I guess you can say its too big to be a phone and to small to be a tablet, but I love mine.
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Nearly One-Third of iPhone Users Still Have 4-Inch Screens
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One thing I don't see taken into account in these numbers, or talked about much (I admit I didn't read all the posts in this thread so maybe it has been mentioned) is how many of these people with older iPhones have them not because they prefer that size, but because that is what has been given to them.
I personally hand down my older phones, and I know of many other people that do the same. So the reason my mother in law has a 4" iPhone 5s is because that is what I gave her, not because that is the size she prefers. She probably wouldn't have an iPhone at all if I hadn't given her one. I think there are a lot of people out there with those older iPhones because they got them for free so I wouldn't automatically say that 60% of iPhone users prefer the smaller screens. My guess is it would be more like 30% of iPhone users prefer small screens, and 30% of iPhone users don't care what size the screen is, they are happy with whatever someone gives them.
I think a year from now we will have a better idea on this. I will be upgrading from my iPhone 6+ to an iPhone 7+. Will my mother in law want my 6+, or stay with her 5s? I don't know yet. If she doesn't want it will someone else in my family?
I personally hand down my older phones, and I know of many other people that do the same. So the reason my mother in law has a 4" iPhone 5s is because that is what I gave her, not because that is the size she prefers. She probably wouldn't have an iPhone at all if I hadn't given her one. I think there are a lot of people out there with those older iPhones because they got them for free so I wouldn't automatically say that 60% of iPhone users prefer the smaller screens. My guess is it would be more like 30% of iPhone users prefer small screens, and 30% of iPhone users don't care what size the screen is, they are happy with whatever someone gives them.
I think a year from now we will have a better idea on this. I will be upgrading from my iPhone 6+ to an iPhone 7+. Will my mother in law want my 6+, or stay with her 5s? I don't know yet. If she doesn't want it will someone else in my family?
Yeah the 4" phones seem ridiculously small to me now and I don't like them at all. The 6/6s feels ok, but I definitely prefer my iPhone 6+/6s+ size now. I can see where some people may prefer the 4" size, but I just don't believe it is really 60% of people. I think they need to quit using the how many iPhones are being used metric, and instead get a poll of current iPhone users to see what their preferred size is. You know there a some people out there with a 6+ that don't really like it that much and would prefer a 6, but aren't willing to go through the hassle of selling their phone and buying a new one right now. They will live with their 6+ until they are ready to get a new phone and then replace it with the newest 4.7" phone that is out at that time.
Same thing with others, I'm sure there are some people with the 4.7" phone that now wish they would have gone with the 5.5", but won't do that until they upgrade later on.
Some don't care what size, what model, etc they are just happy with the iPhone ecosystem and will take whatever they can get cheap/free.
Same thing with others, I'm sure there are some people with the 4.7" phone that now wish they would have gone with the 5.5", but won't do that until they upgrade later on.
Some don't care what size, what model, etc they are just happy with the iPhone ecosystem and will take whatever they can get cheap/free.
I still had my iPhone 5 up until today due to an accident. I much prefer its screen size to the 6 but alas now I have the 6...going to take some getting used to.
I don't know about you... but "phone calls" are the least used task on my iPhone
I had one phone call today... but my iPhone was sitting on my desk with a headset attached.
So count me in the "big clunky pocket computer" camp
My point was simply this: the current iPhone has had a starting price of $649 for many many years.
Comment #19 said iPhones are "too expensive" which is what I replied to.
Yet Apple has not raised the price. It's the same as it has always been.
There may be currency fluctuations working against the local currencies in some countries... or people not seeing the need to spend money on a new phone when their old phone still works fine. But those are different issues.
The starting price for the current iPhone has been $649 for as long as I can remember. And I wouldn't consider that "expensive" either. That's what I was replying to.
Remember, pretty soon there will be no such thing as an "on contract" phone, at least in the US. I believe the 4 majors have all quit offering phones on contract, or have said they will soon. I don't think many of the smaller companies will keep them long either. Everyone is switching to full retail price, or monthly payment plans.
I'd reckon the larger screens become hot features that were sought after. The 4" phones would be noticeably cheaper. Enough to make a difference.
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I liked contracts because I paid $200 for my Samsung Galaxy s4 + the usual $x per month on my monthly bill. Without a contract, I'd be paying $x + the cost of the phone divided into 1/24th of that. They never put any hidden fees.And I thought people hated contracts??? Wasn't there great fanfare when T-Mobile dropped contracts and became the "Uncarrier" ?
Here's the deal... on-contract you paid $199 down and the other $450 was hidden inside your monthly phone bill. You were paying the full price of the iPhone all along... you just didn't realize it.
Today... you don't have to pay anything down at the time of purchase... and you simply pay $650/24 each month.
And the service portion of your bill will be lower since they're not hiding the misnamed "subsidy" in there anymore. Now you actually see how much of your bill is for service and how much is for the phone itself.
The point is... you'll be paying the same amount of money... just in a different way.
So if you think the loss of contracts means you'll never be able to afford an iPhone ever again... that is some strange thinking!
If you could afford an iPhone the old way... you can afford one the new way too.
You were always paying a monthly fee for the phone even with contracts. They just hid it inside your bill. You were never getting an iPhone for $199, $99 or free.
Now you'll actually see how much of your bill is for service and how much is for the phone.
It shouldn't be much, if any, difference in price overall. So it shouldn't prevent people from getting iPhones anymore.
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When I said "hidden" I meant there was some amount included in your bill... but they never come out and say it specifically.
People thought they were buying a brand new flagship smartphone for $199. That was false. You were actually paying for the phone each month. It's crazy that the carriers had the balls to call it a "subsidy" when YOU were paying it. That's not what "subsidy" means
Now you don't have to pay anything at the time of purchase... and you just pay for the phone each month.
It's a different method... but the result is the same.
You didn't have to pay full retail the old way... and you still don't today.
You have the same general options for paying for the phone over time... so it shouldn't deter people from buying iPhones.
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Except the 6s plus is noticeably more expensive, and it only adds mechanical image stabilization and a slightly larger battery, which the screen requires anyway. Surely the camera doesn't justify $100 more, assuming the inverse is true and the larger screen and battery is not noticeably cheaper?
This is crazy. Before the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, they were reporting everyone was dying to have a larger iPhone , now that we have larger iPhones, now they are saying people want the smaller iPhone !! Which one is it ?
Easy to explain... the group that wanted a larger iphone is not the same group that wants a smaller one.
I went from the 4s to the 6 about a month after the 6 released. So I've been using it well over a year now and I have not adjusted to the size. Having a larger screen is great however the overall size of the device feels too long and wide and I have not gotten used to it. It also does not fit in my pocket very well.
I second guessed myself about purchasing a 5s instead of the 6 and I regret not doing that. My phone usage is mainly for calls, text, and facetime. Occasionally I use maps or Safari. I might have 5 apps installed and rarely use them either. If Apple comes out with a new 4 inch I will likely upgrade. 4 inch phones will be good for basic users such as myself. I have an iPad, MBP, and a PC for everything else.
I second guessed myself about purchasing a 5s instead of the 6 and I regret not doing that. My phone usage is mainly for calls, text, and facetime. Occasionally I use maps or Safari. I might have 5 apps installed and rarely use them either. If Apple comes out with a new 4 inch I will likely upgrade. 4 inch phones will be good for basic users such as myself. I have an iPad, MBP, and a PC for everything else.
I just (mistakenly) thought that the 5S supported Apple Pay!!!
That is the short and the long of it. Nothing to not understand, nothing to not make sense, nothing even to be curious about... I was just wrong & admitted it. Lol, to save a teeny bit of face, I mentioned that I technically wasn't 100% wrong b/c the 5 series CAN use Apple Pay when paired with an Apple Watch. But even after writing that, I admitted that wasn't my original point; that I had simply been mistaken in thinking the 5S was alone capable of using Apple Pay.
You WAY WAY WAY WAY read some weird subtext into my offhanded comment & thought that I was recommending anything or offering a workaround for anything or a solution for anything... go read again: I merely commented in light of his list of "these are differences between a 5S & a 6" that I believed one of those differences did NOT exist. Then I was told of my error & I apologized. The narrative where I randomly start "recommending solutions" to a non-existent problem, simply doesn't exist.
I have NO IDEA what you're on about.
But, but, but... this commercial said that we'd be of one will, one resolve!....Easy to explain... the group that wanted a larger iphone is not the same group that wants a smaller one.
Oh yea, of course it isn't 60% of the total, but I think it's more than many believe. *IF* Apple actually makes a 4" iPhone with similar enough specs to the 6s, I'd bet it would sell 60%+ as many as the 6s. So, I'd guess that if everyone were starting over and buying a new iPhone today, it would break down something like 4" = 30-40%, 4.7" 50-60%, 5.5" = 10%.
BTW, MacNN did a poll of 1000 Apple-store patrons outside of an Apple store on the east coast last month, and about 8.9% preferred a 4" size. But, the problem, IMO, with such a poll is that a lot of people just have spec-itis, in that they believe bigger is better, just because, until they've actually spent some time considering the pros and cons.
It is both! For people who prefer screen-real-estate over the implications of size (yes, there are actual downsides), they wanted a bigger phone, and are quite happy with the 4.7" and 5.5" models. For people who care about a more optimum size in the hand/pocket, and often use their phone in addition to a computer or tablet, the 4" size is preferred.
Unfortunately, Apple didn't really give us a choice. They just moved to bigger models and left people wanting a smaller device to increasingly outdated equipment.
BTW, I think this latter trend is a big mistake, aside from a post-new-model-launch fire-sale to clear the channels. For a company like Apple that is *supposed* to be focused on user-experience, and is moving quickly with the technology and software upgrades, it's a bad idea to be selling outdated models as new.
If they really need to have a budget model, make it current tech with feature limitations. But, the CPU/GPU/RAM need to be pretty consistent across the line. I wouldn't buy ANY new iOS device today without 2 GB RAM. (And, there seems to be mixed signals on this, as Cook is saying they don't need budget models, while their model lineup is full of old models at semi-budget prices. That said, I'm not even sure Apple knows what they are doing anymore!)
Part of that 4% of people with a 4S. I don't play games or watch videos on my phone, I don't need a gigantic phone
Have you got tiny thumbs?
I can't find a position where I could press volume key and am anywhere near the lock button. I just tried for a couple of minutes.
Taking a one handed selfie with your arm stretched out. As you squeeze your finger to click the volume button, the thumb holding the opposite side can easily activate the lock button instead.
The 6s 16GB costs the same as 5s 32GB used to when it was released. For me, the first reasonable capacity is 64GB (because of the lack of 32), so it's even more expensive.
If the price stays the same in your country then yeah, lucky you, I guess. It is definitely currency fluctuations, but somehow for other brands the market will verify the absurdly high prices and bring them down to what people are actually willing to pay. For Apple it does not. No wonder they have about 4% market share.
As a result Apple services are crap. Most don't work, others are pitiful (like godawful maps). So why should people pay a fortune for an iPhone with crappy experience, when the situation on Android is exactly the opposite?
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