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And how many people are staying on older iPhones because they don't want the iPhone 6?? How many people are purchasing iPhone 6's because they would have preferred a smaller screen but didn't want an old device?

The only real way to judge demand of each model, would be to release a 4 inch 6S, alongside the 4.7 and 5.5, then let people choose.

Or do some market research to see what the demand is. Which has been my point all along. No one truly knows what Apple deems a viable market--one that takes into account short term and long term goals, profit margins and their overall vision and mission, among other things. And it's also pretty safe to say that a 720 billion dollar enterprise has the resources and has done the research.
 
The only real way to judge demand of each model, would be to release a 4 inch 6S, alongside the 4.7 and 5.5, then let people choose.

That's not what companies do. They do market research and you can bet that Apple invests millions into that activity.

Apple has done their calculations and decided the market is not profitable for them anymore. It is the one and only explanation for this. It would be too easy to keep the current production lines for 4" phones running and churning them out. Apparently it was cheaper to convert their production capacity to the larger phones. What many people forget is that there are not unlimited factories on this planet. Apple very likely decided that a conversion of its production capacity from 4"to larger phones would net them more profit than keeping 4"phones being produced and building additional factories. It is common sense really.
 
I never planned to upgrade until 2016 and whatever named version comes to market. However I experimented and bought a Plus in Jan which I don't think I want to keep long term so it will go bye bye when the 6s launches.
 
So many people want the latest and greatest (but would prefer a 4" screen) so they opt for the 5.5" (instead of the 4.7") and more expensive one to boot?



What is a "normal sized phone"? Certainly there's a myriad opinions on that.

It's a difficult thing to define but I'd put it as

- One that can be used with one hand
- Is sturdy and it's length to width ratio doesn't result in a weak structure
- One that can fit into jeans' pockets and still give ample movement again without damaging it
- One that doesn't look ridiculous when holding it to your head
 
Now that right there is an opinion seemingly pulled out of thin air. Your own "market research" would seem to contradict that statement since the 5.5" has outsold the 4" form factor since it came out with the most recent sales data (1Q15F) showing it has picked up the pace with the 6+ outselling the 4S/5C/5S by a hefty margin.

Thats because not everyone wants an old iPhone. You can't use that argument till Apple puts the 6 guts inside a 4 inch enclosure.
 
Been on the s cycle since the 4s and this is why. Why would I take the crappy version of a new design with all the guaranteed compromises and flaws, when they will come out with a refined improved version the next year. so it's 4s, 5s, 6s, ... on all the way baby! :cool:
 
Your opinion isn't fact. Many people buy based on phone price. My mom, who's a tiny person, loves the size of a 4" phone, not screen, but is in love with larger screens. When price isn't a factor, people will opt for a larger screen. It's why we have such large TV's today, it's more immersive and you don't have to squint.

Anyone who wants 3.5" screens and 512mg of RAM don't belong in 2015.

Your opinion is also not fact. More many people larger phones are not 'better'. A TV is a completely different thing.
 
The 5C has a a sapphire lens cover too.



You don't know that it won't be a better camera. Extra megapixels, a lager image sensor, a better lens with lower aperture, higher ISO capabilities, etc.. are all important factors that can improve image quality and reduce noise.

I hope we'll see improvements in all these areas. With the exception of the iPhone 6's video stabilization and slo-mo, the camera upgrade was pretty weak and many aren't happy with the way it reduces noise. If they're smart this upgrade will be a significant leap forward.

The noise reduction is a good point. There is definitely room for improvement there.
I didn't even think of the 5c.
 
Les than one year ago Apple was telling people that 4" was the perfect size and anything larger was silly, now Apple isn't going to sell new 4" phones.

This is called the Reality Distortion Field of Apple

This is called a general reality distortion field.

Why? Because they never said that. Ever.

Steve Jobs is the only one to refer to sizes, and he called his 3.5" iPhones "perfect" when the *4 inch* Galaxy S came along, which was also when the Evo and Droid X came out. He cited average thumb length for perfect one hand operation, and overall size to produce detailed devices and legible graphics. His statement was directly that "no one" was going to buy those 3 devices. He wasn't exactly wrong there, either... The iPhone 4 smoked all of those devices in sales, combined.

But since, as you have to know by now, a 4" iPhone was developed under his eyes... I'd imagine it's time to retire this stupid, asinine statement that has been out of date and incorrect for nearly 3 years now. His target market asked for more, they delivered as requested. It still doesn't disprove his statement that his iPhone 4 was the superior device to the S, Evo and Streak.
 
Les than one year ago Apple was telling people that 4" was the perfect size and anything larger was silly, now Apple isn't going to sell new 4" phones.

This is called the Reality Distortion Field of Apple

How long ago was it that a 32" CRT TV was considered ridiculously large? Now where are we? Time marches on.

Thats a little different.... No one ever claimed larger TVS weren't good.

Does no one remember the endless articles and websites about finding the appropriate size of TV to fit your room - - they were quite popular about a decade ago.

One of my family members was going to get a 55" LCD TV back then, but the store clerk said it was much too big for their bedroom and so they went down to a 46". Now that same family member has a 60" TV and wants an even bigger one!
 
It's a difficult thing to define but I'd put it as

- One that can be used with one hand
- Is sturdy and it's length to width ratio doesn't result in a weak structure
- One that can fit into jeans' pockets and still give ample movement again without damaging it
- One that doesn't look ridiculous when holding it to your head

I have the iPhone 6. All of these criteria apply to that phone and I have small hands. Granted using it one handed is less comfortable than my 5s but it is possible and not nearly annoying enough to offset the rest of the fantastic features of the larger screen.
 
That's not what companies do. They do market research and you can bet that Apple invests millions into that activity.

Apple has done their calculations and decided the market is not profitable for them anymore. It is the one and only explanation for this. It would be too easy to keep the current production lines for 4" phones running and churning them out. Apparently it was cheaper to convert their production capacity to the larger phones. What many people forget is that there are not unlimited factories on this planet. Apple very likely decided that a conversion of its production capacity from 4"to larger phones would net them more profit than keeping 4"phones being produced and building additional factories. It is common sense really.

Oh yes and I'd love to see how Apple has found out from each and every iphone user which size of phone they prefer. I certainly haven't been asked.

Perhaps this year it is not profitable but next year when people start seriously upgrading from the 5 and 5S and don't want an oversized phone.
 
You don't know that it won't be a better camera. Extra megapixels, a lager image sensor, a better lens with lower aperture, higher ISO capabilities, etc.. are all important factors that can improve image quality and reduce noise.

No, they won't. Unless Apple achieves some tech that can disprove both optical law and quantum physics, they just can't add that more meaningful pixels (meaning pixels that capture real data rather than noise or artifacts).

They can't put a larger sensor, because a larger sensor would mean a longer lens for the same angle of vision (optical laws) and it would be sticking even more at the back of the phone.

With a fixed size sensor, extra pixels mean extra noise in low light (quantum physics). I'm not talking about noise that is due to electronics you can improve, but noise that is due to the fact that light is made of photons and thus of discrete amounts of energy. You can always run algorithms to reduce noise, but they can't do miracle and create information that is not there.

Moreover, a fixed sensor means that you keep the same floor for resolution due to diffraction. On my D800 with 4,89 micron pixels on a 24x36 sensor, I'm diffraction limited around f/11. Meaning the airy disk becomes bigger than an 2-3 pixels and this really destroys resolution (and can potentially cause color artifacts with the Bayer filter).
If you take a point&shoot like the Powershoot G9 a 12mp pixels camera with 1.9 micron pixels, the airy disk becomes too big around f4 - meaning that if you want to actually use the 12mp, you have to shoot at f4 or less.
Now, the iPhone 6+ has 1.5 micron pixel and a sensor smaller than the G9. You will hit the limit very fast, probably at around f2.8. So, the resolution is already limited by optical laws, adding more pixels will cause the camera to become resolution limited at full aperture.
And coming with a better lens won't help either. This is cause by optical laws, they exist even with an ideal lens.

The only room for improvement would be a bigger sensor and a lens with a wider aperture. But both means a thicker camera unit, that will stick even more. And the later causes problem with the AF system which must be very precise otherwise it will limit resolution too.

I hope we'll see improvements in all these areas. With the exception of the iPhone 6's video stabilization and slo-mo, the camera upgrade was pretty weak

You're kidding ? The iPhone 6 has one of the best camera on the market, this has been reviewed as such by many photography sites. Both DxO and DP Review gave it excellent reviews. It's way better than what is on the Android world.

For instance : http://connect.dpreview.com/post/6303555427/apple-iphone-6-plus-camera-review?page=6

But it's a smartphone. There is no way you can even approach under ideal conditions the quality you will have from a DSLR...

and many aren't happy with the way it reduces noise.

It's science and technology, not magic. A tiny sensor will always be plague by noise. Even when the conditions are perfect. For instance, look a blue skyes in broad daylight on photos from smartphones, you will very often have noise here. Because they have a tiny sensor and it's low light as far as the pixels under the red and green of the Bayer filters are concerned. Clever algorithms can hide that by recognizing it's a sky, but it's a problem you will have everytime you have something monochromatic.

The best the algorithm can do is not remove all the noise, focusing on the ugly chroma noise which is easy to remove with little impact on quality and letting most of the luma noise in (because removing too much of it will give a plastic look and destroy details). And that's exactly the clever choice that Apple made. You can always apply some more noise reduction with software or app, but you can never recover the details lost by aggressive noise reduction (like on some Android phones).
 
I have the iPhone 6. All of these criteria apply to that phone and I have small hands. Granted using it one handed is less comfortable than my 5s but it is possible and not nearly annoying enough to offset the rest of the fantastic features of the larger screen.

Its not a compromise everyone wants to make. I can't hold the 6 and use it one handed with out nearly dropping the phone.

The 4 inch phone is more than big enough for many.
 
It's a difficult thing to define
Thank you for proving my point. What's "normal" for you is not what's "normal" for everyone else. Unless you suffer from "I'm the only one that matters" syndrome.

but I'd put it as

- One that can be used with one hand
- Is sturdy and it's length to width ratio doesn't result in a weak structure
- One that can fit into jeans' pockets and still give ample movement again without damaging it
- One that doesn't look ridiculous when holding it to your head

I have the 6 and for me it meets your above criteria for "normal".
 
Does no one remember the endless articles and websites about finding the appropriate size of TV to fit your room - - they were quite popular about a decade ago.

One of my family members was going to get a 55" LCD TV back then, but the store clerk said it was much too big for their bedroom and so they went down to a 46". Now that same family member has a 60" TV and wants an even bigger one!

Well yes, a huge TV is not often great for a small room as you're too close to the screen etc. But thats not the point. I'm not picking that TV up and putting it in my pocket. I'm not trying to use it one handed. TVs have far fewer options in usability.

----------

There is a particular field in mathematics devoted to statistics. It allows predictions about large populations behaviour based on a sample that is markedly smaller.

Apple's market research has been wrong before. iPhone 5C anyone??

I know perfectly well about statistics, however unless Apple gave a large number of people both a iPhone 6 prototype in 4 inches and a 4.7 and 5.5 inch iPhone 6 and asked them which one they preferred then I don't think they did a good job.

----------

This is called a general reality distortion field.

Why? Because they never said that. Ever.

Steve Jobs is the only one to refer to sizes, and he called his 3.5" iPhones "perfect" when the *4 inch* Galaxy S came along, which was also when the Evo and Droid X came out. He cited average thumb length for perfect one hand operation, and overall size to produce detailed devices and legible graphics. His statement was directly that "no one" was going to buy those 3 devices. He wasn't exactly wrong there, either... The iPhone 4 smoked all of those devices in sales, combined.

But since, as you have to know by now, a 4" iPhone was developed under his eyes... I'd imagine it's time to retire this stupid, asinine statement that has been out of date and incorrect for nearly 3 years now. His target market asked for more, they delivered as requested. It still doesn't disprove his statement that his iPhone 4 was the superior device to the S, Evo and Streak.


Did you never see the adverts going on about how the iPhone 5 had the perfect sized screen as it was developed around how far the thumb could reach?

I'm still to be convinced that the target market don't want 4 inch iPhones. The iPhone 6 has a high percentage of Android switches, so I would be interested to see what the iPhone upgraders think when they start coming in the masses.
 
Two questions: Is it going to cost 10 grand? and are they going to give them away to their mates in the entertainment/fashion world again?

Can't we have some more colour options instead including a (product) RED version.
 
Apple's market research has been wrong before. iPhone 5C anyone??

Ah yes, the colossal failure of the 5C that saw only 9 million sold in the first three days it was available. How many companies would kill for marketing flops like that??

Edit: I read my source wrong on opening weekend sales. It was 9 million combined 5S/5C sales. Apple has never released sales figures on the 5C alone.
 
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No, they won't. Unless Apple achieves some tech that can disprove both optical law and quantum physics, they just can't add that more meaningful pixels (meaning pixels that capture real data rather than noise or artifacts).

They can't put a larger sensor, because a larger sensor would mean a longer lens for the same angle of vision (optical laws) and it would be sticking even more at the back of the phone.

With a fixed size sensor, extra pixels mean extra noise in low light (quantum physics). I'm not talking about noise that is due to electronics you can improve, but noise that is due to the fact that light is made of photons and thus of discrete amounts of energy. You can always run algorithms to reduce noise, but they can't do miracle and create information that is not there.

Moreover, a fixed sensor means that you keep the same floor for resolution due to diffraction. On my D800 with 4,89 micron pixels on a 24x36 sensor, I'm diffraction limited around f/11. Meaning the airy disk becomes bigger than an 2-3 pixels and this really destroys resolution (and can potentially cause color artifacts with the Bayer filter).
If you take a point&shoot like the Powershoot G9 a 12mp pixels camera with 1.9 micron pixels, the airy disk becomes too big around f4 - meaning that if you want to actually use the 12mp, you have to shoot at f4 or less.
Now, the iPhone 6+ has 1.5 micron pixel and a sensor smaller than the G9. You will hit the limit very fast, probably at around f2.8. So, the resolution is already limited by optical laws, adding more pixels will cause the camera to become resolution limited at full aperture.
And coming with a better lens won't help either. This is cause by optical laws, they exist even with an ideal lens.

The only room for improvement would be a bigger sensor and a lens with a wider aperture. But both means a thicker camera unit, that will stick even more. And the later causes problem with the AF system which must be very precise otherwise it will limit resolution too.



You're kidding ? The iPhone 6 has one of the best camera on the market, this has been reviewed as such by many photography sites. Both DxO and DP Review gave it excellent reviews. It's way better than what is on the Android world.

For instance : http://connect.dpreview.com/post/6303555427/apple-iphone-6-plus-camera-review?page=6

But it's a smartphone. There is no way you can even approach under ideal conditions the quality you will have from a DSLR...



It's science and technology, not magic. A tiny sensor will always be plague by noise. Even when the conditions are perfect. For instance, look a blue skyes in broad daylight on photos from smartphones, you will very often have noise here. Because they have a tiny sensor and it's low light as far as the pixels under the red and green of the Bayer filters are concerned. Clever algorithms can hide that by recognizing it's a sky, but it's a problem you will have everytime you have something monochromatic.

The best the algorithm can do is not remove all the noise, focusing on the ugly chroma noise which is easy to remove with little impact on quality and letting most of the luma noise in (because removing too much of it will give a plastic look and destroy details). And that's exactly the clever choice that Apple made. You can always apply some more noise reduction with software or app, but you can never recover the details lost by aggressive noise reduction (like on some Android phones).

What about a second camera?
 
Did you never see the adverts going on about how the iPhone 5 had the perfect sized screen as it was developed around how far the thumb could reach?

Methinks you're overestimating the "how far the thumb can reach" criteria for determining what consumers want in a phone. You and a few others...
 
Apple's market research has been wrong before. iPhone 5C anyone??

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion so quick. Apple has not published any profitability information on the 5c. As it happens it is a phone that is widely used in the corporate world. It successfully filled the demand of employees asking for an Apple option while keeping the costs to the organization low.

I work as a management consultant and several Fortune 500 companies that I have visited over the past year use them as the default employee phone.

And sure market research is not always accurate and sure also Apple makes mistakes. Many would argue that their entry into large screen phones was (too) late. But the entire market movement is away from small phones. Even low-tier budget phones (Android and Microsoft) now increasingly appear in larger sizes. This says a lot about the addressable market for 4"phones. It is becoming smaller and as the entire industry moves away it becomes ever more expensive to produce a 4"phone.
 
Tim Cook admitted himself that they thought they were going to sell more.

Ok. Haven't seen a source for that but people keep bringing up the 5C as an utter failure like it's some stain and embarrassment on Apple. Context people, context.
 
Ah yes, the colossal failure of the 5C that saw only 9 million sold in the first three days it was available. How many companies would kill for marketing flops like that??

I liked to see a source for the 5C selling 9 million units in the first three days. It didn't happen.
 
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