iPhone's Force Touch Tech May Track Contact Area Instead of Pressure, New 4" Model Unlikely in 2015

[gavroche]

Is that possible without calibration? A small finger pushing hard would register the same area as a larger finger pressing soft. I can't imagine it working like that.

what you are saying make sense if it only ever sees the contact of the small finger while pressing hard. but if it first detects the small finger only pushing lightly, and then after pressing harder it causes more finger to come in contact... making the size larger... it would know that it is a smaller finger pressing harder. it's not just one moment in time, but multiple.

 

[oldmacs]

The only way a 4" iPhone comes out would be with the 6c, but even that is pretty unlikely. Like it or not, the 6 series have sold more iPhones than any other series in Apple's history by a long shot.

People seem to like bigger phones, so I doubt you will see anything below 4.7" from now on.

There is no sales data to prove that. Sure the 6 is popular with android switchers but there are plenty of iPhone users who hate the 6. I know quite a few of them.

Why they just can't offer the 6 in 3 sizes is beyond me. Looks like its gonna be a different brand of phone when my 5 dies.

 

[teslo]

i'm gonna predict they drop the numeric system this time around.

the iPhone
the iPhone Plus

 

[inhalexhale1]

"KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a respectable track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming plans"

 

[a0me]

No new 4" = no purchase. I never thought id sit a generation out. Much less two. But the iPhone 5S is still by far the most appealing iPhone to me.

For me the iPhone 4s was the best size and the only model that really allowed for one-hand operations without having to change your grip.
If Apple could make a bezel-less model however, a 4.7-inch screen would actually be close to the size of the iPhone 5s.

 

[Jiz]

Is that possible without calibration? A small finger pushing hard would register the same area as a larger finger pressing soft. I can't imagine it working like that.

I think user will calibrate it on setup. No?
A true pressure sensitive surface seems to me would be a service headache.

 

[mpavilion]

Well 6S and S6 could be confusing. Anyway I think Apple needs to drop the numbering convention. Just have iPhone and iPhone Plus.

I agree; and recently said somewhere else in the forums that I could see Apple dropping the numbering (or, at least, the "iPhone X / XS" convention), specifically b/c Samsung ups the Galaxy S number by "1" every year, while Apple ups theirs only every 2 years... Meaning that after this year's dead heat, the Galaxy S numbers will pull further and further "ahead" of the Phone's; leading to a possible perception (among some consumers) that iPhone is "less advanced."

 

[X38]

I bought the original iPhone within the first hour of it going on sale and have upgraded to the latest top of the line model within the first minutes of availability every two years since then, which puts me at a 5S at the moment.

If there is not a 4" or better yet a 3.5" model with top of the line specs in this year's line up, I will skip my regular upgrade for the first time.
The net consensus of all the people I know who have a 6 is that the extra screen size it not worth the extra nuisance of the larger size, which confirms my impressions when checking them out in the store.

Take heed Apple, there is a very large segment of the mobile phone market that wants devices that are as small as practical to get the job done and an especially large segment of the market that wants devices that are easy to operate one handed.

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There is no sales data to prove that. Sure the 6 is popular with android switchers but there are plenty of iPhone users who hate the 6. I know quite a few of them.

Why they just can't offer the 6 in 3 sizes is beyond me. Looks like its gonna be a different brand of phone when my 5 dies.

Pretty much everyone I know who has a 6 hates the size and wishes there was a smaller version available.

 

[Multiverse223]

Not really complete 'hogwash' since sales of the 6/6plus are so high and would suggest that the 4" might not be as popular.

Umm. What do people love to purchase when it concerns tech? Newest stuff. What did massive numbers of people already have when the 6 and 6plus came out? 4" iPhones. What would anyone not wanting a 6 or 6plus purchase? Another 4" iphone. Good try though?

 

[oldmacs]

i'm gonna predict they drop the numeric system this time around.

the iPhone
the iPhone Plus

I'd suggest that would confuse the hell out of everyone... Like the "New iPad" did ... Consumers like a number as it explains it.

 

[Swordylove]

Bye2 perfect 4" form factor. The only 4"-ers left are crappy entry range Nokia/Microsoft and Samsungs. I feel like the whole effing world is against me.

 

[majkom]

no 4incher - no buy, my 5s is still rocking hard... maybe 7 will be with 4.7 inch lcd in the form factor of 5s (thanks to no bezels).. but till apple does not return to 5s like form factor, no buy for me...

 

[aleni]

iphone 6 is too big for 4.7" and i ****ing hate it. Z3 compact can fit 4.6" with the size similar to iphone 5s. Too bad i love ios so much.

 

[terraphantm]

Disagree. 4.7 gives me a bit more usable screen in exchange for losing 1 handed use. Not a good trade off (for me).

How small are your hands? Mine are tiny and I still find the 4.7 is pretty easy to use one handed.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

My fingers are different sizes from each other.

Do you actually use fingers of different size, though? I just used my phone for a few minutes (paying attention to which fingers I used) and I found that I almost exclusively used my thumbs (and the left and right are pretty much the same size as far as I can tell.)

 

[teslo]

I'd suggest that would confuse the hell out of everyone... Like the "New iPad" did ... Consumers like a number as it explains it.

but they still did it. i think it's in line with their minimalistic approach. does an iPhone 13 sound right to anyone? i think it's a matter of when not if.

 

[Tech198]

anyone wanna go back to using their harmony remote ? It's allot easier than using iPhone's now.

Whats tough not to get....

You press soft, you press hard..... Its like having a single point to disable security alarm, and based on the patten of LEDS in sequence it will disable it...


oh ya,, and Apple gets to add more pattens over time just to make users think ....

 

[KdParker]

Umm. What do people love to purchase when it concerns tech? Newest stuff. What did massive numbers of people already have when the 6 and 6plus came out? 4" iPhones. What would anyone not wanting a 6 or 6plus purchase? Another 4" iphone. Good try though?

Yes. If that is really a big selling point for some users.

Once you go bigger and learn to live with the bigger screen real estate most people will not go back.

 

[CrazyForApple]

Why would anyone even want a 4" phone anymore. It just seems too small now.

 

[teslo]

Why would anyone even want a 4" phone anymore. It just seems too small now.

why would anyone play WOW or collect stamps or order vanilla instead of chocolate ice cream (the fools!)?

i'm sure i'll get used to replacing my 5S with a 6, but i'm not looking forward to the size increase. my 5S isn't too small for anything i want to do on a phone. coupled with the bigger form factor is the slippery quality to the new rounded edges, especially if your hands are completely dry. i held my buddy's i6 (4.7") for all of 4 seconds and it almost slipped through my grip turning it over. i wouldn't even say *I* almost dropped it, the thing wanted to fall lol

which means i]ll be forced to buy a case, which means i won't like my phone as much. these things should be bare, i say!

 

[Multiverse223]

Yes. If that is really a big selling point for some users.

Once you go bigger and learn to live with the bigger screen real estate most people will not go back.

Apparently you didn't at all understand what I was saying. I was saying sales numbers mean NOTHING there, because anyone that had a 5S and didn't want a larger screen, didn't purchase a new 5S, ergo sales for the 5S would OBVIOUSLY not be anywhere near as high as the iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus. The question is, and it's completely unknown, is how many people would have purchased a 4" iPhone 6. Since there was no 4" iPhone 6, anyone that didn't want a bigger screen, kept their iPhone 5S, and thus sales for it would not be near as high.

 

[Derived]

NOOO!!! I want a 4 inch phone :'(

My iPhone 5 better last a long time, because its looking more and more like my last.

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Its a matter of how you use your phone. 80 percent of my phone usage would be 1 handed, which i can't do with the 6 making it useless and impractical for me. 4 inches is the perfect size.

They really should offer a 4,4.7 and 5.5 lnch range and that would satisfy everyone.

The 4.7 and 5.5 do satisfy everyone. You people that can't seem to stand an extra centimeter in height and a few millimeters in width make up about 0.00000000000001% of the market. Apple isn't concerned about that.

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I'm pretty sure the Apple Watch's display is a flexible display for this very purpose.

You really think you could press hard enough to deflect a piece of sapphire in any measurable amount? Not even close.

 

[KdParker]

Apparently you didn't at all understand what I was saying. I was saying sales numbers mean NOTHING there, because anyone that had a 5S and didn't want a larger screen, didn't purchase a new 5S, ergo sales for the 5S would OBVIOUSLY not be anywhere near as high as the iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus. The question is, and it's completely unknown, is how many people would have purchased a 4" iPhone 6. Since there was no 4" iPhone 6, anyone that didn't want a bigger screen, kept their iPhone 5S, and thus sales for it would not be near as high.

I completely understand what you are saying. I am just disagreeing with your conclusion, but time will tell if Apple offers a 4 inch phone. We will know soon enough.

 

[KdParker]

deleted repeated comment.

 

[Multiverse223]

I completely understand what you are saying. I am just disagreeing with your conclusion, but time will tell if Apple offers a 4 inch phone. We will know soon enough.

If you disagree with my conclusion then you don't understand it. My conclusion cannot be refuted, as it is 100% sound. If you're thinking that I said 4" phones would be more popular, then you didn't read what I said, because I merely pointed out that it wouldn't be possible to know that without releasing phones with the same specs, but different screen sizes, and seeing what happens. However, it would need to be done now, after people have found whether they like the larger size or not.