I think iPhone will have larger screen

[corriewf]

Apple went through a lot of work to make the prototype look like a regular 3GS. They made a custom case for it to look just like all the old iPhones. I think it is quite possible they also put a screen on the prototype that is similar in size to the old screen. The only reason it is a tad smaller is that they made a smaller mock up of the larger screen final version to test the resolution.

So my question to you, do you think my theory is possible and if it is true, will you be upset with a larger screen size? Assuming they make the bezels smaller to not increase the actual size of the phone very much if the screen is larger.

 

[-PsYcHoNoVa-]

Anything is possible. A larger screen is a must and would be great. A smaller or same size screen would be a disappointment.

 

[thelatinist]

I think it is quite possible they also put a screen on the prototype that is similar in size to the old screen. The only reason it is a tad smaller is that they made a smaller mock up of the larger screen final version to test the resolution.

Have you seen the shots of the internal components? Where exactly do you think they're going to put it?

 

[mikethebigo]

Apple went through a lot of work to make the prototype look like a regular 3GS. They made a custom case for it to look just like all the old iPhones. I think it is quite possible they also put a screen on the prototype that is similar in size to the old screen. The only reason it is a tad smaller is that they made a smaller mock up of the larger screen final version to test the resolution.

So my question to you, do you think my theory is possible and if it is true, will you be upset with a larger screen size? Assuming they make the bezels smaller to not increase the actual size of the phone very much if the screen is larger.

However, the screen on the prototype was a higher res screen. This means Apple would have had to build and test a device with a new screen just for field testing purposes. I doubt it.

 

[corriewf]

Have you seen the shots of the internal components? Where exactly do you think they're going to put it?

Yeah I have. I think the final product could be bigger inside to accommodate it...Hypothetically. The phone would have to increase in size some but if they made the bezels smaller, it wouldn't be too bad for say a 4 inch.

 

[mikethebigo]

Yeah I have. I think the final product could be bigger inside to accommodate it...Hypothetically. The phone would have to increase in size some but if they made the bezels smaller, it wouldn't be too bad for say a 4 inch.

It's not just a bezel issue. To increase by another half an inch, the phone would have to be wider as well. This is unless they changed the aspect ratio to something other than 3:2, but that would break compatibility with all the apps in the app store.

 

[TSX]

Where have you been?

 

[corriewf]

Where have you been?

Not in Texas.

Well I am thinking that it is possible the smaller screen size was to keep similar aspect ratio to the larger screen size so it can be tested however maintain it's cover as a 3GS.

 

[corriewf]

However, the screen on the prototype was a higher res screen. This means Apple would have had to build and test a device with a new screen just for field testing purposes. I doubt it.

Well what I was saying, is that they made the screen in the prototype as close to the size of the 3G 3GS but kept the aspect ratio of the larger screen. So they are testing the resolution but with a smaller screen to keep it hidden.

 

[mikethebigo]

Well what I was saying, is that they made the screen in the prototype as close to the size of the 3G 3GS but kept the aspect ratio of the larger screen. So they are testing the resolution but with a smaller screen to keep it hidden.

Right, and what I'm saying is that it really wouldn't make sense to develop, build, and test a new model and screen just for late state, pre-production models. The leaked phone is completely reengineered, it's not a 3GS with a different case. What you're seeing is a near final design made to fit together with exact specs. Unless they had an entirely different model ready to go, they can't simply swap out the screen for a larger one.

 

[thelatinist]

Yeah I have. I think the final product could be bigger inside to accommodate it...Hypothetically. The phone would have to increase in size some but if they made the bezels smaller, it wouldn't be too bad for say a 4 inch.

But that's the point...the internals were designed for this case, not one that's "bigger inside." The positions of buttons and cameras are determined by the internal components. What you describe would require a complete redesign of the internels at a cost of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, and would take months.

 

[corriewf]

Right, and what I'm saying is that it really wouldn't make sense to develop, build, and test a new model and screen just for late state, pre-production models. The leaked phone is completely reengineered, it's not a 3GS with a different case. What you're seeing is a near final design made to fit together with exact specs. Unless they had an entirely different model ready to go, they can't simply swap out the screen for a larger one.

Well if you think about it, it is quite possible. We all know that prior leaks have been avoided because Apple operates in a modularized environment. Not one person has all the details. Why would they give this one guy all the juicyness of the next Iphone for this to happen? I believe that the software work this guy was doing only required enough of a prototype to understand the aspect ratio, resolution of the next iPhone.

 

[corriewf]

But that's the point...the internals were designed for this case, not one that's "bigger inside." The positions of buttons and cameras are determined by the internal components. What you describe would require a complete redesign of the internels at a cost of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, and would take months.

You think it would cost hundreds of millions? I think not. It's to aspect. The final design could have the same design at a larger scale without having to spend " 100s of millions " for a new design.

It may costs 100s of millions to build the Iphone and design, but to design alone? That number sounds slightly high.

 

[nick1516]

I think that what we saw is pretty much the final design, besides, I'm fine with the screen size with a higher resolution.

 

[JCCL]

What Gizmodo posted is almost the final iPhone, there is just no way they would change something like that.

 

[thelatinist]

The final design could have the same design at a larger scale without having to spend " 100s of millions " for a new design.

The internal components (cameras, memory, processor, speakers, digitizer, etc.) cannot just be "scaled" -- their size is predetermined. The layout was created to fit these components together in certain very carefully-defined ways, and is not just thrown-together. You can't just scale it up without completely redesigning the interior. What you are talking about is designing and building two very different near-production designs -- perhaps not quite doubling the design costs, but nearly doing so -- one of which they never intend to profit from. It is not feasible.

 

[mikethebigo]

Well if you think about it, it is quite possible. We all know that prior leaks have been avoided because Apple operates in a modularized environment. Not one person has all the details. Why would they give this one guy all the juicyness of the next Iphone for this to happen? I believe that the software work this guy was doing only required enough of a prototype to understand the aspect ratio, resolution of the next iPhone.

Not one person has all the details, but Apple doesn't build new features and design entire phones just to keep people in the dark. Sorry man, I mean it's possible there's a whole different design they'll end up using, but if they use the design of the leaked phone, it's just not possible to shoe-horn a bigger screen in there without totally redesigning it.

 

[corriewf]

Not one person has all the details, but Apple doesn't build new features and design entire phones just to keep people in the dark. Sorry man, I mean it's possible there's a whole different design they'll end up using, but if they use the design of the leaked phone, it's just not possible to shoe-horn a bigger screen in there without totally redesigning it.

So this guy that lost the prototype is so high up in rank he gets to see the software and hardware, and take it home with him? Doesn't sound like normal Apple protocol. I think it is a dummy phone that gives him an idea of how the software will act on the new iphone. We couldn't even find out the processor speed on this thing. It might not even have the final processor.

 

[mikethebigo]

So this guy that lost the prototype is so high up in rank he gets to see the software and hardware, and take it home with him? Doesn't sound like normal Apple protocol. I think it is a dummy phone that gives him an idea of how the software will act on the new iphone. We couldn't even find out the processor speed on this thing. It might not even have the final processor.

Before you start spending literally tens of millions of dollars to produce a phone, you need to know it works well, in its entirety, in the outside world. That's the point of a pre-production unit. Otherwise, Apple would make a million iPhones, discover a small bug because they didn't test the unit properly, and have to throw them all away and lose a LOT of money. This has been done for every iPhone, it's just this is the first time someone's been dumb or drunk enough to lose it. Did you see how intricately built that case was? It even turned the volume buttons into a rocker, haha. There are probably a fair number of these devices out there already. Well, maybe less now.

 

[thelatinist]

So this guy that lost the prototype is so high up in rank he gets to see the software and hardware, and take it home with him? Doesn't sound like normal Apple protocol. I think it is a dummy phone that gives him an idea of how the software will act on the new iphone. We couldn't even find out the processor speed on this thing. It might not even have the final processor.

You obviously have no idea how the design process works or what would be required to do the things you're tossing out as casual speculation. Nothing you have suggested is as easy as you seem to think. And it would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[corriewf]

Before you start spending literally tens of millions of dollars to produce a phone, you need to know it works well, in its entirety, in the outside world. That's the point of a pre-production unit. Otherwise, Apple would make a million iPhones, discover a small bug because they didn't test the unit properly, and have to throw them all away and lose a LOT of money. This has been done for every iPhone, it's just this is the first time someone's been dumb or drunk enough to lose it. Did you see how intricately built that case was? It even turned the volume buttons into a rocker, haha. There are probably a fair number of these devices out there already. Well, maybe less now.

Your point ties in to mine. Look at how much work they did to make it look like a normal iPhone. So when they DO make the screen bigger, they are going to have to get creative to hide it in public. My suggestion is that they made a scaled prototype that looks like a normal Iphone but gives the ability to test most of the things that need to be tested. How else could they have a 4 inch Iphone out loose and test it? It would be picked on immediately and draw too much attention.

What do you guys think a prototype is? It's a experimental version. Do you know how many concept cars or prototypes have been tested ( probably by apple ) that did get produced. How about the first Iphone prototype that had a PLASTIC screen. If that had been leaked, would you have believed the first Iphone to have a plastic screen? If you did, you would have been surprised. We may very well be surprised with what Steve comes out with this year.

 

[Applejuiced]

Its not happening.
Its already way too late and into the final stages.
If you see any changes from the prototype unit they will be very minor and nothing like a whole different screen or housing case.

 

[mikethebigo]

Your point ties in to mine. Look at how much work they did to make it look like a normal iPhone. So when they DO make the screen bigger, they are going to have to get creative to hide it in public. My suggestion is that they made a scaled prototype that looks like a normal Iphone but gives the ability to test most of the things that need to be tested. How else could they have a 4 inch Iphone out loose and test it? It would be picked on immediately and draw too much attention.

What do you guys think a prototype is? It's a experimental version. Do you know how many concept cars or prototypes have been tested ( probably by apple ) that did get produced. How about the first Iphone prototype that had a PLASTIC screen. If that had been leaked, would you have believed the first Iphone to have a plastic screen? If you did, you would have been surprised. We may very well be surprised with what Steve comes out with this year.

Uh, replacing plastic with glass doesn't change the amount of space that the material is taking up. Invalid point. Also invalid is the idea that they made a "scaled" dummy device, do you even really know what that means?

If you look at the teardown, everything was very neatly packed together. Again, to change the screen size would involve changing the internal components. Changing the internal components would mean a new phone. Then there wouldn't be any point to testing the unit at all, since the new phone would be significantly different and would also require its own testing.

 

[Applejuiced]

Before you start spending literally tens of millions of dollars to produce a phone, you need to know it works well, in its entirety, in the outside world. That's the point of a pre-production unit. Otherwise, Apple would make a million iPhones, discover a small bug because they didn't test the unit properly, and have to throw them all away and lose a LOT of money. This has been done for every iPhone, it's just this is the first time someone's been dumb or drunk enough to lose it. Did you see how intricately built that case was? It even turned the volume buttons into a rocker, haha. There are probably a fair number of these devices out there already. Well, maybe less now.

Exactly.
Just wait and see in a few months.
You're taking any bets on the screen size?

 

[corriewf]

Uh, replacing plastic with glass doesn't change the amount of space that the material is taking up. Invalid point. Also invalid is the idea that they made a "scaled" dummy device, do you even really know what that means?

If you look at the teardown, everything was very neatly packed together. Again, to change the screen size would involve changing the internal components. Changing the internal components would mean a new phone. Then there wouldn't be any point to testing the unit at all, since the new phone would be significantly different and would also require its own testing.

Again, the first Iphone prototype had a plastic screen. I understand you guys have your logic, but your not using common logic.

1. Apple doesn't give anyone the final product detail except very high up people. A software developer would not be that person.
2. There have been past prototypes that turned out to be far from the final product.

It does NOT cost millions to make one design. It doesn't. It may cost millions to make multiple designs and finalize the software and design for the final product. This is Apple, not some company operated out of a garage. They have all this stuff streamlined after many years. If it costs them 100s of millions to design every product they make, they would be broke.

I think quite a few of you have become attached to what the prototype looks like and may take it personal to find out that what you became attached to, might not even be the final product at all.