Ideas for the future direction of iPhone

[flux73]

What do you all think Apple should be (or is) doing after the iPhone 5 in terms of form factor?

Personally, I think it's a mistake to simply enlarge the screen with the iPhone line. It will look like they're going back on their statement that the 4" size is ideal AND it will look like they're following Samsung.

However, judging by sales of the Samsung Note, there clearly is a demand for a larger screen by some consumers. So, what if they approached it from a different direction? What if they created an iPad Nano with a 5.5" screen that had phone capabilities? Then create a super slim handset that pairs with it. This handset (iPhone Nano?) might look like the Apple TV Remote with the form of a slap bracelet that Apple just patented (the iWatch?). Therefore, you could keep the Nano in your pocket (or briefcase) and use the mini handset on your wrist to take phone calls. Maybe it would have a small screen on it for some info (incoming calls, txts, etc). It would have to forego the keyboard, so maybe use Siri in its place?

Thoughts?

 

[R.Stoychev]

I want only new ios 7 with new features... It is time for a change !

 

[dejo]

I want only new ios 7 with new features... It is time for a change !

“Change is easy. Improvement is far more difficult.” - Dr. Ferdinand Porsche.

 

[irDigital0l]

1. They will drop both the iPhone 4 and 4S and replace them with the cheap iPhone 5. No more 3.5" or 30-pin.
2. iPhone 6 will have a larger screen 4.5"-5". It will most likely get a modified UI for the larger screen. iOS 8.
3. Apple will continue with S models. S models will be announce at WWDC while all new design models will be announced in later summer/fall.

 

[Tyrion]

1) Offer the iPhone in two flavors, like they already do with the iPad and the iPad mini: keep the 4" form factor, but introduce a phablet-sized variation with exactly double the resolution. It works for Samsung with the Galaxy S X and the Note X; incidentally, this strategy also already works for Apple with the two iPad models. This will satisfy both those who are clamping for a bigger screen and the conservatives.

2) Introduce the rumored cheapo iPhone for developing markets I guess. Not too excited about this one, but they'll probably have to do it at some point.

 

[awegew]

Rumored cheapo apple? Yeah, when's the last time any rumor like that happened. When has Apple ever shown a desire to compete for the lowest common denominator? Their last generation product always has been the entry level. I can't see this changing.

Two phones? Possible I guess. Apple's entire product portfolio is built around simplicity. Two phones move away from that. It's entirely possible though since they did it with the iPad and iPod.

There's not a ton more you can do from a hardware perspective. What I'd really like to see is battery life. As in BATTERY LIFE. Calling, web browsing, with wifi and bluetooth on and it gets through a work day. There's also a ton of room for software improvements.

Location based settings (ie turn on wifi in X location) would be great. Actually good voice quality, a speakerphone that isn't useless, a unified color scheme for the thing so the app icons don't seem so ugly, etc. Making search work better, better task integration, etc would be great. Giving it a separate volume for the alarm, a temporary voicemail greeting, ability to access call history while on the phone would be helpful.

Another great thing would be for Apple to take the lead on web browsing. Allow for users to set a switch that lets the browser choose between mobile pages and regular pages. I want to see regular web pages. Not some stupid mobile page with 3 words on every damn line.

They'll probably just make it marginally thinner and keep the battery life the same though.

 

[Tyrion]

Rumored cheapo apple? Yeah, when's the last time any rumor like that happened. When has Apple ever shown a desire to compete for the lowest common denominator? Their last generation product always has been the entry level. I can't see this changing.

Two phones? Possible I guess. Apple's entire product portfolio is built around simplicity. Two phones move away from that. It's entirely possible though since they did it with the iPad and iPod.

There's not a ton more you can do from a hardware perspective. What I'd really like to see is battery life. As in BATTERY LIFE. Calling, web browsing, with wifi and bluetooth on and it gets through a work day. There's also a ton of room for software improvements.

Location based settings (ie turn on wifi in X location) would be great. Actually good voice quality, a speakerphone that isn't useless, a unified color scheme for the thing so the app icons don't seem so ugly, etc. Making search work better, better task integration, etc would be great. Giving it a separate volume for the alarm, a temporary voicemail greeting, ability to access call history while on the phone would be helpful.

Another great thing would be for Apple to take the lead on web browsing. Allow for users to set a switch that lets the browser choose between mobile pages and regular pages. I want to see regular web pages. Not some stupid mobile page with 3 words on every damn line.

They'll probably just make it marginally thinner and keep the battery life the same though.

I basically agree with all your points. Just to clarify: I'm not invested in the "cheap iPhone" rumor; I certainly wouldn't buy one, but if they do it right and market it well it might be a big win. I know people who on principle refuse to pay for cell phones - they'll always choose from the range of (crappy) phones which they can get for free on contract. Not because they're poor or stingy but quite simply because the idea of shelling out money for a cell phone is alien to them. Hell, my mother got a 3GS when the 4S was already out even though I'd advised her against it - she just seemed to think paying for a cell phone was silly. Surprise surprise, she hates the sluggish thing. Apple might do well to reach these customers with something other than dusty previous gen phones. At least where I live, the iPhone is just not part of that range of phones that can be had for free on contract; you might be able to get it for free if you pick the most expensive contract (which the people in question won't) or you might get a previous gen iPhone for free, which isn't a very attractive proposition either (see above). So this is a segment of the market in which Apple simply aren't represented, or at least they're not represented in a way that does their ecosystem justice (if your first exposure to iOS came about in, say, early 2012 on a freaking 3GS you weren't exactly getting a positive impression of the platform). Maybe they're not interested in competing in that segment - fair enough. I do think they should give it a whirl though. Make a slightly less flashy phone, give it a good off contract price and make it available on all carriers for free on contract. I think it would do pretty well.

I'd also like to reaffirm that I think a segmentation of the iPhone line into two devices of different size would be a good idea going forward. I like iOS, I've invested a ton of money into apps, I have no particular interest in Android or WP - but I'm incredibly tired of my 4S' postage stamp sized screen, and I don't find the "extra row of icons" on the iPhone 5 enticing at all. FFS Apple, just let me shell out for a 5"-iPhone with killer resolution! Offer the damn phone as four-incher and a five-incher so everyone can decide what they want. End of story, end of countless threads on Macrumors in which we bicker about screen sizes and one-handed operability.

I share pretty much all of your wishes BTW, especially when it comes to battery life

 

[awegew]

Apple has no interest in addressing the low end of the market. They're more than happy to do what they do in the computer world, leave the low end scraps for whatever company wants to have a constant low margin business.

Two models seems reasonable. It's a big change for them and the summer isn't that far away. I think there'd be some noise in the channel if they were sourcing a ton of screens of two different sizes. Who knows though. I get your point. I like the iPhone 4 size. It's an actual phone. I know other people like bigger phones.

 

[wxman2003]

I'm still trying to think what real improvements need to be made with smartphones, not just apple. What do most people use smartphones for now? Texting, phone calls, picture taking, music and a few apps. So, better camera is always useful. Bigger and better screen, for some yes, others no, so variety is screen size and quality is good. Better apps, yes as many could be vastly improved, which usually means a better os and/or processor. Then the carriers need to make major improvements to create a better user experience. They need to improve voice quality, improve their networks to eliminate dead spots, weak signals, slow data and so on, and quit gouging the customers. The biggest killer to smartphones and their perceived quality is usually the fault of the mobile providers.

 

[maxosx]

I wonder if Apple will move outside of their comfort zone and include a wider screen, not just another stretch job.

Yet they'd be sacrificing their "unique" moniker

They now have the advantage of knowing exactly what comprises a SGS 4, how Apple responds will be quite interesting.

 

[lordofthereef]

This is more a list I think I would like. It's more what I would like to see in iOS 7. I'm relatively happy twitch the size of the phone. But ten I do have multiple phones, so my situation is a bit different than most.

1. Adding things to widgets. I feel this would just make sense. Right now we can add what, five items? It would be great to add things like toggles. Why we can't have quick access to toggles is beyond me...

2. Allowing us to do something with our "junk apps" folder. I think it's pretty safe to say that the majority of users has a junk folder? Why? Where is the elegance? And why am I forced to have a newstand folder all on its own?

I could go on, but I'm only listing realistic options. Nothing above is crazy or "not apple-like".

 

[Tyrion]

I'm still trying to think what real improvements need to be made with smartphones, not just apple. What do most people use smartphones for now? Texting, phone calls, picture taking, music and a few apps. So, better camera is always useful. Bigger and better screen, for some yes, others no, so variety is screen size and quality is good. Better apps, yes as many could be vastly improved, which usually means a better os and/or processor. Then the carriers need to make major improvements to create a better user experience. They need to improve voice quality, improve their networks to eliminate dead spots, weak signals, slow data and so on, and quit gouging the customers. The biggest killer to smartphones and their perceived quality is usually the fault of the mobile providers.

Basically, a modern smartphone is a computer. I hardly ever use my 4S to call people - however, I do use it to write, read, share, consume, play etc. Those are the areas in which Apple can do better, both in terms of software and hardware. File management on iOS is a pain, apps can't really share data, and there's a lack of easily glanceable information. I get it, Apple want the entire user experience to be app-centric, but I think we've reached a point where we can at least give people a choice in this particular matter. Personally, when I unlock my phone, I don't really want to stare at a screen full of static icons. I'd much prefer the Android philosophy when it comes to the home screen: make it customizable with glanceable information and put the apps into a different "drawer" - most of the time you'll see what you want to see on the home screen, thus negating the need to even open an app. On the iPhone, I have to dig around in apps all the time, even just to toggle Wifi...