New iPhone 5 Cases Suggest Longer and Wider Form Factor

[Bytor65]

I'm of the opinion, and I accept it is only my opinion, that most people would want a larger screen, and that most people that visit Mac rumours would probably not, I've read about pixel size/density/angle of view etc etc, but, the trend for mobile (cell) phones, like it or not are for the larger 4" or even slightly larger screens, all the other big players have now larger screens. IMHO, if Apple don't follow suit, they will be left behind. I think that they will go larger.

I think you have this completely backwards. You are probably going to find more APP junkies here that want a bigger screen, but for a lot more average folks it is a phone first and carry/holding size is more important.

There maybe lots of larger Android phones but there are lots of small ones too, so Android caters to both sides of the debate with multiple models, so they can get more extreme on size. Unless Apple releases different sized models they have to play it more middle of the road. So I suspect the early 3.7" rumor form months ago is the most likely one. A bit bigger, but not so big as to turn people away.

 

[apolloa]

Yeah, 'coz 325 ppi would look all grainy. It must be the exact number 326.

The ppi was just doubled from the 3Gs. 3Gs did not just happen to have precisely half the magical ppi that an eye can detect.

Do you think viewing distance could have anything to do with anything?

Actually, I CAN tell the difference between an iPad 2's resolution and my iPhone 4. My iPhone looks much better.

And also just to add, the iPhone 4 was sold as having a Retina screen, it has been advertised on TV as one of it's features in Apple's advertising campaign.

 

[mrelwood]

Actually, I CAN tell the difference between an iPad 2's resolution and my iPhone 4.

I believe you. Do you know the ppi in the iPad 2?

And also just to add, the iPhone 4 was sold as having a Retina screen, it has been advertised on TV as one of it's features in Apple's advertising campaign.

It has. And what does "Retina" mean? What are the exact specs that are required for "Retina"?

 

[Raikiri]

Actually, I CAN tell the difference between an iPad 2's resolution and my iPhone 4. My iPhone looks much better.

And also just to add, the iPhone 4 was sold as having a Retina screen, it has been advertised on TV as one of it's features in Apple's advertising campaign.

Of course you can tell the difference between 132ppi and 326ppi, I don't think anyone said otherwise.

However I bet you couldn't tell the difference between 303ppi and 326ppi, which is what the iPhone would be at 3.8" with the same resolution.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Actually, I CAN tell the difference between an iPad 2's resolution and my iPhone 4. My iPhone looks much better.

And also just to add, the iPhone 4 was sold as having a Retina screen, it has been advertised on TV as one of it's features in Apple's advertising campaign.

Of course you can tell the difference between the iPhone 4 screen and the iPad 2.

iPhone 4... 326ppi
iPad 2...... 132ppi

Even if the iPhone got a slightly larger screen and the ppi dipped a little... it would still be one of the best looking screens on the market. And Apple would promote the hell out of it anyway. "iPhone... now bigger"

The Atrix has a 4" screen and 960x540 for about 275ppi.

A 4" iPhone would be 960x640... so it would be a little higher than that in ppi.

I just can't see Apple sticking with 3.5" screens forever... not with all the new phones coming out at 4" and above.

Look at all the Android phones that are selling today... hardly any have a 3.5" screen anymore.

Apple made a huge jump in resolution and ppi last year... now it's time to make a larger screen.

 

[Geckotek]

I'm of the opinion, and I accept it is only my opinion, that most people would want a larger screen, and that most people that visit Mac rumours would probably not, I've read about pixel size/density/angle of view etc etc, but, the trend for mobile (cell) phones, like it or not are for the larger 4" or even slightly larger screens, all the other big players have now larger screens. IMHO, if Apple don't follow suit, they will be left behind. I think that they will go larger.

Wonder how many posts it will be before someone explains "Apple doesn't follow suit"?

I wouldn't say "Apple doesn't follow suit", but it's not very often that Steve goes back on a statement like the one where he said that "no one" would want a screen 4" or larger.

 

[prestomusic]

Yeah, 'coz 325 ppi would look all grainy. It must be the exact number 326.

The ppi was just doubled from the 3Gs. 3Gs did not just happen to have precisely half the magical ppi that an eye can detect.

Do you think viewing distance could have anything to do with anything?

Yes the viewing distance is based on 12" I think.. anyway, yes you're right that the resolution was simply doubled from the iPhone 3 version.

Let me re-word that, 326 ppi is not a magical number, but it is around the threshold of what was determined to be indistinguishable by the naked eye. I think the magical number was in the low 300's from memory...?

Either way, I can't see Apple dumbing down the specs for the Retina brand.
Screen size is perfect for a phone.

 

[prestomusic]

I just can't see Apple sticking with 3.5" screens forever... not with all the new phones coming out at 4" and above.

Look at all the Android phones that are selling today... hardly any have a 3.5" screen anymore.

Apple made a huge jump in resolution and ppi last year... now it's time to make a larger screen.

Does Apple really need to follow the other manufacturers on this point? Since when have specs been the driving force with the iPhone?

I don't consider the user experience to be threatened by Apple continuing with the current screen size. And the user experience is king, right?

 

[Michael Scrip]

Does Apple really need to follow the other manufacturers on this point? Since when have specs been the driving force with the iPhone?

I don't consider the user experience to be threatened by Apple continuing with the current screen size. And the user experience is king, right?

User experience will always be great on iOS devices... and it would be that much sweeter on a larger screen

You're right... specs don't usually make a difference... if you're talking about processor speeds or something. That "under the hood" stuff doesn't matter to most people.

But screen size is kind of a big one... you look at your phone all the time.

I'm a consumer who would love a 4" iPhone. If I'm the only person on Earth who feels this way... then call me crazy.

Otherwise... bring it on Apple!

 

[hstewart]

If true, that seems like a much bigger jump in size than what you'd expect from Apple.

To ne it looks same size just that screen might be closer to edge.

 

[Savor]

I think that this iPhone 5 is going to be a brick. I like that the screen size will increase, but perhaps not the ideal size I would prefer.

4-inch seems like the sweet spot for me especially for a touchscreen phone. If the dimensions of this case is closer to actual phone, this iPhone 5 will be taller and wider than the Samsung Galaxy S II. Looks like I may have to stick with my iPhone 4 for much longer because my hands are not big enough to wrap my hand around it like that and I do have normal-sized hands for a 5'10 person. This iPhone 5 is going to be the iBrick. The XPERIA PLAY has the most perfect height and width for me while still having a 4-inch screen. Only knock is its depth at 16mm and its weight at 176g.

Galaxy S II
Height: 125.3 mm (4.89 inches)
Width: 66.1 mm (2.58 inches)
Thickness: 8.5 mm (0.33 inches)

iPhone 4 vs Galaxy S II size comparison
http://www.thephonedatabase.com/Apple_iPhone_4_143_vs_Samsung_Galaxy_S_II_405_Compare_Phones

iPhone 4 vs Xperia Play size comparison
http://www.thephonedatabase.com/Apple_iPhone_4_143_vs_Sony_Ericsson_Xperia_PLAY_385_Compare_Phones

My ideal dimensions
Height: 120mm or less
Width: 62mm or less (like the first four gens of iPhones)
Thickness: 8mm-12mm

 

[charlituna]

How do we know this case isn't for a new iPod touch?

We don't. And frankly that's what I'm thinking as well. There are so many components needed for the iPhone that I can't really see it being that thin. But the Touch is pretty much already there.

 

[Michael Scrip]

We don't. And frankly that's what I'm thinking as well. There are so many components needed for the iPhone that I can't really see it being that thin. But the Touch is pretty much already there.

iPods sales are going down. Apple only sold 7.5 million iPods last quarter (and that's the entire family of iPods). The iPod's average selling price is somewhere around $200.

Compare that to the 20 million iPhones sold last quarter generating about $12 Billion in revenue... and you can see what Apple is probably focusing on. The iPhone's average selling price is around $600.

It would really burn me up if Apple took 15 months and only released a "refreshed" iPhone 4... while making a bigger, better iPod Touch.

Apple could very well be making a new iPod Touch... but they better make a new iPhone too

 

[gottalovemac]

I've seen the iPhone 5 in the wild.

I live in Rome, Italy and I was at a smart cafe where I noticed a wealthy business man (most likely a Telecom Italia executive) with an incredibly slim and rounded iPhone sitting on the table, he had it in a slim red case. And for those who say it was an iPod Touch, it had the phone provider and signal strength shown at the top of the screen.

 

[tombubi]

I think I kind of like a bigger and thinner iPhone.

 

[YourRiver]

I am waiting for iPhone 5

 

[Sandman619]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8L1)

Apple's policy of absolute secrecy applies to all 3rd party accessory makers as well. So the prototypes likely have nothing to do with any unanounced new product, as has always been the case

Cheers !

 

[mandis]

Low battery performance? According to every review I have heard and my own experience, the iPhone has the best battery life because it is not user serviceable (a sacrifice I would make).

No it doesn't have the best battery life and yes the battery is very easily replaceable. Provided you know how to use a screwdriver in order to unlock the 2 screws at the bottom.

And the antenna issue was hardly legitimate. I couldn't replicate the issue, and neither could anyone else on Macrumors I saw.

Steve Jobs publicly demonstrated how to replicate the issue. X marks the spot.

Either way, the phone is becoming obsolete. This system has been around for over 100 years.

100 years? So that's why they claimed they were the first to introduce Video Calling eh?

In that time, IP has become superior. Sure people will still use phone numbers for a while, but phone users don't actually talk much.

No comment...

 

[mandis]

No, it's just the fact. Here's web browsing battery life test, which is a good barometer of how long a phone lasts while you're using it.

http://blog.gsmarena.com/showdown-s...ng-battery-life-championship-not-so-brightly/

Web browsing battery life test:
Apple iPhone 4 – 7:40 h
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc – 5:25 h
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II – 4:59 h (Opera Mobile browser)
LG Optimus 2X – 4:54 h
LG Optimus Black – 4:30 h
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II – 4:22 h (stock browser)
Samsung I9000 Galaxy S – 4:06 h

As you can see the Galaxy phone fare the worst here and iPhone is a head and shoulders ahead of the pack.

I was actually referring to talk and standby times. But if you choose to use your iphone strictly for web browsing then that's your thing.
I prefer to use my macbook pro for that...

 

[Geckotek]

I fail to see how a company's financial success guarantees the quality and competitive performance of a yet unreleased product. Take the iPhone 4 for example: It is a great device at everything other than being a phone. This is mostly due to its signal reception issues and low battery performance both of which are the basic deciding factors for choosing a phone.

I'm not trying to be pedantic, but It should go without saying that when a self-respecting person decides to shed a ton of money on a purchase they do so after some thorough market research.

You really didn't do your argument any justice by picking the iPhone 4 as an argument against Apple's success. Have you not paid any attention to IP4 sales figures? Or Apple's once again record profit last 1/4 that came mostly from iPhones? While the antenna was a legitimate issue, people worked around it because it wasn't truly a show stopper. I could replicate it, but it's rare it actually causes an issue. And the battery is no worse, sometimes it's actually better, than the average smartphone battery (I don't include BBs as smartphones. They are hardly smart.)

So yes, very many "self-respecting" people did their market research and still bought the iPhone 4 over other phones in the last year. We can't assume that will hold true for the IPhone 5, but we can look at the history of Apple devices and speculate accordingly.

Low battery performance? According to every review I have heard and my own experience, the iPhone has the best battery life because it is not user serviceable (a sacrifice I would make). And the antenna issue was hardly legitimate. I couldn't replicate the issue, and neither could anyone else on Macrumors I saw.

Either way, the phone is becoming obsolete. This system has been around for over 100 years. In that time, IP has become superior. Sure people will still use phone numbers for a while, but phone users don't actually talk much.

What have you been smoking and where can I get some?

You certainly haven't been reading the same MacRumors forum I have.

And exactly what system has been around for 100 years? I hope you aren't referring to current cellular phone tech because you'd be WAY off.

 

[Bytor65]

I think that this iPhone 5 is going to be a brick. I like that the screen size will increase, but perhaps not the ideal size I would prefer.

4-inch seems like the sweet spot for me especially for a touchscreen phone. If the dimensions of this case is closer to actual phone, this iPhone 5 will be taller and wider than the Samsung Galaxy S II. Looks like I may have to stick with my iPhone 4 for much longer because my hands are not big enough to wrap my hand around it like that and I do have normal-sized hands for a 5'10 person.

For this exact reason, there is no way in hell that the iPhone 5 will have 4"+ screen unless there are two models, one smaller and one larger.

I said it before, but bears repeating. Android phones come in a variety of sizes, they can make big Android phones to appeal to those who want that, because there are also small android phones who want that.

How many 5 foot tall women do you think are using huge Droid X phones with 4.3" screens?

Apple is trying to do a one size fits all phone. That means compromise. That means average size. That means middle of the road. That means less than 4" screen.

I predict initial rumors from way back of 3.7" screen will be the reality. Apple simply can't afford to alienate customers who don't want a big phone. You can't chase extremes when you have one model.

 

[mrelwood]

Yes the viewing distance is based on 12" I think..

Hold your iPad at 24" and you got yourself a "Retina" iPad. The ppi number alone is irrelevant.

I think the magical number was in the low 300's from memory...?

If the number was announced by Apple, it is a marketing phrase, not a fact.

326 ppi vs 300 ppi really wouldn't make a notable difference. I'm pretty sure that differences in the display technology would be more important, even for the "Retina" effect.

You can't chase extremes when you have one model.

Apple has been selling two different iPhone models simultaneously for a few years now. That won't change. 3,5" and 4" could be a great combination.

 

[DeathChill]

I was actually referring to talk and standby times. But if you choose to use your iphone strictly for web browsing then that's your thing.
I prefer to use my macbook pro for that...

I can understand talk time, but I really doubt anyone is buying these phones and strictly using them for talk. I'm sure in between any calls you're surfing or doing something that is going to drain the battery.

What good is standby time? Especially when Samsung is "exaggerating" it anyways:

Stand-by time
The final battery test we did was the stand-by time. With no usage whatsoever, the Galaxy S II was running for 9 days before it powered off. Now this is a decent achievement, but nowhere near the 25 days promised by Samsung.

http://blog.gsmarena.com/samsung-i9...esults-are-out-even-better-than-the-galaxy-s/

Regardless, I think it's been proven that the iPhone 4 has nowhere near "low battery performance" when it is still comparable (and besting) current smartphones.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Apple is trying to do a one size fits all phone. That means compromise. That means average size. That means middle of the road. That means less than 4" screen.

Given the sheer number of Android phones being sold... most of which have 4" or bigger screens... I'd say people are OK with 4" screens.

I can't even remember the last time a new Android phone came out with a 3.5" screen.

 

[daveathall]

I'm of the opinion, and I accept it is only my opinion, that most people would want a larger screen, and that most people that visit Mac rumours would probably not, I've read about pixel size/density/angle of view etc etc, but, the trend for mobile (cell) phones, like it or not are for the larger 4" or even slightly larger screens, all the other big players have now larger screens. IMHO, if Apple don't follow suit, they will be left behind. I think that they will go larger.

Wonder how many posts it will be before someone explains "Apple doesn't follow suit"?

I wouldn't say "Apple doesn't follow suit", but it's not very often that Steve goes back on a statement like the one where he said that "no one" would want a screen 4" or larger.

I didn't realise SJs had said that, could be something in it though.

I'm of the opinion, and I accept it is only my opinion, that most people would want a larger screen, and that most people that visit Mac rumours would probably not, I've read about pixel size/density/angle of view etc etc, but, the trend for mobile (cell) phones, like it or not are for the larger 4" or even slightly larger screens, all the other big players have now larger screens. IMHO, if Apple don't follow suit, they will be left behind. I think that they will go larger.

Wonder how many posts it will be before someone explains "Apple doesn't follow suit"?

I think you have this completely backwards. You are probably going to find more APP junkies here that want a bigger screen, but for a lot more average folks it is a phone first and carry/holding size is more important.

There maybe lots of larger Android phones but there are lots of small ones too, so Android caters to both sides of the debate with multiple models, so they can get more extreme on size. Unless Apple releases different sized models they have to play it more middle of the road. So I suspect the early 3.7" rumor form months ago is the most likely one. A bit bigger, but not so big as to turn people away.

From the replies I have seen, it seems that a lot of the membership seem to think that larger phones look ugly. I may have been reading different posts and threads from you though. From what I can see in the shops the main mobile phones from the big hitters look to have larger screens (HTC/Samsung et al, also see the post above this). As I have said, its just my opinion, YM does differ.