I'm sad to admit this, but there are few people on this planet who have given more thought about the iPhone's 3.5" screen more than myself. (Apple employees excluded.)
I've been an iPhone user since 2008 and I started to have a strong desire for a larger screen about a year later. I've been waiting for one ever since.
The 3.5" screen, despite its awesome retina display, is simply too small. I am forced to either squint or navigate using pinch to zoom or double-tap too much. Also, the main page of websites like Huffington Post or NY Times are almost unreadable on the current iPhone screen. I would like to be able to log onto the main page of those sites and not fret. Right now, I can't do that.
Android devices, to date, are still not up to par with respect to crispness of the text. This has to do with the pixel density. A 4" screen or larger is useless to me if the text isn't as clearly readable as my iPhone 4. To benefit from a larger screen, IMO, you need both more real estate and a pixel density that matches or exceeds the current retina display.
What drives me insane are people that insist that the 3.5" is perfect. It isn't. I repeat, it is not. Sure, it's a good size for holding in one hand (important) and I'm certainly very happy right now with my iPhone 4. But are you telling me that a 4" display that is just as good as the current 3.5" retina display would not be better? PLEASE.
An iPhone with a 4" retina display, I believe, would be roughly equal in form factor to the current iPhone. So making a case that a "bigger" iPhone is a bad thing isn't even up for debate with respect to that.
A 4" retina display means a superior web browsing experience, a better gaming experiencing, a better email device, a better on-screen keyboard, a better FaceTime experience.
People also like to bring up "battery life". I could be wrong here but is it really crazy to think that Apple could find a way to keep the battery life on par with the iPhone 4S and still provide a 4" screen? I don't think so.
John Gruber recently
brought up the idea of a 4" screen and essentially yelled at his readers for even desiring such a thing. His ridiculous insistence that a 4" screen makes no sense has led me to delete Daring Fireball from my bookmarks. I realize now that he is, without question, the ultimate
Apple apologist.
I do not apologize for sharing so many words on the subject. The madness that Apple never needs to give us a 4" screen is absurd. I'm not asking for 4.3" or 4.5" or anything bigger. I just want a 4" retina display iPhone. So do countless others. I don't think there is a reason not to provide consumers with such a thing at some point.
And before you rush to reply with the fact that the iPhone 4S is selling so well in pre-orders let me tell you this: You can only sit on your hands for so long when you are on top. It is inevitable that Android will offer a similar model to what I am desiring. (4" retina-like display.) Many consumers (and not just tech geeks) are already clamoring for a larger display on their iPhone's. The reason why so many people were pissed that the redesign did not happen was because they love everything about their iPhone (except for that size screen).
The iPhone 4/4S has a great screen. But no, it is not PERFECT. It could be so much better.
