More Claims of Taller, Thinner Next-Generation iPhone with 4-Inch Screen and New Dock Connector

[Slayter]

With every new iteration of an iPhone, some comment "it's ugly", etc. which then turn into "it's awesome! don't ever change it" Not that I'm stating you're wrong, taste is subjective

(I hated the 3G design as well, but then later grew to like it)

I didn't like iP4 design then, and I don't like it still...

 

[PerfectDB]

What I don't get about the mockup is the 2 black parts of the metal back plate.

If the next model keeps the same external antenna as the 4/4S, then why does it need plastic parts since there's no need to worry about blocking reception?

 

[Rogifan]

I for one think the new design is friggin awesome. Its the BEST of both worlds, a big screen that fits movies and video but you can still hold and operate with only one hand...

I am psyched - haters gonna hate

what new design? Some internet hacks photoshop? That's all this is.

 

[kemo]

Apple engineers, if you read this: don't make the device a freaking 7.3 mm or so thin! Keep it around 9 mm or so and use that additional 2 mm for a bigger battery!

I hope they read this forum, more importantly the post I've quoted!

 

[alFR]

I assume you have statistics to back that up.

If anything, I think it's complete opposite. That's why almost every OTHER smartphone has 4.0" - 5.3" screens and people are buying them. If anything, the opinions on this forum are distorted the other way - more people say they want 3.5" here than is the opinion of the general publics because this forum reeks of fanboyism and anything that currently exists to them is perfect.

If you're right, then how do you account for the facts that:

• The current iPhone is outselling every other individual smartphone out there, even the ones with a larger screen (it can't be all fanboys upgrading, they just announced 88% year-on-year increase in iPhone sales...)
• Apple is the no. 2 smartphone vendor in the world, despite only having 1 model of phone with "only" a 3.5" screen

I'd say the general public is very satisfied with the iPhone screen size based on that evidence.

 

[mkoesel]

I'm not against increasing resolution. I'm against changing the aspect ratio. CURRENTLY, the only way to efficiently increase the resolution without changing the aspect ratio is to DOUBLE it, because then no interpolation is required to do on the fly conversions for existing apps. However, no way Apple can double iPhone resolution right now as the technology - CPU, battery, screen - just doesn't exist to support that.

That would be the super-hero-retina display I mentioned above.

I used that name for a reason - because you'd have to have super-human vision to benefit from it. So to me that option is almost completely unlikely - a waste of money. The only way that makes sense if we approach screen sizes of about 6" or more (in fact at current iPhone DPI it would actually be about 7"!). And frankly that it just too big for a phone. It would make the iPhone an inch longer on the diagonal, and that is best case assuming nothing but a screen on the face of the phone. And it would be very wide and stubby too at 3:2. Just not practical at all.

Though I suppose there will eventually be android phones at 1920x1080. They'll be big and clumsy, but with some current android phones already having form factors just about big enough for such a screen technically, I guess there is a market.

So I expect in the near future a larger screen size, with the same aspect ratio and resolution but with slightly a lower pixel density. They need the larger screen to keep up with the market and they need to keep the aspect ratio not to have developers pull their hair out with yet another one to support. I do expect Apple to increase resolution sometime in the FUTURE - but not for several years. I don't expect the aspect ratio will change anytime soon.

Tony

Is the 4" screen @ 960x640 really going to sway people from Android where screens over 4.5" @ 1280x720 are available if you want one? I have doubts that market research would bear this out, but that is just my speculation.

Because of that, I see 1280x720@326ppi (= 4.5") as the only thing that makes sense. They aren't going to change it twice, at least not over a short time period, so when they change it, it will be to satisfy all the shortcomings - perceived or real - of the existing display.

----------

Thanks, I saw that after my last post. So it sounds like keeping the same resolution won't work because you'll loose pixel density (something Apple probably doesn't want to do) and you can't double resolution to make life easier on developers because the current technology is insufficient. I'm curious though, if you double resolution and increase screen size while maintaining the current aspect ratio, what would the screen size end up being? I'm guessing it won't be 4.0".

Here's a great too to help you answer that:

http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html

Put in 1920x1280 (4x the current 960x640 retina display), and then play with the size until you get to ~326ppi. Huge, right? Of course they can always go finer than 326ppi, but at what cost and at what benefit?

 

[Pez555]

i dont care how big it is i just want less bezel.

 

[notanalien]

i dont care how big it is i just want less bezel.

Seriously, I feel like there's plenty of spare room to expand if they'd get rid of the bezel. Wonder why they haven't?

 

[zorinlynx]

Please don't change the dock connector, Apple! All my accessories will instantly be obsolete, and the current dock connector is just fine. Not to mention durable; when was the last time you heard of the dock connector on an iPod/iPhone going bad?

Change for the sake of change is BAD. Keep compatibility going. Apple is a successful company and they don't need to play stupid games like making people buy new accessories to make money.

 

[jdoll021]

Here's a great too to help you answer that:

http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html

Put in 1920x1280 (4x the current 960x640 retina display), and then play with the size until you get to ~326ppi. Huge, right? Of course they can always go finer than 326ppi, but at what cost and at what benefit?

Thanks for the link. Holy $%!& that's huge! I agree with you, there would be little benefit in increasing pixel density just for the sake of doubling resolution. Honestly, I think I'd prefer that they kept the 3.5" screen rather than just stretch the thing. IMO, it looks silly stretched out.

 

[mkoesel]

Thanks for the link. Holy $%!& that's huge! I agree with you, there would be little benefit in increasing pixel density just for the sake of doubling resolution. Honestly, I think I'd prefer that they kept the 3.5" screen rather than just stretch the thing. IMO, it looks silly stretched out.

It looks bad if they stretch it while leaving the huge bezel where the home button and mic is today. However if they can reduce or eliminate all that in future generations, then stretching the screen becomes more realistic, and in fact the aesthetic would actually improve from today's phone.

The real problem with stretching it only vertically is that you end up with a totally obtuse resolution. If you were to go 16x9 aspect, then that is 1138x640. And that's actually not quite 16x9 since 640 is not evenly divisible by 9. If you go with a more standard dimension on the longer side, the next best thing is 1152 as suggested in prior posts on the topic. But that is still a mess and very arbitrary since it isn't quite 16x9. You could go up 1152x648 and make it exactly 16x9 again, but why mess around with crazy resolutions like this? Just go 1280x720 and be done with it.

 

[Tones2]

If you're right, then how do you account for the facts that:

• The current iPhone is outselling every other individual smartphone out there, even the ones with a larger screen (it can't be all fanboys upgrading, they just announced 88% year-on-year increase in iPhone sales...)
• Apple is the no. 2 smartphone vendor in the world, despite only having 1 model of phone with "only" a 3.5" screen

I'd say the general public is very satisfied with the iPhone screen size based on that evidence.

Sales of the iPhone has nothing to do with satisfaction of screen size. It has to do with a lot of other things - ecosystem, iOS and market hype more than anything else. Plus, the sales of all Android phones that have screens bigger than 3.5" is probably greater than sale of the iPhone. That's the key sales comparison to make.

Not that ANY of this is a basis of facts about screen size preference, though.

Tony

 

[tungstentim]

I'm just looking forward to a new phone in June. Why do I think that, 'coz theres been way too many 'leaks' for it to be an October launch again.

We know more about the next iPhone than we do about another piece of hardware that's due to be updated.

TT

 

[Sackvillenb]

I find this highly dubious. Not just because changing the aspect ratio and number of pixels will be a pain (for developers, etc.), but this weird new long iPhone just seems... terrible! I don't see WHY apple would want an elongated phone. Just doesn't make design sense to me.

 

[MrXiro]

As much as I dislike the old dock connector I'm too far invested with docks, clocks and chargers to switch to a new connector!

 

[ILikeTurtles]

I love this new iPhone 6 design. I think it's beautiful. The way the metal and glass don't relate to one specific thing on the back, and the way the apple logo is slightly askew. I love everything about it. Really cool "does it blend" styling. I can see the influence.

At my taco party there's no hangover!

 

[definitive]

samsung just crapped all over the iphone feature-wise with its s3. too bad the ics os isn't as intuitive as ios. wonder how the next iphone will turn out...

 

[Rocketman]

And, let's not forget: It should blend!

Finally! We agree on the defining criterion.

 

[ILikeTurtles]

samsung just crapped all over the iphone feature-wise with its s3. too bad the ics os isn't as intuitive as ios. wonder how the next iphone will turn out...

Quite honestly - and we all know this is 100% truthful. There is no other smartphone other than the iPhone. Really. There just isn't.

 

[legacyb4]

Survey says: 4 inch screen, same aspect ratio, no change to pixel count (in other words, lower resolution than existing iPhone 4).

 

[chaosbringer]

Finally a new dock connector!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After millions of years... the old one is getting too old and is too big, taking alot os space on the phone too

 

[sbrhwkp3]

1. You're assuming we all make a lot of errors while typing. I for one, have short, chubby digits, and i'm fine with the keyboard, as is.

2. I'm pretty sure what we need is more mobile pages over more scrollable.

3. Photos work fine as is. I can see mine just fine, maybe you need glasses?

4. Aside from the fact that draw something is losing people on a regular basis... I would agree that a bigger screen would help with gaming. However, if I really want to play video games, I use a game system or my iPad. My 4s is really only good for quick games on the go.

5. Multitouch works fine on the 3.5" screen, but I understand your point.

6. Like the games, I agree that it would be nicer for a larger screen. However, like games, I move to a better system if I want to watch any real video. The screen size is fine for Youtube.


There is really no good reason to increase the display size, 3.5" is the mobile sweet spot. Increasing the size for a minority of users who want it, would cause too many problems across the board and would be un-Apple like.

I don't carry my iPad around in my pocket. Unless you have an iPad belt holster, a bigger screen for the iPhone makes sense for people who are on the run, and don't have their iPads with them at all times.

It wouldn't be un-Apple like at all for Apple to increase the screen size. It'd only be un-Apple like for them to change the aspect ratio.

The majority of iPhone users would enjoy a larger screen; not the minority.

 

[Shadyriley]

Please don't change the dock connector, Apple! All my accessories will instantly be obsolete, and the current dock connector is just fine. Not to mention durable; when was the last time you heard of the dock connector on an iPod/iPhone going bad?

Change for the sake of change is BAD. Keep compatibility going. Apple is a successful company and they don't need to play stupid games like making people buy new accessories to make money.

Your joking right? All my dock cables break all the time.

 

[rellimie]

Exactly this.

Apple has 600K+ apps designed for 3:2. They've railed about Android fragmentation. There's no way in hell that they're changing the aspect ratio now. Larger screen? I'll buy that. But they'll be expanding it in both directions. In the mockups there's still the standard bevel on the left and right sides of the screens. You really think they'll expand upwards before using all of that space? My prediction is a 4" screen, same 960x640 resolution, screen goes right up to the side edges, slightly taller and wider device.

I hope they don't take it to the side edges. My brother has an android phone with a 4" screen that does that and it's impossible to hold securely without touching the screen.

 

[alFR]

Sales of the iPhone has nothing to do with satisfaction of screen size.

I suppose you have statistics to back that up?