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I use an iPhone 6 Plus and as expected, I can't reach the far end of the screen either. Apple has addressed this in two ways. UI changes and gestures that allow you to rarely have to reach in the top corner. An example of this is the slide from left gesture to go back which would usually be a button in the top corner. Many devs have increasingly taken advantage of this. Failing that, double tapping the home button brings the screen down within reach. Screen size is becoming less of an issue for one handed use.

Maybe that's fine for you. For many of us it's not just about he height of the screen. I can't reach the right-hand third of the keyboard on the iPhone 6 without dropping it. That makes it unusable in a lot of situations for me - I'm frequently holding a subway or bus like or a bag of groceries or whatnot in one hand when I have to type with the other.

You 4 inchers drive me mad.

Im sitting here at work in my vehicle having some food watching some netflix on my 6s plus 5.5 inch screen. Its just like being at home with my huge screen.

Good luck doing that with your tiny 4 inch.

So because you personally like to watch video on a phablet I shouldn't have the option to buy a phone I can hold in one hand and fit in a pocket? Why does the existence of a 4" phone chafe you so badly?
 
LOL... As Apple fanboys claims beachmark does not mean anything (of course it means something when Apple is in advantage, what double standard idiots). iOS 9 is already lag fast, throw in 2K display iOS 9 will self expload... LOL

SO…

Benchmarks… don't mean anything.

Real world usage… don't mean anything.

Android fanboys are ridiculous!
 
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iPhone is NOT a car. And I'm not the engineer? 16 GB is nothing these days. 32 GB should be the base model these days. I'm sure Apple can afford it. Apple makes the shareholders happy. How about making the customer happy for a change.

I think most people understand the iPhone is not a car. But like a lot of consumer goods, from TVs to stereos to washing machines to cars, more money buys you more features within a manufacturer's product line.

That said, you have not made an argument as to why 32 GB should be the base model, other than that's what you think it should be.

It make sense for Apple to offer a 16 GB base model because many people just want a basic smartphone and do not make videos, or have large photo/music libraries. 16 GB is the perfect solution. Why make many people that can do just fine with 16 GB pay more for something that will not be used? From an engineering perspective, that's stupid.

If you need more storage the solution is simple (as it is if you need a car with more features). Pay for it. Or buy another brand. Easy.
 
So then only the iOS devices made in the last couple of years will be able to run it? I'm sure Apple won't be so quick to render most of their current active products obsolete. The goal should be to make operating systems more efficient so that they can run well on even lower spec devices.

I'm not saying iOS 10 as a whole will require 2GB of RAM to operate, but it will have features that only the 2GB phones can use. Why else do we need 2GB? For more active Safari tabs?

Look at multitasking on the iPads. All of the iPads with 2GB or greater of RAM got split view. iPad Air, which is only two years old didn't get it. iPad Air 3 is a year old and didn't even get it. Newer products get the good stuff. Apple wants people to upgrade / switch over.
 
I am amazed at how many people have adapted smartphones for texting and light email.
Most people use other apps as well. People seem to forget that the phone than started the modern app trend had an even smaller screen than 4". I have about 100 apps on my phone that I actually use and they all work just as well on my old 5S as on my 6. The only things I have found that really benefit from bigger screens are watching video, web browsing and gaming. Personally I'm not interested in doing any of this on a regular basis on a phone (that's what I have a tablet for ;)). For the phone, my priority is portability.
 
While I don't know what metric you are using to conclude the 5C was a failure, that phone was also basically last year's phone in a new plastic shell. This phone, if rumors are true, is a smaller 6s, which is something people seem to actually be asking for.

The release time is what has me scratching my head. Not sure what to think about that.

I don't believe it was a failure at all. Anectdotally I still see a lot of them in use.

But it did improve over the iP5, having better radios, and other minor improvements. This rumor of increased battery capacity is interesting, as it suggests that the new 4" iPhone will have enhancements over the 6S in the same way, if not all of the same features (much like the 6S Plus has more features than the 6S). I fully expect the new 4" phone to be as thin as the 6S cases but in the relative 5S size, so the idea they are able to squeeze much of the 6S components into a thinner 5S-sized case, and increase the battery capacity, raises some interesting questions about how they did that. Could this new phone be an experiment in eliminating the 3.5mm headphone jack?

If this is a pre-7, especially if the 7 release is also getting moved up to the Summer as a rumor suggests, then it could be a way to get a major change like removing the headphone jack out in front of the 7 launch, so it will be old news by the time the major release comes. If the 7 stays in September, this could easily be a way to boost iPhone sales between annual refreshes. Also, considering the Retina MacBook, Watch, TV, and iPad Pro/Pencil were all major releases this year, perhaps the simple answer is that Apple simply wanted to defer their reimagining of the 4" form factor until they had more time to focus on it -- particularly now that Apple doesn't just have one size phone to update every year, but two, and now in four colors. I still think the 5c came about because Apple did not yet have the infrastructure to build two metal-cased phones, since presumably the cheapest thing to do should have been to keep selling the 5 with no changes. So the simplest answer is that they just didn't have the resources to manufacture 3 sizes of phones, and hit production yields for anticipated sales, particularly at the expense of their premium models. And no matter how you slice it, the new 4" iPhone will cost less than the flagship phones.

Also a mid-cycle refresh gives them the best of both worlds in that they can boost the specs over their current flagship phone, but the smaller display prevents cannibalization, and allows it to sell with reasonable specs adjacent to the future flagship replacement so they can still charge a premium for the privilege of carrying a smaller screen. Those who want a smaller screen are not just going to upgrade to a larger phone over price. It's hard to say from the various surveys just how large a group want to carry smaller phones, but it's likely the minority, and so will sell less and cost relatively more than the larger better selling phones.
 
I think they'll move to a two storage size model like the iPad Pro, e.g.:

iPhone 6c:
16GB: $599 64GB: $699

iPhone 7:
32GB: $699 128GB: $849

iPhone 7 Plus:
32GB: $799 128GB: $949

Also, people complaining about the base model starting at 16GB should wait until we know the actual prices... As long as higher storage tiers are offered (which is 99% likely), complaining about the 16GB model is equivalent to wishing it was $100 cheaper, which makes no sense until we know the price.
I would love to see this storage model. It would simplify their SKU's as well.
 
I always thought Apple intended the size of the iPhone to be closer to the original 3.5 to 4 inches. Mostly because I think it was supposed to be the evolution and next ultimate successor to the iPod, as the dimensions were more aligned with the popular iconic music player. Apple only caved in to making it larger for the iPhone 5 and 6 series, because it needed to stand up to Samsung. And show they can play with the big screen boys if they wanted to. When seeing people holding the iPhone on the subway, especially the recent newer models, it helps the growth of the company as other riders can see how tall and elegantly thin the iPhone can be nowadays, compared to the competition. Placement of the apple logo in the back is pure marketing to potential customers, and gets the brand embedded into the mind of people. Apple knew it had to increase market share, by making the iPhone taller and more visible to the crowd. Nowadays when I see people holding the iPhone 4/4s gives the impression that it is small, and doesn’t show as much visually that it can stand against the larger Samsung Android from the perspective of the public eye, although I do think it is definately more portable, but that argument doesn’t seem strong enough visually these days when you still see people holding it in the hand, since back in the early days, the idea was anything smaller was cool. Personally I like the iPhone 6 as the perfect size. The iPhone 5 series is overall good for many people already, but I just find it a little too narrow. I understand their logic when they moved towards the slightly taller 4 inch as a good middle ground. Over the years, Apple ironically might have been pleased that someone in the competition is making their gigantic screen smartphones popular, even though it is very cumbersome to hold them around, as it possibly makes the challenges of R&D and battery a little easier for them, when making newer iPhone models with the supposed so called "improvements".
 
LOL... As Apple fanboys claims beachmark does not mean anything (of course it means something when Apple is in advantage, what double standard idiots). iOS 9 is already lag fast, throw in 2K display iOS 9 will self expload... LOL
Hmmm funny, here I thought 6+/6S+ already had a 2K display
 
Hmmm funny, here I thought 6+/6S+ already had a 2K display


Dude... iPhone 6S does not even have full HD. It is good 720P, which is pretty low end in Android world, but apparently it is high end in iOS world. If you never hold phone with full HD, do yourself a favour and get a phone wtih Full HD screen. Pop up a high resolution picture and you will see the difference with 100% crop. Some details are just to there with 720P screen.

iPhone 6S has full HD, then you do samething with full HD and 2K display. Sony just made 4K smartphone, check out the comparison done by MKDHB..

Though, general day to day usage, iPhone's screen should be fine, but when i am paying premium for iPhone, I am expecting better display.
 
Dude... iPhone 6S does not even have full HD. It is good 720P, which is pretty low end in Android world, but apparently it is high end in iOS world. If you never hold phone with full HD, do yourself a favour and get a phone wtih Full HD screen. Pop up a high resolution picture and you will see the difference with 100% crop. Some details are just to there with 720P screen.

iPhone 6S has full HD, then you do samething with full HD and 2K display. Sony just made 4K smartphone, check out the comparison done by MKDHB..

Though, general day to day usage, iPhone's screen should be fine, but when i am paying premium for iPhone, I am expecting better display.
Bro, I'm not debating that I would like to see a 1080p screen on the 4.7 phone but I just was pointing out that the 1920 x 1080 screen on the + is "technically" 2K. If 3840 x 2160 can be called 4K, then 1920 x1080 can be called 2K.
Edit: I'm guessing you were trying to say 2560 x 1440 but I just would like to see 400ppi nothing much more.
 
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Doubling down on security again?

Honestly, with so many people in the supply chain, I'm surprised that the leaks are as low as what they are.
Doubling down is a one-time event. So given the age of the quote from Tim Cook, the doubling down event was over a long time ago. If he had said "doubling our effort", then you could hold him to it. Doubling down expires as soon as the next card is dealt.
 
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Another phone that will become a game changer for Apple! Apple keeps moving the cutting edge on smartphones. Who ever would have thought of creating a 4" iPhone but Apple!

Cannot wait to have the specs officially confirmed!
 
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If it sports the A9, then it can be quite attractive, especially at the price point of the current 5S.

I still kinda think it would be just the 6th gen iPod Touch with a phone, which follows the trend of having the lowest tier iPhone using an SoC 2 generations behind. Then again, that would not attract me (unless Apple goes all out with the colors).

A 4" A9 running phone, I think it will be a very nice phone. Performance would arguably be even better than the 6S due to the smaller and lesser resolution screen. I think adding 3D touch on this would not be a good idea since the battery size would have to be reduced quite significantly.

A9, metal, colors, $450/free on contract, that would be really attractive. Can't wait for 2016. :)
 
Personally I don't care if it's cheaper, it can be priced similarly to the larger siblings if it has similar hardware, I just don't want to carry a ****ing tablet with me at all times. If i need a tablet, I have a 10 inch one thank you.
 
Doubling down is a one-time event. So given the age of the quote from Tim Cook, the doubling down event was over a long time ago. If he had said "doubling our effort", then you could hold him to it. Doubling down expires as soon as the next card is dealt.
I agree with you. The odd thing is that people come to this site (Macrumors... if people wanted Mac facts, the Apple site may be a better bet), and then complain about the rumors flying about (the great "why do you come here, then complain about the rumors" argument).

I think that the sheer quantity of people in the supply chain make it difficult to keep these things quiet. Heck, if there are 5 million people involved, and 99.9% do their job, go home, and go to sleep (either because of the long hours or their values make it so that talking about these things holds them silent), and go to work the next day, that leaves 5,000 people willing to talk. If 99% of these people are ineffective (they talk, but it goes nowhere), there are still 50 people out there that are successful at spreading rumors.
 
If it sports the A9, then it can be quite attractive, especially at the price point of the current 5S.

I still kinda think it would be just the 6th gen iPod Touch with a phone, which follows the trend of having the lowest tier iPhone using an SoC 2 generations behind. Then again, that would not attract me (unless Apple goes all out with the colors).

A 4" A9 running phone, I think it will be a very nice phone. Performance would arguably be even better than the 6S due to the smaller and lesser resolution screen. I think adding 3D touch on this would not be a good idea since the battery size would have to be reduced quite significantly.

A9, metal, colors, $450/free on contract, that would be really attractive. Can't wait for 2016. :)

Add 100$ on that and change metal to plastic and you might get close to what you want. :p
 
So in summary we want a phone that is at least $200 cheaper than the 6s but apart from screen size matches the 6s features?
He didn't say that: he said he wanted a 4" phone and that he would like the advanced features rather than it being cheaper.

I don't understand this continued labeling of the 5c as a "budget" phone. It sold for exactly where the 5 would have sold: $100 less expensive than the 5S. And that's all it was, a 5 in a different packaging. It's been my favorite iPhone, and I'll be sad to see them abandon the plastic shell. I've liked it a lot, and much more than the plastic of the 3G/S. I've been awaiting a new 4" phone, too...but if it looks like the 6/S/Plus, it'll be my first one in a case in a while.
 
Bro, I'm not debating that I would like to see a 1080p screen on the 4.7 phone but I just was pointing out that the 1920 x 1080 screen on the + is "technically" 2K. If 3840 x 2160 can be called 4K, then 1920 x1080 can be called 2K.
Edit: I'm guessing you were trying to say 2560 x 1440 but I just would like to see 400ppi nothing much more.

No way is the iphone 6s plus technically 2K, it's 1080p and that's it; no compromises and no way anyone would agree with u since it's completely false.
 
iPhone is NOT a car. And I'm not the engineer? 16 GB is nothing these days. 32 GB should be the base model these days. I'm sure Apple can afford it. Apple makes the shareholders happy. How about making the customer happy for a change.
As I'm sure you can afford to pony up for a 32gb model. Right? Maybe they will do that, but one shouldn't volunteer someone else's dollar unless they volunteer their own as well.
 
As I'm sure you can afford to pony up for a 32gb model. Right? Maybe they will do that, but one shouldn't volunteer someone else's dollar unless they volunteer their own as well.

They can volunteer a bit more than I. Like I said, do something nice for the consumer for a change, rather than always doing something nice for the shareholder.
 
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