New iPhone Rumors Reiterate Claims of Smaller Dock Connector, No Change to Screen Aspect Ratio

[F123D]

My friend has a large Nexus. It has poor battery life, and the screen is easily susceptible to damage because it's so big. He got a huge crack in it after a week.

Unlike the iPhone, which has been crack resistant.

 

[Rogifan]

This rumor is BS. So Apple is going to announce a new phone to ship en mass in October but they haven't settled on the design yet? Wasn't this the phone Steve supposedly signed off on before he died?

 

[CFreymarc]

I can see the iPhone (5) being exactly as the 4 and 4s are in terms of design and in a strange way, demonstrating tremendous corporate confidence in their product by doing so.

As if to say "We have the most ideal design, there is no reason to change."

While people will be disappointed, they will still make billions and billions in profit. So who can really win that fight?

It is amazing how much the accountants have moved into the product decision process now that Steve is gone. It is looking like just cost optimization is occuring in the design. Changing the dock connector is not a good idea. There is a lot of hardware out there that depends on that form factor. When you push costs away from the main platform, the pherphial guys have more to do on their end. Thus, in the whole ecology, there is no cost savings.

 

[apolloa]

I was trying to think why the same story was posted twice on the front page.... then I saw this one was iLounge and the other was iMore.....

But I'm not sure if in May Apple hasn't decided on the final design? But i guess it could be true as it still has a while till October, but doesn't it also need to book in with Foxcon or whoever, a manufacturing date?

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

I can see the iPhone (5) being exactly as the 4 and 4s are in terms of design and in a strange way, demonstrating tremendous corporate confidence in their product by doing so.

As if to say "We have the most ideal design, there is no reason to change."

While people will be disappointed, they will still make billions and billions in profit. So who can really win that fight?

Progress....not perfection.

 

[elppa]

Why re-design the dock connector? One thing I like about Apple products is their consistency. How I can use the same dock/charger for my old iPod Classic and new iPhone. Making a smaller dock connector will ruin this.

With smaller ports there is more room for the battery + electronics.

 

[thekev]

I don't mind if the dock connector is smaller or not, I'd rather they focus on implementing a new Thunderbolt connector for the iPhone (and all iDevices in the future). They need to push on it a bit more, and what better way than with their own products? Make it the standard.

This keeps coming up, and it's a pretty bad idea for something like the iphone. The connector size isn't that big, but not everyone who owns an iphone has a macbook pro or air from 2011 on. You have many older laptops, desktops, and Windows based machines, all lacking thunderbolt. While it's supposed to be available Windows side this year, I haven't seen a big rush toward it. Beyond that the NAND in the iphone isn't that fast anyway, so you would see little benefit.

 

[GREEN4U]

Well this would suck.

 

[Xtremehkr]

The new dock has been coming for a long time. Europe set a standard so that all telephone chargers would be interchangeable in order to cut down on e-waste.

It will probably mean replacing all of the iPhone cords I already have but at least I'll be able to use anyone's phone charger from here on out, that will actually be quite convenient.

I think Apple must have channels that they feed information to in order to see where they appear. Every source has a slightly different prediction, some of which will be right and some wrong.

I can't imagine that the next iPhone will look too much like the 4S, just for marketing purposes you would want to make it look different because people will be wanting other people to know that they have the latest iPhone. The new and redesigned iPhone.

Some people are on a yearly cycle for new iPhones, 2 years is the amount of time in-between most carriers providing a subsidized phone with a new contract so it makes sense that there is a major redesign every 2 years.

 

[dokujaryu]

[sarcasm]
They aren't changing the aspect ratio?
I won't buy one unless it's 16x9!?!?!!1 RAGEGERRER
[/sarcasm]

 

[koolmagicguy]

Seriously Apple, its 2012, will be nearly 2013 once the new iPhone is release. Its really ridiculous to have a 3.5" or 3.7" screen now a days. I am still going to buy it, but damn, that irks me. Has Johnny been thinking these last couple years?

Yep! He thinks that a fashionable thin phone that fits comfortably in your hand is good. I'm inclined to agree with him.

 

[JohnDoe98]

To post 60 above, Apple's philosophy is good products sell themselves. No need to change simply to try for more sales. They will change if they find a way to make a better product, full stop.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

OMG, here we go again with the phone size wars and post downrating for those of us who would like a bigger screen. Geez...there are different sizes and colors of almost anything manufactured, why should this one item be any different? Different strokes for different folks. You know...freedom of choice.

I shouldn't have to be forced off the iOS platform entirely in order to get a larger screened phone. The current sized iPhone does not meet my needs. Why can I not have a bigger one? Why does Apple want me to buy another companies phone instead of their's? They make iPhones in different colors to meet different customer's preferences, and they make different sized screens in other products to meet different customer's preferences. One size does not fit all. We should have choices in iPhones the way we do in other products, even ones from Apple themselves.

Additionally, they are running out "new" things to do with a phone...even the Androids are starting to flatten out in features. Just slapping a faster processor in it ain't gonna cut it with most people. So what is going to be the wow factor on the next iPhone? Choices of screen size would be that wow factor for me, and get me into the store to buy one. I know I am not alone in that thinking.

 

[MacAPOL]

i think de design of the current iphone is great, but if they want to make the screen bigger i wouldnt denny

But for big changes, they should come with some new technology about battery life (imagine the new iphone to last like 4/5/6 days. That would be badass and a really revolutionary thing.

 

[JohnDoe98]

Why does Apple want me to buy another companies phone instead of their's?

Good question, but have you even considered it carefully, or are you just raising it rhetorically? Apple has stated why it is opposed to fragmenting the iOS environment with too many options. It places an unreasonable burden on developpers, and that is a sure way to dilute the quality of Apps that will be released to the platform. So the real question is this: is the slight increase in size worth the effort and risk it presents? Do you have a serious answer to this question?

 

[kiljoy616]

I see the current iPhone like the Porsche 911, the design will be tweaked but remain the same, Why change when its perfect.

you want a bigger screen buy a tablet, Its the iPhone not the iPda, its primary task is telephone calls, the current form it the perfect balance between usability's and portability, once you go to the super sized its no longer portable.

Its built for the masses who want a phone with the internet,email and apps, not tech geeks that want there laptop in there hand just to post of forums moaning about unreleased products.

Oh big smack down, your my hero today.

 

[Fandongo]

My 4.3" phone is too small for my liking.
What they need to do is USE every millimeter of face space for the screen or at least make it multi-touch sensitive.

of course they could put their multi-touch skin patent to work... But they're probably just trollololing.

If the 7" ipoad isn't going to be a phone...
I'd prefer an iPhone Nano.

 

[griz]

The change in aspect ratio makes a lot of sense from the standpoint that it will not change the width of the screen. That means users will still be able to hold and operate it with one hand using just a thumb. This is difficult on wider screens. However, from a developers standpoint it's a nightmare. Would require rewriting a lot of apps and making different versions for old and new phones.

 

[zzLZHzz]

By that logic, in the next decade, Apple will eventually change everything in the iPhone except the Dock Connector? Doubt it. At some point, Apple will change the Dock Connector. (ex. Look what they did to the Floppy, Legacy Ports, DVD). They aren't afraid to disrupt things.

they are the one setting the standard.

 

[Giuly]

No thanks, 3.5" is plenty for me. If I need bigger I'll use my gorgeous iPad. I rather have a smaller, lighter phone than a larger, bulkier, heavier, phone that drains battery more quickly than the smaller model. I'll upgrade for LTE if the screen stays the same size, I'm not so sure if they increase the screen and device size though.

It's the other way around: The build large phones so that they can build large batteries into them, which drain slower. If other companies would still build 3.5" phones, you'd have a dead battery after 2 hours.

Oh, and those guys who call for thunderbolt: You did see 802.11ac and WiFi synching, didn't you?

 

[kiljoy616]

I have seen an awful lot of cracked iPhone screens

I am on my 4th iPhone now, never cracked but did get the first one scratched up a bit after hitting the concrete of my stairs, poor thing fell down the stairs.

I have seen online cracked iPhone and I have to wonder what could these people be doing to put that much force and damage to an iPhone or for that matter any phone.

I normally don't tend to smash the door of my car with enough force to dent the hell out of it so why do people smash their phones just to put them online just to rag on Apple.

Lets all throw our Air out of a 20 foot window and then have a truck drive over them, hey look its all dented and smashed "apple product suck because... bla bla bla.

 

[coolbreeze]

Time to re-buy all those docks and accessories, lol!

 

[FasterQuieter]

I can see the iPhone (5) being exactly as the 4 and 4s are in terms of design and in a strange way, demonstrating tremendous corporate confidence in their product by doing so.

As if to say "We have the most ideal design, there is no reason to change."

While people will be disappointed, they will still make billions and billions in profit. So who can really win that fight?

It is gorgeous still. I had the 4 in black, and got the 4S in white last week and still find myself picking it up and fondling it without turning it on.

I suppose that's a little sad. Whatever.

 

[darthraige]

Great, now I'll have to buy a ton of new cables to plant around the world for myself.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Correct

Well, that would obsolete a lot of very expensive docking devices like speaker systems which can run into the hundreds of dollars. I for one would not be happy, but I really do not see this happening. The Apple connector standard is now ubiquitous in the market from speakers to cars. I just don't see it happening. There is no benefit to Apple and it would slow adoption through upgrade.

Absolutely! in the time when apple is pushing Airplay for the same purpose of streaming, also wireless syncing, i hardly see a benefit of changing the dock connector that has been standard over several years. They'll keep it till they are ready to remove it completely, that is when most of the accessories becomes Airplaycompatible. Now, Since Dock connector is already on its last leg, they might as well kill it, apple is notorious about old techs, they might move all streaming and syncing wireless and keep the smaller dock just for charging!