Does Apple need an iPhone with a bigger screen to stay competitive?

[Sedrick]

My concern is that apple will foist upon us this stretched 3.5" screen and everyone will hail it with great fan fair: Apple now has a 4" screen! When in fact It would be a cop out and a weak compromise to try to please as many people as possible without really going bigger.

 

[BuckeyeMac]

it can grow as long it still fit into a regular shirt pocket where it's most of the day.
more screen, less bezel would be ok for me.

That right there should sum it up. Keep the phone size the same, but shrink the bezel!

 

[ahfu25]

Apple can release the NEW iPhone and the only update being turn by turn gps. Millions will still line up to buy it. They make a great product and their marketing is genius.

 

[nuckinfutz]

My concern is that apple will foist upon us this stretched 3.5" screen and everyone will hail it with great fan fair: Apple now has a 4" screen! When in fact It would be a cop out and a weak compromise to try to please as many people as possible without really going bigger.

This complaint is the *new* "True Multitasking" complaint. It's manufacturing negativity. Only a misguided geek would attempt to tell someone that a 4" screen isn't really a larger screen.

iPhone and some could argue that most phones are used in a portrait orientation. iOS landing pages are a testament to this as they offer a grid which is 4 icons horizontally and 5 icons vertically.

Going vertical makes arguably more sense than going wider. Wider may be good for text but I use Reader, Readability religiously for text in Tweetbot and Safari and hope that other developers enhance their text views in a similar fashion.

This isn't Burger King folks. You can't have it your way. Demands for a larger screen don't have to fit within your perceptions of what the aspect ratio should to be valid.

 

[sarcosis]

I also think that Apple needs to make the screen bigger. 3.5" just isn't cutting it anymore. I think the rumored 4" is a perfect size for a smart phone. While I enjoy my One X's 4.7" screen, i do need two hands at time and with my previous 4" phones, I found them a bit easier to hold. I just used my Samsung Focus last weekend and while I could tell a difference, I was OK with 4".

 

[solo118]

Im an average size guy, but skinny arms/hands. These large 4.5 inch screens seem way to big for my taste. IMHO there just needs to be a slight increase in size

Apple loves to have the perfect product, and I think if they just had a 3.8-4 inch screen (edge to edge would be great) then it would be a home run. They do not have to have a Phablet to run this game.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Pretty credible source (was right about the iPad 3 back case) reiterates the same long-iPhone for the next gen: https://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/16/claimed-front-panel-of-white-next-generation-iphone-surfaces/

Looks more and more likely that 4 is the new 3.5 for the next two years.

Also, doesn't look like they'll get rid of the hardware home button. Shame.

 

[djjeffroe]

For an item to be larger it must increase its size in each dimension.
signed physics/nuckinfutz

What about wide screen tv's? most are no taller than the older ones. I have a 40" that's the same height as my old 32"

 

[Jb07]

Do they need to? No, not at this point they don't. The iPhone 4S had record sales, and the iPhone 5 (6, new iPhone, whatever) will probably break those records again. But more users are switching to Android phones these days and the Galaxy S3 is projected to sell 19 Million units by the 3rd Quarter. The demand for larger screens is increasing and if Apple doesn't increase the size within the next 2 generations, I can see many more people leaving iOS.

 

[woodekm]

The next two years of a "taller only" phone will stink! You KNOW it will eventually be wider, just sucks Apple will milk that taller phone for two releases before it happens.

I was sitting at a restaurant table with three friends last week and our phones were on the table (mine the only iPhone). MAN! It looks small vs everyone else's phones these days.

 

[wc17]

The next two years of a "taller only" phone will stink! You KNOW it will eventually be wider, just sucks Apple will milk that taller phone for two releases before it happens.

I was sitting at a restaurant table with three friends last week and our phones were on the table (mine the only iPhone). MAN! It looks small vs everyone else's phones these days.

You shoulda brought your iPad! That woulda showed your friends who the "man" is...

Apple needs to increase the size I think. 4" is perfect for a phone. All these 5" phones are way too damn big!

 

[Deluge]

The thing is, wasn't there a stat that 30% of people's Internet Experience no long comes from a PC/Mac be it desktop or laptop, but from a smart-phone? If thats the case, thats more than a "niche" market driving screen size.

I happen to want a bit of an increase to 4 or 4.2 in maybe? Just because I'm finding myself more and more using my 4S for searches and stuff.

 

[NewAnger]

I don't think so. Back in the early 80s, cellphones were huge and were referred to as bricks. They got smaller and in the early 2000s they were very small like the little flip phones.

Now the phones seem to be getting bigger and bigger. At some point, too big will be too big again.

 

[Technarchy]

I don't think so. Back in the early 80s, cellphones were huge and were referred to as bricks. They got smaller and in the early 2000s they were very small like the little flip phones.

Now the phones seem to be getting bigger and bigger. At some point, too big will be too big again.

Just wait till the 4.9" and 5" android phones that drop next year.

Everything will be the size of the Note, which is the most obnoxious phone made since 80's brick phones, and certain people will still insist they are so easy to carry and comfy for one handed use.

We are quickly approaching self-parody territory.

 

[Sedrick]

This complaint is the *new* "True Multitasking" complaint. It's manufacturing negativity. Only a misguided geek would attempt to tell someone that a 4" screen isn't really a larger screen.

iPhone and some could argue that most phones are used in a portrait orientation. iOS landing pages are a testament to this as they offer a grid which is 4 icons horizontally and 5 icons vertically.

Going vertical makes arguably more sense than going wider. Wider may be good for text but I use Reader, Readability religiously for text in Tweetbot and Safari and hope that other developers enhance their text views in a similar fashion.

This isn't Burger King folks. You can't have it your way. Demands for a larger screen don't have to fit within your perceptions of what the aspect ratio should to be valid.

Thank you, you just proved my point.

 

[Calidude]

Absolutely. A bigger AND wider screen, to be exact.

This taller screen will be looked at as a joke by people who are truly objective.

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The next two years of a "taller only" phone will stink! You KNOW it will eventually be wider, just sucks Apple will milk that taller phone for two releases before it happens.

I was sitting at a restaurant table with three friends last week and our phones were on the table (mine the only iPhone). MAN! It looks small vs everyone else's phones these days.

When you touch an iPhone after having a phone like my Galaxy Nexus for a couple of week, the iPhone feels so tiny in your hands, as if you were using a phone meant for a child. Seriously.

 

[cdmoore74]

I wanted to try chrome on my wife's iPhone and I could not take the small screen. I had to go back to my Nexus. Then I thought to myself that a longer screen is not going to cut it. Just imagine everything stretched. I know Apple must release a larger screen no matter what. I will have to see it for myself before I decide.

 

[Calidude]

I wanted to try chrome on my wife's iPhone and I could not take the small screen. I had to go back to my Nexus. Then I thought to myself that a longer screen is not going to cut it. Just imagine everything stretched. I know Apple must release a larger screen no matter what. I will have to see it for myself before I decide.

You'll see no difference with this taller screen. Just a longer phone in your hand and less scrolling down the same-sized page of text.

 

[mtcowdog]

The 3.5 inch iPhone is highly functional. If there was a high end android phone at that size, I think it would be very popular. But there is something to be said for larger screens. Phones are now highly effective mobile computers, and we do more and more on them. A larger screen is a reasonable tradeoff for more and more people. One size does not fit all.

People say all the time that Apple is incremental and about stability. That's bunk. Apple disrupted the wireless phone industry with the iPhone. They didn't know if the iPhone would be a hit or not. They did not play it safe. Now they appear to be playing not to lose the game, and people mistake that for Apple's successful approach. Their success was changing everything, and they are still seeing the benefits.

I have no doubt a taller iPhone will still sell well, but android and soon Windows phones will continue to eat away at market share. Disrupting the industry again is a tall order, but I think they can be more competitive by releasing 2 sizes of iPhone. Why not? They do it with laptops and, if rumors are true, the iPad. There is a market for a larger iPhone, just as there is a market for a smaller iPad.

 

[Dolorian]

I have no doubt a taller iPhone will still sell well, but android and soon Windows phones will continue to eat away at market share.

Yes and they would be missing an opportunity by refusing to give the option of an iPhone with a bigger screen, losing users who feel the need for it to phones like the Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. Given the huge diversity of things that people can and do with their iPhones, a one size fits all model may not be the best thing to have. They have more to lose imo, by having only the 3.5 model than by having that model and one that is bigger, say 4/4.2 (bigger in both width and height, not just a taller screen).

If they refuse to make the screen of the iPhone bigger or to even make an additional iPhone model with said bigger screen just for the sake of not "disturbing" the app development or for fear of a fragmentation which I doubt a bigger screen iPhone would introduce (it would still be updated as the iPhone is now and I doubt an additional screen size would really affect things much), then they have become a slave to their own system and can only stagnate.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I have no doubt a taller iPhone will still sell well, but android and soon Windows phones will continue to eat away at market share. Disrupting the industry again is a tall order, but I think they can be more competitive by releasing 2 sizes of iPhone. Why not? They do it with laptops and, if rumors are true, the iPad. There is a market for a larger iPhone, just as there is a market for a smaller iPad.

Microsoft IMO is the only credible threat. They have the IP necessary and the install base of desktop/laptops. I'm not buying into the notion that Android is going to be able to compete with platforms that are so entrenched (Windows, Macintosh)

Apple smart in knowing that they didn't get to where they were by adding a lot of fluff. They got there by being sensible about product selection and going the extra mile with regard to user interface.

The bridge that iCloud creates between a Mac and iOS device is going to be too strong of an influencer. Android can only replicate this if you buy into the "Google syncs everything for me" way.

Very few Android developers make money and the prospects of making money on the platform dim with every "Android apps are mostly free" coming from the sales staff at cellular carriers that don't give a rat's ass about app sales.

Apple's competitive because they have a system that works and still remains simple. Sure that doesn't appease those into hyper geekdom but those are the people you make money off of anyways. Apple knows their clientele and their clientele has more money than time and patience.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Windows 8 looks great, but to say that WP poses more of a threat to Apple than Android is laughable, and reeks of pure hate (jealousy?) of Android. As if you folks cannot accept that Android is a threat to Apple.

Windows has amazing potential, but they are not and won't be for a while anywhere as threatening as Android is to Apple.

EDIT: Interestingly, though, I think Windows poses more threat in the tablet market than Android does to Apple. A lot will depend on how well the Surface does, but I'm not convinced Android is a good OS for tablets. Nexus 7 may change that though.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I feel bad for those dedicated iOS users who don't want to leave iOS, but want something larger than a 4" screen. I'm not being condescending; i really mean it. Already we are hearing/reading about people not finding 4" to be enough. It will certainly be a dilemma for some.

And worse, knowing that if history is correct, the 4" screen will the iPhone for the next two years.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Windows 8 looks great, but to say that WP poses more of a threat to Apple than Android is laughable, and reeks of pure hate (jealousy?) of Android. As if you folks cannot accept that Android is a threat to Apple.

Windows has amazing potential, but they are not and won't be for a while anywhere as threatening as Android is to Apple.

EDIT: Interestingly, though, I think Windows poses more threat in the tablet market than Android does to Apple. A lot will depend on how well the Surface does, but I'm not convinced Android is a good OS for tablets. Nexus 7 may change that though.

No it reeks of logic. Microsoft's main cash cow is

Windows
Office

How far do you think Android or even iOS goes without Office Support? Android's accent came at the expense of both Microsoft's and Rim's initiatives. RIM, not being a desktop platform vendor, is basically going to die. Microsoft is fine and rolling out their W8 products. Microsoft's patent portfolio is immense. Google can't match it nor Apple's. There's not much room to maneuver. Much like they lost the Nortel patents to a more well heeled group they will lose future battles as well. They don't have the capital. Who can even say that Android is making anyone money? If you really look at where things are you should come in agreement that there are multiple ways for Android to fail and far fewer ways for them to find success.

I feel bad for those dedicated iOS users who don't want to leave iOS, but want something larger than a 4" screen. I'm not being condescending; i really mean it. Already we are hearing/reading about people not finding 4" to be enough. It will certainly be a dilemma for some.

And worse, knowing that if history is correct, the 4" screen will the iPhone for the next two years.

Perhaps they should buy a phone from another vendor or get a better prescription.

 

[JayTruth]

Absolutely. A bigger AND wider screen, to be exact.

This taller screen will be looked at as a joke by people who are truly objective.

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When you touch an iPhone after having a phone like my Galaxy Nexus for a couple of week, the iPhone feels so tiny in your hands, as if you were using a phone meant for a child. Seriously.

But the phone itself is not childish. You can say your statement about anything, such as videogame controllers. After using the 360 controller for a while, the PS3 controller feels very small, but it's not "childish."