep this thread on topic? (screen width)

Agree Syk, i think a 4.3 screen(wider/taller) would have had a bigger impact then this tiny little baby step of screen size 'progression'.

 

[saberz]

Those are probably the test units they are housing the hardware in. Remember they said the new phone was disguised as a 4/4s?

 

[lordofthereef]

It does seem like a strange update.

I mentioned this in another thread, but if the screen sizes are actually true, I can't help but think there is going to be feature added to iOS that will only be utilized by this larger screen. Without that this seems virtually pointless. Unless that strange little chunk of real estate is utilized in a special way I don't feel there is a whole lot more I am going to be able to do with it.

 

[lordofthereef]

But we trust Apple not to allow too many of those apps through.

Who trusts Apple? Or any other OS maker for that matter? I am willing to bet the average user has no idea of even the potential of security risks. I guess by simply downloading something one can imply there is a certain level of trust there, but when the user doesn't even think of how much private information could be being harvested via various apps on various platforms it is a bit of a stretch to use the collective "we" here. Die hards tout security as their reason for sticking to iOS. Average Joe's tout simplicity.

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Can we keep this thread on topic? (screen width)

Agree Syk, i think a 4.3 screen(wider/taller) would have had a bigger impact then this tiny little baby step of screen size 'progression'.

I have made this comment in other threads (maybe even this one lol... losing track). If the screen size changes are true, my gut tells me there is going to be some "killer feature" in iOS 6 designed to utilize this extra real estate in a specific way. As is Apple's reputation, this feature will only make it to the new iPhones, which would likely be more justifiable this go around seeing as how that would legitimately be a hardware limitation. Just something to chew on, of course.

 

[applefanDrew]

Yep - Apple seems to be massively profit orientated. I appreciate that every business will be like that, but Apple are to the extreme.

They haven't changed the size of the iPhone screen since the first one, even though larger screened devices have become increasingly popular over the last few years. I think this is because it keeps production costs down; they can keep the same production lines.

When you look at the Galaxy S3, it's clear that Apple has been left in the dust. They do still have an iron grip on the tablet market though, which I believe is well deserved.

Increasingly popular you say? 51% of Verizon smartphone sales last quarter was iPhone. I think it was 70% of AT&T smartphone sales last quarter was iPhone. Obviously, the 3 1/2 inch screen is not stopping people from buying iPhones. In fact, a majority of smart phone sales on the two biggest carriers in the US are iPhones. Even though it has a 3.5 inch screen.

 

[E.Lizardo]

Honestly, I'm tired of you people who think the iPhone should remain the same size. Are you guys the size of Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones? Are you a bunch of men who wear skinny jeans that need the room? Are your hands really that much smaller than a South Korean's hand? They're debuting a 4.8 inch phone and people are going to buy it like crazy and you're really worried about extra size?

Come on, guys, are we little women with dainty hands? What's up with this? We're not saying it should be a Samsung Note or even the new Galaxy S3, we're just saying that it needs to be bigger and it will still fit in every hand and pocket the current one is in, unless you have a pocket that is the exact size of the iPhone 4S.....

Gee thanks for the insults!
Frankly some of us are tired of you size queens that do nothing but cry cuz your buddy's got a bigger one.

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Honestly the last thing I'm worried about is how it will fit into my pockets, no offense

Well OK,purse then.

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I seriously imagine really effeminate men who have trouble sitting down because of their skinny jeans typing away angrily, acting as if a slightly bigger phone will mean they will have to buy a new designer eco-friendly bag from some obscure San Francisco couture shop just to hold their phone in, because otherwise they'd have to buy 20 new pairs of jeans to slip their phone into.

The argument is so ridiculous that it can only be justified if the above were actually what people would go through if the phone got bigger.

Wow you're a real live wire of well thought out intelligent comments,aren't you there buddy boy?
Sorry but you're just going to have to accept that not everyone wants what you want,and bear in mind that what anyone here wants will have no effect on the design of the next phone.
To quote someone else's post GO AWAY

 

[phpmaven]

I think this lengthened screen might be their first hardware blunder if it goes through.

...if you don't count the glass back and antennagate as blunders, that is...

I don't count those as blunders, but in my opinion just making it taller and not wider would be a huge blunder.

 

[tdream]

I trust Apple.

I don't trust Apple, I trust Steve Jobs.

Look at what happened to Apple the last time he left.

 

[ajvizzgamer101]

It does seem wierd but I believe once you get it in your hands you will see wider isn't a good idea.

 

[matttye]

Increasingly popular you say? 51% of Verizon smartphone sales last quarter was iPhone. I think it was 70% of AT&T smartphone sales last quarter was iPhone. Obviously, the 3 1/2 inch screen is not stopping people from buying iPhones. In fact, a majority of smart phone sales on the two biggest carriers in the US are iPhones. Even though it has a 3.5 inch screen.

The US isn't the only country in the world.

 

[Calidude]

I don't trust Apple, I trust Steve Jobs.

Look at what happened to Apple the last time he left.

I'm surprised more people aren't saying this, quite frankly.

 

[applefanDrew]

The US isn't the only country in the world.

Of course… 70% of smartphones sales in Japan last quarter were iPhone. If I knew the numbers for other countries I would say that as well, but I don't.

 

[Calidude]

Made a poll about this topic here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1377669/

You're not alone. Most of the forum thinks this way.