Glad to see Apple sticking to their guns on this instead of falling into the rat race like the rest of the smartphone manufacturers. 3.5 is perfect and all of you clamoring for a larger screen have plenty to choose from in the Android arena. Apple won't miss you.
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Next iPhone Coming Fall 2012 with LTE, 3.5-Inch Screen
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What do you mean Apple won't miss you.. If I was running Apple I would miss every customer who left.
If they are leaving because Apple isn't making an "EXTREME quad core 5.7 inch ultraphone with a 6 card reader, 4 usb ports and 8 hdmi ports and a kickstand for ultra extreme movie watching on the go", then no, I wouldn't care one bit. Move on to something that is more your style. Apple is not catering to this attitude and I hope they never do.
4in display means no Retina
If the iPhone had a DVGA (960 × 640 pixel) display with a diagonal of ca. 4 inches, it would have less than 290 px/in (dpi) and therefore no longer qualify for Apples definition of its marketing term Retina display *they set the boundary at 300 px/in for smartphones.
That is, of course, unless you would be holding a phone with a slightly larger screen (but probably same device dimensions) farther apart, as is the case with the iPad, which is why its 264 px/in do qualify.
If the iPhone had a DVGA (960 × 640 pixel) display with a diagonal of ca. 4 inches, it would have less than 290 px/in (dpi) and therefore no longer qualify for Apples definition of its marketing term Retina display *they set the boundary at 300 px/in for smartphones.
That is, of course, unless you would be holding a phone with a slightly larger screen (but probably same device dimensions) farther apart, as is the case with the iPad, which is why its 264 px/in do qualify.
bmwhd
macrumors 6502a
The market changed in 2007 (because of iPhone) and then it changed again in 2009. Android left iPhone behind.
doelcm82
macrumors 68040
Of course, they miss every customer who leaves. But if two customers take the leaving customer's place, they won't miss him very much.
Another way to look at it is this: If Apple makes the phone bigger, and Apple loses customers who want a phone that fits easily in their pocket, they'll miss those customers also. Those very important customers.
if Apple keeps the phone the same size, lures new customers with new features and specs, and keeps the customers who would leave if they enlarged the phone, they won't miss (much) the customers who leave because they wanted tail fins.
I suppose if you have two good OS's and don't really prefer one over the other than physical appearance would be a determining factor.
However, buying a BMW that looks the same with a more powerful engine would be necessary if the speed limit increased and you were just too slow on the road and couldn't keep up with traffic.
Software is constantly demanding more from hardware. Although the iPhone 4 can handle what is being currently thrown at it; spec bumps are what really count in my book. Physical appearance is very important, but it takes a back seat while I drive.
I guess my original complaint is that people say that unless it has a different physical appearance than it's not worth it; or some say you can't even call it an upgrade. That to me is silly.
I agree that consumers get bored easily (and I'm one of them). But another spec bump or two and the iPhone 4 won't be able to run the latest stuff. I too am still using the iPhone 4 because I don't see a reason to upgrade yet. However, if the iPhone 4S did end up having a new look I still wouldn't have seen a reason to upgrade because at this time I don't need the spec bump. That being said I get more excited over a spec bump than a new look. I guess I'm just an old fashioned geek that loves faster hardware.
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Demosthenes X
macrumors 68000
As long as it's LTE with similar or better battery life, I'm happy. And I'd say there's a very good chance of both given that they did it with the new iPad. 🙂
Yes but for power use TV's are never likely to go above 50" now. These 4"+ phones especially the ones nearer 5" are becoming too much of a mini tablet rather than a phone.
Really if anything we should hope for a 3"5 inch Iphone but a slimmer one like the Ipod touch.
sulpfiction
macrumors 68040
Apple's not sticking to their guns on anything. Why are u taking this as fact? It's just another in the long list of baseless hearsay rumors. And 3.5" is a horrible screen size. 4" would make browsing 1000 times better on the iPhone, and could be done without increasing the overall size of the device. I can live with 3.5", and I'm not a big proponent of large screens on cellphones. But I will be the house that the next iPhone will have a larger screen. Keep this post and pull it out when ur dead wrong.
Delighted to see a rumor for a 3.5" screen. Just because other companies are making bigger screens it doesn't necessarily mean that they're better. There's a reason Apple chose 3.5" in the first place.
TheUndertow
macrumors 6502
I'd like it to come sooner and to me, 4.0 Edge/Edge Curved Glass is magic size/form factor.
3.5 is too small - above 4" or so total with bezel...etc and you get too big.
3.5 is too small - above 4" or so total with bezel...etc and you get too big.
So I guess you will be staying with your 3.5'' screen when Apple makes a larger screen. Everyone on this forum saying 3.5'' is perfect lol all you same guys will be saying WOW I can't believe how much better the new bigger screen is.
How are they 2 years behind, and how is it "usual"? Apple was fundamental in changing the nature and importance of smartphones. A 4.6" screen doesn't do much that a 3.5" screen does not. Sure, some images may look a bit better on a larger screen, but there is little additional function. Perhaps flexible screens may have an impact (or more correctly, may enable companies to do something that has an impact), but I don't see the purpose of making a device with a bigger screen that does the same thing. That's effectively what most of the larger Android devices do, with the possible exception of the Galaxy Note.
Moving to the Retina Display was a big deal. On the iPad it is an even bigger deal. However, moving from a 3.5" screen to a 4.0" screen while nice, is less likely to be a big deal.
I for one think it is dumb to even compare the iPhone and iPad. I keep reading, well if I want to use bigger I will use my iPad. That makes no sense whatsoever. How is adding .5" to the iPhone a problem that just using the iPad can fix??? A 4" inch to the people that are upset will not even notice much and for the people like me who want it, it will make all the difference in the world. Please stop with this I will just use my iPad instead because they are leagues apart in actual portability and screen size. You can't fit an iPad in your pocket but a 4" iphone fits just as well as a 3.5" one.
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I couldn't agree more.
If they were to use a 4" screen
Building upon your third option, Apple could of course use the original iPad resolution and reuse graphics designed for these 1024 × 768 pixels, but that’s 4:3 and doesn’t work well for phones. Anyway, a 4-inch 4:3 screen would be slightly larger than 8 × 6 cm (3.2 × 2.4 inches) and had Retina-safe 320 px/in at XGA resolution. The iPhone 4(S) is already narrower than 60 mm, though (previous models were wider). That means this hypothetic screen would hardly fit, even with completely removed horizontal bezel (assuming portrait orientation).
I doubt they go 1152 × 768 px (3:2) at 9 × 6 cm, which would be a 4¼-inch display with 320 px/in and could run original iPad apps at native resolution with horizontal black bars. That display had 0.88 megapixels which would be about the same amount as 16:9 HD video, by the way, where 1280 × 720 px = 0.92 Mpx, i.e. a 4% difference not noticable.
I’ll spare you the math for a change to a 16:9 ratio at either 640, 720 or 768 pixels and anything between 5 and 6 cm for the narrow side.
That’s all correct.
Building upon your third option, Apple could of course use the original iPad resolution and reuse graphics designed for these 1024 × 768 pixels, but that’s 4:3 and doesn’t work well for phones. Anyway, a 4-inch 4:3 screen would be slightly larger than 8 × 6 cm (3.2 × 2.4 inches) and had Retina-safe 320 px/in at XGA resolution. The iPhone 4(S) is already narrower than 60 mm, though (previous models were wider). That means this hypothetic screen would hardly fit, even with completely removed horizontal bezel (assuming portrait orientation).
I doubt they go 1152 × 768 px (3:2) at 9 × 6 cm, which would be a 4¼-inch display with 320 px/in and could run original iPad apps at native resolution with horizontal black bars. That display had 0.88 megapixels which would be about the same amount as 16:9 HD video, by the way, where 1280 × 720 px = 0.92 Mpx, i.e. a 4% difference not noticable.
I’ll spare you the math for a change to a 16:9 ratio at either 640, 720 or 768 pixels and anything between 5 and 6 cm for the narrow side.
If they can do that, then fine, but I don't think it would make browsing "1000 times better." I have seen 4" screens, and even the 4.6" screens, and while they have a nice initial visual impact, my next reaction is that they are very big devices. I plan to get the next iPhone primarily for the LTE, and I don't need a giant screen for its own sake.
Rodimus Prime
macrumors G4
But if the leave the dock they might as well go to the standard everyone else is using which is micro usb.