Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
This does not seem likely for the 5s at all. Unless Apple's iPhone sales were crashing and they had to make a drastic change, which is not the case, we can pretty much call BS on this one.

That said, this could make sense for the iPhone 6. I personally wouldn't mind seeing the screen size bumped up a bit, by squeezing as much screen real estate out of the form factor. If the phone grows by a couple millimeters to make the screen easier to read, that's fine with me.
 
Wasn't the point of "retina" reaching the limit of what the eye can distinguish? I for one can't see pixels on my 5 no matter how closely I look (let alone in normal usage). Going beyond that point isn't just useless, it's an actual negative, as there will be costs to power consumption and manufacturing cost.
 
Pixelphobe people are odd. They always come in with impassioned arguments about more pixels can't bee seen, the strain on the OS is too much, people watch from long distances..

And they are always wrong. ... 24mp cameras are better than 6mp ones .... Same with the phone. More is better.

The camera part is nonsense. For the typical cheap camera with a tiny sensor, six megapixels is the best resolution, and any additional pixels just add more noise because there just isn't enough light to make these pixels work properly.
 
It seems like Apple has a software problem if they can't scale their iOS to any fractional resolution multiplier. This is 2013, all OS elements should be resolution independent (i.e., vector based) and scaling algorithms advanced enough to smoothly scale the OS to any pixel dimensions required.
 
how can you all say it doesn't make sense? all the competition has far higher dpi in there screens than the iPhone. Does apple really want to be left behind???

Because the competition did not make dubious claims about 330ppi being a "retina" level? If current displays have retina resolution by the very definition increasing this resolution (let alone doubling it) makes absolutely no sense (that is unless Apple want to admit that they lied). Besides while competition made a meaningful transition to 1080p resolution doubling current iPhone resolution could be explained only by the deficiency of iOS which does not have a flexible way for handling various screen resolutions.
 
Last edited:
Wasn't the point of "retina" reaching the limit of what the eye can distinguish? I for one can't see pixels on my 5 no matter how closely I look (let alone in normal usage). Going beyond that point isn't just useless, it's an actual negative, as there will be costs to power consumption and manufacturing cost.

You may not be able to see pixels, but that doesn't mean an image cannot look better. For example, with 200 dpi, I can draw lines that are 1/200th inch thick, or 2/200th inch thick, or 3/200 inch thick and so on. With 300 dpi, I can draw lines that are 1/300th inch thick or 2/300th inch, so there are two possible widths below 1/100th inch and not only one.
 
Think outside the box, people!

All of you have missed the obvious conclusion: Apple is going to a higher resolution on its iOS devices in order to drive sales of its soon to be introduced first product of their secret new biological division. Apple is going to sell us higher resolution eyes!
 
Unless they make the screen larger this is pretty pointless. Not to mention the iphone 5 battery life isnt that great I can only imagine how much worse it would be with that many more pixels to push.
 
I would really like to see this happen. Personally, I am liking the screens on the new android phones better than the iPhone. To all those saying that there is no point: The point is that the iPhone is supposed to be (if they want to maintain their reputation) the best phone available on the market.

I really hope that the development of the iPhone hardware never becomes driven by what devs feel is needed, or by market research, or by anything other than an unquenchable desire to produce the absolute best device.

I think it is time for the iPhone to make a step-change in terms of quality. Instead of returning all those billions to investors, how about putting the money toward developing a phone with these specs:
-Doubled screen resolution
-Larger screen
-10 hour battery life
-NFC (with iWallet - partnership with major retailers and credit companies that allows phone to function as credit card)
-Fingerprint scanner
-Increased partnership with auto companies to further integrate iPhone into driving experience.
-App icons provide live information
-Widgets that run over the top of other apps (able to text, check weather, take photos, etc.) without closing current app.
-Spotify Premium - like music service. (Free with new phone contract?)

I realize that making a phone with the specs above is a lot, but you can make quite a bit happen with a billion dollars! It's been quite a while since Apple did anything truley remarkable. Come on Apple! Make my day! :D:D
 
You may not be able to see pixels, but that doesn't mean an image cannot look better. For example, with 200 dpi, I can draw lines that are 1/200th inch thick, or 2/200th inch thick, or 3/200 inch thick and so on. With 300 dpi, I can draw lines that are 1/300th inch thick or 2/300th inch, so there are two possible widths below 1/100th inch and not only one.

Are you saying that 1080p Android phones have better screens than iPhone?
 
Doesn't seem likely. Apple isn't the type of company would put in a feature like this just for the sale of having it on the spec sheet. It would actually need to be something that consumers can get some use out of.
 
I give the screen trend 3 or 4 years until people begin realizing that monstrous sized phones are unnecessary and inconvenient.
I give it about a year before Apple realizes that people want bigger screens. It's not a gimmick, though you've rationalized it as such. When you get used to what more screen real estate offers, it's difficult to go back. Kinda like getting a 27" or 30" desktop monitor. :D

Screen size tops the list of what Apple has to offer before I buy another iPhone. Closely following that is a modern keyboard. Goddammit Apple, just go license the SwiftKey one and call it good. Every time I use my old iPhone 5 (which is now my wife's) I feel a little sympathy for iPhone users that they're still being forced to use old tech under the guise of stability and simplicity. Maybe Ives' modernization will address a lot of this.
 
Guys whos to say that they wont INCREASE the iphone screen size but keep the same exact looking body?! maybe this could be a good possibility? like a 4.3 inch screen or a 4.5 inch screen with this bumped up resolution?

and then the iphone 6 will follow suit after with the same screen size but radical design change again??!
 
The new Über-Retina Display.

"There's no *********'n way your retina can discern the individual pixels."
 
How about 1920x1280 -- double the iPhone 4s screen. Don't have an iPhone 5, but have certainly played around with them. The added length seems kind of pointless without added width. Admit the 5 was a mistake, go back to the original ratio, but make the screen bigger.
 
Maybe what they hope to achieve is sell a magnification accessory that would make the screen look bigger, and remain crisp, without being much larger. It would remind of my old Gameboy™ and Sega Game Gear days.
 
The iPhone 5t will have a screen 1.5 times the size of the phone. The iPhone 5t will have a blue, box like appearance. On the back of the phone, there will be a sign, "iPhone 5t. Free for public use..."
 
One possible method would be to increase the iPhone 5's pixel density by a factor of 1.5 in each dimension, yielding a 1704 x 960 display which would include 1.6 million pixels at a density of approximately 489 pixels per inch (PPI). Scaling existing content to the higher-density display would, however, be imperfect given the fractional multiplier.
This resolution is perfectly possible.

While the iPhone 5's screen has a 1136 x 640 resolution, effectively it is only a 568 by 320 resolution (iPhone 4S' is effectively 480 x 320).

Rather than providing a "2x resolution"-image for Retina devices, a developer would need to provide a "3x resolution" for 'Retina+' devices.

It is possible. Believe.

And I'm really excited about the rumours I'm hearing. While I am not planning to buy an iPhone 5S or such, I'm really excited to hear that Apple seems to be innovating again. A fingerprint scanner... a display with the highest pixel density on a phone thus far... - that's just awesome!
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.