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Well that home button isn't going anywhere.


Unfortunately you are probably right. :(

However we can't say that for sure yet. There have been a lot of good ideas for it's replacement assuming those ideas are technically possible.
 
Unfortunately you are probably right. :(

However we can't say that for sure yet. There have been a lot of good ideas for it's replacement assuming those ideas are technically possible.

I know a lot of people speculated before about the home button being removed, but the fingerprint sensor basically confirmed that it's here to stay. I don't have an issue with it myself.
 
I know a lot of people speculated before about the home button being removed, but the fingerprint sensor basically confirmed that it's here to stay. I don't have an issue with it myself.


Not necessarily.

The technology will be around for a while but moving it to behind the screen is always a possibility. Apple already has a couple patents with that sort of tech. The 5S is the only iDevice with it.

I think you are correct just pointing out there is always the possibility.
 
Hmm the problem here is not that I have to use 2 hands, occasionally this wil happen anyway, especially when sitting or laying down.
I just also want to be able to take the thing out of my pocket, quickly type in my passcode, answer to a text and lock and pock it again.
You can't do this efficiently with a Note 3 or Galaxy S4/5, these phones break the fundamentals of what I think a smartphone should be.

I think it's a pitty that apple is now forced to cave to this mainstream sort of popularity, I am also not happy as a starting game developer, meaning i'll have more resolutions to work with. I like the 4 inches i'd be okay with 4.3 aswell but anything bigger is just not going to cut it for me.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Face it, big screens are coming whether you like it or not.
 
Why are people so inherently adverse to change? Apple will do whatever they want and if they release a larger screened iPhone and you prefer the smaller screen, then don't buy the new one. No one is going to be holding a gun to your head to force you to buy the new one and your current iPhone won't suddenly stop working just because a new iPhone is released. Quit all the whining. You don't see me whining about Apple not making a larger screened iPhone currently. I just bought a Lumia 920 to supplement my iPhone and called it a day.

As to the OP's topic: I think Apple will release a larger screened iPhone this year. And personally I'm really looking forward to it. They might not necessarily need to release a larger screened iPhone, but I think they realise it's in their best interests to have one.
 
If Apple fails to release a larger screened iPhone this year then the new iPhone will still become the 'best selling iPhone ever'.

Screens larger than the iPhone have been around for a while and it hasn't slowed Apple down yet. I think too many of you people get caught up in those "Android marketshare" articles and assume that the majority of that percentage is made up of high end devices (HTC One, GS4, etc.). In reality it's mostly cheaper, low-spec, small screen Androids. There's a reason why most Android OEMs never report sales figures. Because they're too embarrassing.

Apple will be fine no matter what they release this year.
 
Apple will definitely release a larger iPhone.

I thought that when the 5 came out so I'm not assuming it's true this time. I want it to be true. I want to believe everything I read. But in the back of my mind I'm skeptical. I can't see them going with the 4.7" and 5.5" that are being reported. To get rid of the 4" would alienate a lot of people who love the current size (a size Apple themselves seem to be hung up on). If we do get a larger iPhone I would guess it'll be one, in addition to the current size.

I hope they see that they're losing a LOT of people. The only smartphones I've ever owned have been iPhones. I don't really want to jump ship but I consider it more and more each year. I really just want a bigger screen.

If they don't come out with one this year I'll give a serious look to the new HTC One. That's the only non-iPhone phone I'd even consider. If they do come out with one I'll be camping out the night before.
 
Why are people so inherently adverse to change? Apple will do whatever they want and if they release a larger screened iPhone and you prefer the smaller screen, then don't buy the new one. No one is going to be holding a gun to your head to force you to buy the new one and your current iPhone won't suddenly stop working just because a new iPhone is released. Quit all the whining. You don't see me whining about Apple not making a larger screened iPhone currently. I just bought a Lumia 920 to supplement my iPhone and called it a day.

As to the OP's topic: I think Apple will release a larger screened iPhone this year. And personally I'm really looking forward to it. They might not necessarily need to release a larger screened iPhone, but I think they realise it's in their best interests to have one.

I am not inherently adverse against change, I simply loath fragmentation. Since iPhones virtually offer no fragmentation whatsoever it's my go to phone. This will change that. Another thing is that screensizes are a matter of preference, I wouldn't like it when the iPhone 6 comes out simply because I want to keep using iPhone, but not with a larger display, small is fine for me. This has nothing to do with being adverse against change.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Face it, big screens are coming whether you like it or not.

I've faced it, however I like expressing my opinion concerning the matter. As you may have noticed, I disagree.
 
I know a lot of people speculated before about the home button being removed, but the fingerprint sensor basically confirmed that it's here to stay. I don't have an issue with it myself.

Not necessarily.

The technology will be around for a while but moving it to behind the screen is always a possibility. Apple already has a couple patents with that sort of tech. The 5S is the only iDevice with it.

I think you are correct just pointing out there is always the possibility.

Really, they can keep the home button and increase the display size to 4.7" without adding much size to the device overall provided they trim down the bezels.....

Halve the side bezels and get rid of about 0.3" on the top and bottom total and all they'd have to add is 0.15" to both dimensions to get that 0.7" display increase.

3.84 mm - most people wouldn't really notice.

----------

I am not inherently adverse against change, I simply loath fragmentation. Since iPhones virtually offer no fragmentation whatsoever it's my go to phone. This will change that. Another thing is that screensizes are a matter of preference, I wouldn't like it when the iPhone 6 comes out simply because I want to keep using iPhone, but not with a larger display, small is fine for me. This has nothing to do with being adverse against change.



I've faced it, however I like expressing my opinion concerning the matter. As you may have noticed, I disagree.

My guess - Apple will have a plan in place to take care of any fragmentation. They've historically made it easy on devs and tout the ecosystem of optimized apps as a huge selling point.

If they move to a more standard resolution (like 1600x900 or 1920x1080), which is likely in a larger device (500+ ppi screens just aren't here yet), they'll have a solution in place to minimize the affect on apps and devs. Now I have no idea what that would be but, that's why Apple is the multi-billion dollar tech company and I'm a sales person.
 
larger screen doesn't automatically mean larger (wider) phone

using a ruler across my 5, i reckon if they keep the same aspect ratio screen but lost any bezel, then the 4" screen can be upgraded to 4.5".
this would be my preferred method of having a bigger screen but with no increase in actual phone size.

they could also widen the phone by a 1/2" and keep same aspect ration screen with no bezel, and this would allow a 5" screen to fit in (but would force home button, front camera, speaker, etc up/down, to avoid increasing the phone length)

i'd much prefer the 4.5" screen method. i don't want a massive phone. especially since i need to have a decent protective cover all round it. i don't want an even longer/taller phone, cos i think the 5/5S is long enough already.


ps. to all the people telling others to quit moaning and don't buy the new phone if its a bigger screen, well guess what? if the iPhone range because too big for a lot of people to use one handed/ comfortably/ etc, then they lose access to the apple ecosystem that they have bought into through apps/media purchases through the years
 
Phones need to compact and easily used with 1 hand, when I can no longer do the task with 1 hand i'll switch to an iPad or a Computer.
Yeah... I don't understand the push to larger and larger formats. I wouldn't consider anything larger than the iPhone 5 range. I'd imagine that ridiculously large phones – I'm looking at you, Samsung – are chewing into the ≤8" tablet market, too.
 
If Apple launch a larger phone, I will need to get a larger hand!

No surprise I vote for the next iphone to stay the same size. The only benefit I can see with a larger iphone is better battery.
 
iOS isn't designed very well for one handed use. A larger screen only makes it more obvious.
 
I am not inherently adverse against change, I simply loath fragmentation. Since iPhones virtually offer no fragmentation whatsoever it's my go to phone. This will change that. Another thing is that screensizes are a matter of preference, I wouldn't like it when the iPhone 6 comes out simply because I want to keep using iPhone, but not with a larger display, small is fine for me. This has nothing to do with being adverse against change.

I'd say the difference you actually give a reason for not wanting the larger phone. Your post doesn't come off as a knee jerk reaction like most I see here when the topic of a larger screened iPhone comes up.

I can definitely see your point of view and it's actually something I've considered myself. I've been wondering what resolution Apple will decide on to make this change as painless as possible (because they like keeping changes relatively painless if it's in their control). I would expect either 1080p or a doubled resolution of the current screen (2272x1280). Both cases would keep the 16:9 aspect ratio, but the second option of doubling the screen resolution would be the easiest option and is something Apple has done that in the past. Plus then by using the doubled resolution would allow Apple to say it is higher than 1080p, thus making the term "retina" screen mean something again. Whether or not 1080p or higher resolution screens are necessary on smartphones is an entirely other debate.
 
iOS isn't designed very well for one handed use. A larger screen only makes it more obvious.

This is a completely unfounded statement, the display is small enough to use with 1 one hand, therefore the OS doesn't need to be modified greatly to be used for 1 hand. Instead the iOS works great with 2 hands, but is fine for 1. Something which a Note 3 or Galaxy S4 severely lack.
 
This is a completely unfounded statement, the display is small enough to use with 1 one hand, therefore the OS doesn't need to be modified greatly to be used for 1 hand. Instead the iOS works great with 2 hands, but is fine for 1. Something which a Note 3 or Galaxy S4 severely lack.


The back button alone on iOS is usually upper left in Apple apps and 3rd party apps. This requires use of the entire screen (if right handed).

When I used competing mobile OS's I didn't have to use the opposite corner from where my hand was as often. Dedicated back buttons and menu buttons at the bottom and such. Obviously this wasn't always the case and depended on the device.

You can have a 6" screen if you only use the bottom 3" of the screen a majority of the time.

I think it would be nice most apps were like Safari that use the bottom because of back at the bottom and gestures. But apps like messages, settings, FmF, etc all require full screen use plus the majority of my 3rd party apps.

OSX utilizes gestures better and screen size is irrelevant.

Reaching across 4" is a stretch. Much bigger without a modification of iOS would be tough. At the very least a lot of people would need to adjust the phone in their hand quite frequently.
 
Apple used a 3.5 inch screen for five generations (OG, 3G, 3Gs, 4, and 4s) before they made a change. Don't be so quick to assume they will increase the size again after just two (5 and 5s) just because you think the market craves it.

Keep in mind that there weren't many phones larger than 3.5" until around the time of the 4. So it took Apple another couple generations to catch up.

Personally, I'll have a very difficult time upgrading to the iPhone 6 if the screen size is under 4.7" and if I had my way, we'd see something 5.3" or bigger. I have an iPad mini and love it but would love to go to a 5.3 to 5.7" phone and not worry about the mini any more.

I've been a HUGE Apple supporter since the iPhone 3G and have purchased every phone, 2 computers and 2 iPads since then. My personal needs for a bigger phone may surpass my loyalty to Apple if they stick with a 4" device. A couple friends have the Note 3 and I'd love something that size. It fits in my pocket and would allow me to ditch the iPad. Of course Apple probably doesn't want people picking one device or the other. If I had to place a bet, I'd say we'll see something around 5.3"
 
I have a 5S. If Apple releases a 4.5 inch screen, I'll probably think about upgrading for a long time....oh, maybe 3-4 seconds. If it is 4.7 I will be in line early.
 
I think if they can pull off a slightly larger screen without having to blow up the physical dimensions, I'll be happy. There is a bit of bezel they could afford to skim off in order to achieve this. I think the increments of .5 inches would slowly acclimate the customer base to bigger screens.

Only other option I see that is feasible would be to carry two different sizes. One of moderate size (4'-4.5') and one of a larger stature (5'-5.5'). Though you'd most certainly come across app incompatibilities thus fracturing the ecosystem.

We shall see what path they choose.
 
The back button alone on iOS is usually upper left in Apple apps and 3rd party apps. This requires use of the entire screen (if right handed).

I have a theory that Apple introduced the swiping gesture in iOS 7 for that very reason. They could introduce a larger screen and it's much easier to swipe across to go back than to reach the top corner.
 
I am in no need for a larger screen. If the screen gets larger but the phone size stays exactly the same, I will be content, but if the device gets larger I won't be entirely happy. I really do not see the need, its a phone.

(Yes I know its technically more than just a phone, but if you need something bigger, get an iPad mini.)

I completely agree with everything you said. If I want to watch a video or something on a bigger screen, I'll reach for my rMini. I am kind of hoping that Apple releases a new iPhone in different screen sizes.

But like I said before, if the iPhone gets larger, I'll probably stick with my 5S. I have no intentions on jumping ship to Android.
 
If they don't I'm still getting the next iPhone in December when my upgrade is on Verizon. If they do I will be more than happy to still buy it. Every phone has gotten bigger. I think apple will follow.
 
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