Is this the end of small manageable iPhones?

[Rigby]

Again, the mistake is thinking of it as a phone first and foremost. It isn't a phone first and foremost. It's a hand computer that has a phone... and a camera... and a modem... and and and. The phone is just one amongst many features of the device.

First and foremost it's supposed to be a mobile device. It needs to be portable.

I have no problem with Apple offering bigger phones for those who prefer it. But I find it a bit hypocritical of them to not even offer an up-to-date *choice* for people who favor the current screen size, after they spent years preaching that this is the best size. At the moment it's not a big issue since the iPhone 6 only offers very minor improvements over the 5S, but at one of the next cycles it will fall behind. Also, in case Apple Pay catches on, 5S owners will be left out in the cold due to the lack of NFC and the "secure element". I really hope they will bring an updated 4-inch phone, or at least reduce the exterior dimensions of the 6 in the future by shrinking the bezels.

 

[Surf Monkey]

First and foremost it's supposed to be a mobile device. It needs to be portable.

Because it isn't? I assume you're too young to remember the Newton? It was GIGANTIC compared to the 6 Plus. Claiming the Plus isn't portable is patently absurd.

 

[fathergll]

Im quite sure phone designs will improve in the future. Tech will prevail and they will figure out a way to squeeze more screen real estate into smaller areas.

 

[Rigby]

Because it isn't? I assume you're too young to remember the Newton?

I wish I was. I also remember laptops that were 3 inches thick and huge floppy disks with just 10s of kilobytes storage volume. Do we really want to use decade-old technology as a benchmark?

The fact is that the 6+ and to some extent the 6 are not pocket-friendly. For me, it was always a strong point of the iPhone that you could carry it everywhere in your front pockets without even noticing it's there.

 

[JRoDDz]

In the beginning the iPhone was 3.5" screen, which was good and innovative. But as the years progressed and people started using the phones more like a mini-computer, larger screen sizes were desired. Apple is just giving the people what they want. Choice. If you want a 4" screen, you still have the 5C and 5S. If you want a slightly larger screen, you have the iPhone 6, and if you want a behemoth screen, you have the absurdly large 5.5" screen of the 6 plus.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I wish I was. I also remember laptops that were 3 inches thick and huge floppy disks with just 10s of kilobytes storage volume. Do we really want to use decade-old technology as a benchmark?

The fact is that the 6+ and to some extent the 6 are not pocket-friendly. For me, it was always a strong point of the iPhone that you could carry it everywhere in your front pockets without even noticing it's there.

I think you're over stating the bulk of the device.

----------

Im quite sure phone designs will improve in the future. Tech will prevail and they will figure out a way to squeeze more screen real estate into smaller areas.

With TARDIS technology??

 

[tech4all]

Money and Market Share



New reason. It's what sells and what customers want.



No it isn't.



So change your grip. Problem solved.



He's dead.


Track down an iPhone 4S if it is really a problem.

Quick and too the point. I like it.

So people were complaining the screen sizes are too small and now Apple gives us larger screens and people still complain.

"You can only please some of the people so of the time." - Steve Jobs

Android people were complaining that iphone screens are too small and ios people were defending it. Now we have bigger iPhones.
Android people are laughing. And ios people are

Those are my thoughts exactly.

It's funny. I've heard more people than not say they'd love to have iPhone screens stay the same size, and I've heard Android users complaining about big screensize on high end 'droid phones. You just can't please every one. *sigh*

They were complaining because Apple wouldn't break out of the small screen mold. They laugh now because it took them so long to finally do it. And no, Apple didn't do a larger screen 'better.' A big screen is a big screen. Simple as that.

First and foremost it's supposed to be a mobile device. It needs to be portable.

The fact is that the 6+ and to some extent the 6 are not pocket-friendly. For me, it was always a strong point of the iPhone that you could carry it everywhere in your front pockets without even noticing it's there.

No issues holding my 4.7" Android in my pant pocket or even my shirt pocket. You're making an issue out of nothing.

I have no problem with Apple offering bigger phones for those who prefer it. But I find it a bit hypocritical of them to not even offer an up-to-date *choice* for people who favor the current screen size, after they spent years preaching that this is the best size. At the moment it's not a big issue since the iPhone 6 only offers very minor improvements over the 5S, but at one of the next cycles it will fall behind. Also, in case Apple Pay catches on, 5S owners will be left out in the cold due to the lack of NFC and the "secure element". I really hope they will bring an updated 4-inch phone, or at least reduce the exterior dimensions of the 6 in the future by shrinking the bezels.

I sincerely feel sorry for you if you really believe anything a corporation says when it comes to "preaching" the benefits of their products. They said it was the best size because that's the size they were selling the iPhone at. There really is no perfect size. Now 4.7" and 5. whatever it is is the "perfect size" because they want people to buy their products.

 

[Rigby]

In the beginning the iPhone was 3.5" screen, which was good and innovative. But as the years progressed and people started using the phones more like a mini-computer, larger screen sizes were desired. Apple is just giving the people what they want.

If there was no demand for moderately sized phones, devices like the Z3 Compact wouldn't exist. Personally, I have no need for a bigger screen, simply because I don't use my phone for video watching, games or other things that would benefit a lot from it. Therefore I prioritize portability. I'm sure I'm not the only one. All I'm saying is that I hope Apple will not ignore our requirements in the future. They surely have the resources to cover the entire range. And I have no doubt that technologically they are capable of everything that Sony can do and more.

Choice. If you want a 4" screen, you still have the 5C and 5S. If you want a slightly larger screen, you have the iPhone 6, and if you want a behemoth screen, you have the absurdly large 5.5" screen of the 6 plus.

I want a phone the size of the current iPhones with up-to-date specs and features. As I said, at the moment it's not a big deal since the 6 is only a very incremental improvement over the 5S, but eventually it will start to hurt.

 

[Woochifer]

I'll reserve judgment until I try for myself. For me, the 5s is already approaching the limit of easy one-handed operation (repositioning to access the top of the screen does not fit my definition of easy) and pocketability. The exterior shell is larger on the 6, but the thinness makes it less voluminous that it otherwise would have been. I'm sitting out this upgrade round, so this issue won't be relevant to me until the "6s" comes out.

IMO, the 6+ is targeted more at Asian markets, where large phablets function more as one-size-fits-all computing devices, rather than just a smartphone that someone owns alongside a tablet and/or PC.

 

[cynics]

The amount of content that people want and app devs want to display just wasn't there. People are using their phones differently then when a small screen was acceptable. As much as could be done with a small screen had been done and now the options for Apple were to watch the world pass them by as competitor products displayed all sorts of cool content in apps or keep up with that trend of more functionality and provide a quality product.

Change is a tough thing for a lot of people. The faster you accept it the easier it will be because there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[mojolicious]

I wouldn't be shocked if there was a 4" 6s Mini (or Minus?) in a year's time.

 

[jamesapp]

I would have liked an option for the iPhone 6 to come in the 4" size. As someone had said I wouldn't mind if they made a phone the same size as the 5/5s but used more of the front for the screen the bezels.

I will be buying the new iPhone. But I really wished they at least had a 4" option.

 

[Rigby]

I'll reserve judgment until I try for myself.

I'm not just guessing. My company phone is a Samsung S4, which has very similar dimensions as the iPhone 6. When wearing jeans, I cannot comfortably sit down with it in my front pocket, and it always feels like it's about to bend or break. And no, they are not "skinny jeans", but regular fit pants. The phone is just too tall.

For me, the 5s is already approaching the limit of easy one-handed operation (repositioning to access the top of the screen does not fit my definition of easy) and pocketability.

That's my experience as well as far as pocketability is concerned. I have no issues with one-handed operation though (big hands I guess).

IMO, the 6+ is targeted more at Asian markets, where large phablets function more as one-size-fits-all computing devices, rather than just a smartphone that someone owns alongside a tablet and/or PC.

I read somewhere that phablets are particularly popular in emerging countries where people often can afford only a single computing device.

 

[Badrottie]

Apple gave us no reason or explenation at all for making their iPhone 6 larger.

They have now increased the size of their phone three times in the last two years. Last time they gave us a reason, the widescreen ratio.

I have the iPhone 5 and to be honest, its too long. I can not get my thumb to the top of the screen, without changing my grip of the phone. I can only immagine the horror of how often you have to change your grip on iPhone 6.

Remember back in the day when Steve Jobs said they were satisfied with their size, and wanted to design their phones for the human hand?

What happened? Have all humans gotten much bigger hands in 2014?

That is because Samsung got a bigger phone and Samsung is trying to thump Apple down big time and Steve Jobs gone Apple is hurting even more. Tim Cook does not want to lose his job by going after Samsung for big phone marketing supreme.

 

[AndroidKing]

Apple gave us no reason or explenation at all for making their iPhone 6 larger.

They have now increased the size of their phone three times in the last two years. Last time they gave us a reason, the widescreen ratio.

I have the iPhone 5 and to be honest, its too long. I can not get my thumb to the top of the screen, without changing my grip of the phone. I can only immagine the horror of how often you have to change your grip on iPhone 6.

Remember back in the day when Steve Jobs said they were satisfied with their size, and wanted to design their phones for the human hand?

What happened? Have all humans gotten much bigger hands in 2014?

Same thing that happened with NFC suddenly being a thing.

And 3rd party keyboards.

And folders.

And Copy and paste.

Hell, Apple resisted the idea of an Appstore until the jailbreaking community got big with the Cydia store on firmware 1.1.4 back in the day. Remember that? Apple denying it all the way until Engadget found screenshots of the Cydia app installed on internal dev units, a year before the Appstore was revealed?

The cycle will continue. Wait till they bring in currently "unwanted and unnecessary" features like wireless charging, waterproofing and free form widgets in 2016/ 2017 and watch the sheep bray in praise.

 

[smokechaser]

Lets be clear here thee fellow idiots of apple nerds. Its a phone. Not a tablet. If you are over 6 feet 2 inches tall and your thumb reaches the bottom of a beer bottle while your pointer finger reaches the glorious beer gullet at the same time you qualify for: A HUGE PHONE TABLET.

IVE MADE MOST OF YOUR DECISIONS FOR YOU!!!!!!! **** YOU.

 

[C DM]

Same thing that happened with NFC suddenly being a thing.

And 3rd party keyboards.

And folders.

And Copy and paste.

Hell, Apple resisted the idea of an Appstore until the jailbreaking community got big with the Cydia store on firmware 1.1.4 back in the day. Remember that? Apple denying it all the way until Engadget found screenshots of the Cydia app installed on internal dev units, a year before the Appstore was revealed?

The cycle will continue. Wait till they bring in currently "unwanted and unnecessary" features like wireless charging, waterproofing and free form widgets in 2016/ 2017 and watch the sheep bray in praise.

They bring the stuff when the common public is ready for it.

 

[Mac Wolf]

Large phones are in. As said a few times, we do much more on them now. The screens need to be bigger. But not bigger than what's out now. Now devs just need to find a way to extend battery life and we're good to go.

 

[Ramius]

To all those arguments about losing market share: ********.

If there is one company that has been gaining market share and eating up the market, it is Apple. They are dominating the smart phone market, and anyone who have been paying attention since 2007 knows this.

It doesnt matter how much bigger the phones or sales of the competition is. Apple is always and has always been on top. Which means their previous phones have been what most people want.

I think Apple is losing one of Steve Jobs values, which was to be concise. Now they are changing their sizes all the time, and they just dont seem sure about what they want any more.

Everyone I know uses an iPhone, but none of them has ever raised any concerns about the size. It is something we take for granted now. And I dont mind Apple launching bigger phones. But I do mind them not offering the same size most of us are used to.

Infact, if Apple made an "iPhone mini", the same size of the original phone, just thinner, I would much rather buy that. That was a time you could use the phone with one grip, and reach the icons of the entire screen.

 

[nnacrumors]

To all those arguments about losing market share: ********.

What was ******** supposed to mean before it got blanked out?

 

[Cool Pup]

The simple answer here is just that the market has changed. "Phones" are not even that, and are more of pocket computers since the 2007 release. Even Steve Jobs would recognize this and likely change the sizes to accommodate what people want and need (he did oversee the iPhone 5, and might have had some word on the future sizes). If Apple did not ever change their screen size options, they would be left in the dark by Android. Apple would be in big trouble if they never changed their products to evolve to what the consumers have shown to want: there is no debating this fact.

And I'm sure one day people will want 3.5 inch phones again (the Apple Watch will basically be this one day), but until then, people want bigger phones because it's more about watching movies, playing games, and browsing the internet than anything else.

 

[LandoVol]

Same thing that happened with NFC suddenly being a thing.



And 3rd party keyboards.



And folders.



And Copy and paste.



Hell, Apple resisted the idea of an Appstore until the jailbreaking community got big with the Cydia store on firmware 1.1.4 back in the day. Remember that? Apple denying it all the way until Engadget found screenshots of the Cydia app installed on internal dev units, a year before the Appstore was revealed?



The cycle will continue. Wait till they bring in currently "unwanted and unnecessary" features like wireless charging, waterproofing and free form widgets in 2016/ 2017 and watch the sheep bray in praise.

Lol your life must be pretty terrible to have to find joy in coming to a forum called Macrumors and trolling.

 

[Cool Pup]

To all those arguments about losing market share: ********.

If there is one company that has been gaining market share and eating up the market, it is Apple. They are dominating the smart phone market, and anyone who have been paying attention since 2007 knows this.

It doesnt matter how much bigger the phones or sales of the competition is. Apple is always and has always been on top. Which means their previous phones have been what most people want.

I think Apple is losing one of Steve Jobs values, which was to be concise. Now they are changing their sizes all the time, and they just dont seem sure about what they want any more.

Everyone I know uses an iPhone, but none of them has ever raised any concerns about the size. It is something we take for granted now. And I dont mind Apple launching bigger phones. But I do mind them not offering the same size most of us are used to.

Infact, if Apple made an "iPhone mini", the same size of the original phone, just thinner, I would much rather buy that. That was a time you could use the phone with one grip, and reach the icons of the entire screen.

There's a lot wrong with these theories and statements, because Android has definitely gained traction and support over the past few years and screen size is most definitely an issue.

Apple is number 2 on the marketshare of phones: http://www.zdnet.com/smartphone-ope...se-of-android-the-fall-of-windows-7000011004/

Not to mention that Apple knows that Android is a threat: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/0...the-rise-of-android-as-recently-as-last-year/

Apple is doing what is best for them as a company and a business, which is what Steve said to Tim in his last words. He would be more upset at Apple dropping to a permanent number two instead of maintaining the lead of the technology world.

 

[arkac]

I think they'll go to 3 sizes in the long term. 4, 4.7 and 5.5. They didn't go for it this cycle as now it's about trying to capture some of the Android market (and 5S and 6 are pretty similar) but in the long term they'll bring the 4" back in line with the others.

Obviously if market research shows not many are interested in the smaller size it won't happen but I think there will be when the people on a 5/5S want to change.

 

[ElectronGuru]

Suppose apple did introduce a 3rd size, but a true mini. A 2-3" model ideal for arm straps and front pocket carry. Would that be an improvement for portability or just change for changes sake?