Next iPhone Coming Fall 2012 with LTE, 3.5-Inch Screen

[kdarling]

Typically, when consumers tire of a product, or it no longer meets their needs, they do look elsewhere. Just take a look at all the once great brand icons that today are considered mediocre at best, out of biz at worst.

That's often true for single purpose products, however smartphones are a mixture of multiple products and features.

Smartphones are kind of like those office all-in-one printer/fax/copiers, where we often have to decide which features are most important to us, and sacrifice on what's of lesser importance.

I.e. screen size is just one of many factors most smartphone buyers take into consideration. For people who are invested (mentally or otherwise) in iOS, the single attribute of screen size probably is not enough to make them switch to a whole other ecosystem... whether it goes bigger or not.

--

The upshot is that we cannot know which screen size the majority of current iPhone users prefer, until/unless they have a choice within the iPhone world.

From decades of experience, however, I can totally guarantee this: if the iPhone does go to a larger screen, then even the majority those iPhone users who don't want it now, will eventually forget and come to think of the new size as the new "normal", and then will not want to change from THAT size

That is just human nature.

Yes, I see your point. Of course, if the phone is larger to begin with, and I use a case with that it becomes larger still.

lol ... Touché !

 

[apolloa]

S yos

What rock do you live under? Have you stepped foot into ANY electronics store in the last 2 years? Hold the iPhone up to any of the other smartphones - it has a smaller screen in comparison. The vast majority of new smartphones being made and marketed are using larger screens. This is not up for debate: people want larger screens as Apps become more powerful and complex.

I live under the same rock as the other 37 million iPhone users which yet again blows your ridiculous argument out of the water! As are ANY statistics used that are from Internet forums cause being generous that'll make up say four thousand people? Hardly a grain of sand in iPhone sales.

 

[NakedPaulToast]

The proof is in the sales numbers. Consumers have spoken in huge volume they don't want a larger iPhone display.

This statement is silly.

The sales numbers for iPhone don't represent that people don't want a bigger display. It represents that people want one or more of the following:

• Apple product
• iOS
• Excellant build quality
• App store
• Apple Halo effect

Prior to the white iPhone using your same logic, you could have said that consumers have spoken in huge volume that people didn't want a white iPhone. It wasn't that they didn't want a white iPhone, they couldn't get a white iPhone. And they preferred a black iPhone over a white non-iPhone.

When I got my iPhone 4, it wasn't because i didn't want a bigger display, it was because all the other things I liked about my iPhone were more important than non-iPhones that had bigger screens.

I'm now at the point where the display size is becoming more important than the rest of the phone. Not because I dislike iPhone, but because of my aging eyes.

These are my choices for my next phone:

1. 3.5 inch iPhone and keep a pair of reading glasses with me at all times
2. 3.5 inch iPhone but lose a lot of functionality because I can't read a lot of the smaller text.
3. 4-4.5 inch screen

I will not choose option 1 and 2, and nor would many of the 3.5 inch advocates, when there eyes are about 40-45. I dearly want the next iPhone to be bigger. I waited for and was disappointed with the 4s, and was disappointed because of the screen. I'll wait for the next iPhone and hopefully buy a larger display iPhone.

Otherwise Android.

 

[apolloa]

This statement is silly.

The sales numbers for iPhone don't represent that people don't want a bigger display. It represents that people want one or more of the following:

• Apple product
• iOS
• Excellant build quality
• App store
• Apple Halo effect

Your statement is JUST as silly as you have chosen to purposely ignore the fact that people could be buying an iPhone BECAUSE it has a smaller screen and more compact size!

This thread is going now where now, as someone said on the other page everyone is choosing facts and figures to suit their argument, although I think Apples sales facts are more reliable then an internet forum survey. But I feel confident in stating Apple will keep the 3.5" screen or at best go to 3.7" going by the rumours so far and Apples history.

 

[ldominguez1986]

Wirelessly posted

Some of the arguments here make no sense hehe. Often we read about how people are choosing Android leaps and bound above ios and this means Android is better. However, when people are choosing the 3.5" iphone over any other phone in history, it means they are just settling because they have no choice hehe. Sounds like just running with whatever argument is convenient for you.

I think the far more likely reason that iPhone sells probably 3000% more then any other phone is because people don't care and like the iPhone for reasons other then it's screen! To some here, the more logical reason is that the majority of them want larger screens, can get larger screens with Android if they want it, but then proceed to buy iphones 37:1 compared to other individual phones. Hehe some of these theories are hilarious!

if Apple comes out with a big screen, of course some people will choose that model. I just don't get how people here are just assuming that the majority will based on some polls on some internet forum, which probably reflects less then half a percent of iPhone users hehe

Look, realisicly we won't know for sure unless Apple does release a bigger iPhone and then we can tell by the sales numbers. But I still believe people forgo the screen size now because iOS is amazing. It's not just that too, iTunes is apart of millions of lives that I think that has a major roll in peoples decision. I for one came from an Android phone, the nexus s, and do miss the screen size but made the sacrifice for the os. It works seamlessly with all my apple Devices and I believe that is another reason why people overlook screen size. In reality, we can all go back and forth but we won't know until Apple makes it. Question aside, does your keyboard have a hehe button? Hahaha, I only kid

 

[NakedPaulToast]

Your statement is JUST as silly as you have chosen to purposely ignore the fact that people could be buying an iPhone BECAUSE it has a smaller screen and more compact size!

This thread is going now where now, as someone said on the other page everyone is choosing facts and figures to suit their argument, although I think Apples sales facts are more reliable then an internet forum survey. But I feel confident in stating Apple will keep the 3.5" screen or at best go to 3.7" going by the rumours so far and Apples history.

Yes it did ignore the fact that some people like and bought the iPhone because of it's 3.5 inch screen. It also ignored the fact that there are also hundreds of other reasons that people bought the iPhone.

It was my expectation that people here had the ability to recognise that list wasn't all encompassing, nor could it be.

 

[TheBronx]

Wirelessly posted



Look, realisicly we won't know for sure unless Apple does release a bigger iPhone and then we can tell by the sales numbers. But I still believe people forgo the screen size now because iOS is amazing. It's not just that too, iTunes is apart of millions of lives that I think that has a major roll in peoples decision. I for one came from an Android phone, the nexus s, and do miss the screen size but made the sacrifice for the os. It works seamlessly with all my apple Devices and I believe that is another reason why people overlook screen size. In reality, we can all go back and forth but we won't know until Apple makes it. Question aside, does your keyboard have a hehe button? Hahaha, I only kid

Hehe sorry I'll work on the hehes. . But you are right, we won't know and I'm also sure that many will buy it if it had a bigger screen, i was just responding to the people that said 3.5 is outdated or that people will start leaving Apple if they don't get a bigger phone. It's not going to happen, and chicken little scenarios won't change it . Apple will be more then fine.

 

[tido2012]

Dang it, I have an iPhone 4s and would like a larger screen , but if they decide they don't want to make one yet I guess that's ok with me since I can't upgrade for another year either way. Hopefully when it's time for me to upgrade they have a larger screen, doesn't have to be massive just 4 in would be good. Still would prefer my iPad for movies at the gym and web browsing at home but when I don't have my iPad on me it would be nice if the phone had a little more room

 

[fruitycups]

Wirelessly posted

Cant wait for it!

 

[Skullbussa]

Your statement is JUST as silly as you have chosen to purposely ignore the fact that people could be buying an iPhone BECAUSE it has a smaller screen and more compact size!

If the iPhone had a 5" screen, it would still be the best-selling smartphone.

Go to any of the Android forums and see how many people are complaining about the phones being too big. (It is a rare if not nonexistent complaint) Compare that to the number of posts in this thread alone asking for a bigger screen. Or even better, look at the gigantic size of very popular iPhone cases that make it larger and thicker than any Android phone - obviously size isn't everything.

If you like the 3.5" screen....great! Keep your iPhone! But the rest of the world is moving on and a bigger screen is part of that plan.

 

[mbell1975]

It would be very easy to get a 4 inch or even 4.5 inch screen but still maintain the same physical size. Get rid of the home button, easy. You can even add a bit more up top. Put a home button at the bottom of the display rather than a physical one. Or better yet, make it all gesture based so you don't even need a "home" button. The iPad has it. You just use 5 fingers and pinch in to get to the home screen.

 

[lellis2k]

I was disappointed that the 4s had a 3.5, if 'the new iPhone' still has 3.5 it might be enough for me to jump ship for the first time since the origiPhone

 

[geekgirrl]

If they keep a smaller screen they are too stupid to be allowed. I'll dump them in a heart beat and over time more people will also. Yea, I want a 21" tv also. Duh! Smaller is out! I'm not saying 5" or something crazy but minimum is 4" or they will start going down hill again and have to find a new Bill.

 

[fertilized-egg]

Go to any of the Android forums and see how many people are complaining about the phones being too big. (It is a rare if not nonexistent complaint) .

That's a false logic. Most Android forums are classified by specific models, for example a Samsung Galaxy Note forum. It means the forum participants are the ones who already agreed with the form factor of the particular device.

In other words, the people who post in that forum are mostly those who bought the phone at least partly because they liked the size. Thus obviously they won't complain about the phones being too big even if that phone is a 5.3" monster. It's a pre-selected sample.

 

[vampyren]

3.5 = Android here i come

I have been buying iPhone ever since the first GSM model came out and i loved it. I am using 4S today and still think its a great phone but i must say i'm jealous of Galaxy s2's screen. I think 4.2 is the perfect fit.
Bigger then that makes it hard to hold but 4/4.2 would be really great.
Honestly if the next iPhone keep the same screen size i will for sure move to WP or Android, i would hate it to do so as i love the iOS quality but then again i surf allot and bigger screen means more content.
I dont care much for LTE as it drains more battery and even HSDPA+ is quite fast enough for my music stream + browsing so nothing to complain in that front.
Would be so awesome if we could get micro SD expansion as well but i know its a dream.

 

[firewood]

.... I really, REALLY doubt people put that kind of rational when buying their phone.

Really? Then explain why mobile smartphones with 2" displays (more pocketable) and 5" displays (more readable) are not more popular in comparison to typical iPhone and Android phones.

 

[tigress666]

If the iPhone had a 5" screen, it would still be the best-selling smartphone.

Go to any of the Android forums and see how many people are complaining about the phones being too big. (It is a rare if not nonexistent complaint) Compare that to the number of posts in this thread alone asking for a bigger screen. Or even better, look at the gigantic size of very popular iPhone cases that make it larger and thicker than any Android phone - obviously size isn't everything.

If you like the 3.5" screen....great! Keep your iPhone! But the rest of the world is moving on and a bigger screen is part of that plan.

The difference is that people with Android have a choice so presumably they wanted a larger screen so of course they aren't complaining because they were happy with the screen size which is one of the reasons they picked that particular phone. They could have picked a smaller screen if that was important and still have an android phone. So those who wanted android but did not like a larger screen will not have a phone with a larger screen so why would they complain?

But if you want iOS you are stuck with one screen size so there will be people who want iOS who are not happy with the screen size since they had no choice if they wanted iOS. So if iOS is more important but you wanted a bigger screen size you'll be griping about the screen size since you had to make a compromise there.

So your argument does not work.

 

[firewood]

I'm now at the point where the display size is becoming more important than the rest of the phone. Not because I dislike iPhone, but because of my aging eyes.

Apple has a best selling product to solve the problem of aging eyes. It's called an iPad. Makes a 4" display look unreadably stupidly small to those with bad eyes.

For those with decent eyes, or good-enough glasses (bi/trifocals in some cases), an iPhone is pocketable and usable one-handed, and about as large as possible for such. If not, get an iPad and a dumb phone.

 

[thai4life]

Wirelessly posted

Apple is no longer leading nor innovating in the phone arena. Android is. Even on the software front. Did you ever think you'd see the day when Apple COPIED from someone else (pull down notification system)?

Android took a gamble by challenging Apple's concept of "the perfect screen size" and it seems to be paying off. Only because there's so much more stuff we can do on our phones compared to back in 2007. The glass and steel combo on the iphone beats the plastic Android material hands down, but the extra size is compensating for the lack of industrial design.

Nobody is releasing sub-4" phones these days unless they're low-end models. And an iPhone is practically in the hands of everyone in the United States so there aren't any new customers left to win over basically! So their focus needs to be concentrated on compelling users to upgrade from current models and to do that they're going to have to offer something substantially different this time around.

I have a 3GS and an iPhone 4. I got hip to Apple's tactics and haven't looked back since. Give me a compelling reason to upgrade or I will switch to a larger phone just on principle alone! They screwed me once with the 3GS, screwed me twice with the 4S...I'll be damned if they screw me again by another incremental upgrade.

Goodbye iPhone. Hello Nokia 900

 

[fertilized-egg]

Did you ever think you'd see the day when Apple COPIED from someone else (pull down notification system)?

They already did and they sometimes even admitted it. Off the top of my head, I believe Steve Jobs conceded in a keynote that Windows XP had the fast user switch before OSX and the Apple's implementation looks like Windows XP's.

Give me a compelling reason to upgrade or I will switch to a larger phone just on principle alone!

That gives me an interesting idea. According to you, Android is screwed. They already innovated with their screen size and cannot really grow their displays much more, unless people really want 5"+ phones. Since Android display won't grow, there'll be no new upgraders, right?

 

[AidenShaw]

Apple has a best selling product to solve the problem of aging eyes. It's called an iPad. Makes a 4" display look unreadably stupidly small to those with bad eyes.

How do you make a telephone call with an Ipad?

Did you ever think you'd see the day when Apple COPIED from someone else (pull down notification system)?

They already did and they sometimes even admitted it. Off the top of my head, I believe Steve Jobs conceded in a keynote that Windows XP had the fast user switch before OSX and the Apple's implementation looks like Windows XP's.

At least Apple hasn't copied Windows on BD, USB 3.0 and eSATA support.

 

[Born2run45]

The market changed in 2007 (because of iPhone) and then it changed again in 2009. Android left iPhone behind.

So what exactly was this big market changing event in 2009?

 

[xgman]

some poll results:

 

[fruitycups]

I cant wait for this to happen..
FAST! PLEASE!

 

[seecoolguy]

Needs a bigger screen. The iPhone looks dwarfed next to competitors. With all the multitasking, new apps like garageband, iPhoto, we need every half inch we can get.

sounds like you need to buy the iPhone XL...



...I think they call it the new iPad