Poll: Do you want to see a 4.5 inch screen on the next iPhone?

[mrblack927]

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Either way, it seems the vast majority of the posters here would prefer a 4.5 inch screen.
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Wow, biased much? According to your own poll, only 55% of posters here prefer a larger screen. That's not a "vast majority". Also, as someone pointed out, this is a small sample of the total iphone market (less than 1%), and it is also a BIASED sample, being a technology forum. You are correct that "most other polls are done with small samples of the whole market", but you're forgetting that those polls are done with uniform unbiased samples. In fact, marketing agencies go through a lot of trouble to make sure the sample population is as well-represented as possible. That means they poll people like us (techies) AND non-techies AND old people AND people who don't frequent internet forums ETC...

We all know your opinion on the subject but since you started this thread to get a feel for what people are thinking, you should try to be a little more impartial and respect peoples' opinions even if they don't agree with you. For example, you can't say that the black bars on the iPhone are "wasted space" because they DO serve a purpose: so that you can hold your phone (to play games and such) without obscuring the screen. It's the same reason that apple intentionally put the thick border around the iPad. It's not that they can't bring the screen all the way to the edge, it's that they built-in an ergonomic way to hold it without interfering with what you're trying to do on-screen.

To me and many others here, I like the iPhone how it is. I wouldn't want to make it any bigger, and I wouldn't want to sacrifice that valuable holding space. You may not need that space, but other people do.

The bottom line is this: Apple doesn't "guess" at these things. They spent (and continue to spend) millions of dollars on marketing research to see what the true majority of their customer base wants. This data isn't published, but we see the results in the products they release. If they don't release a larger screen iPhone, it's because the majority of people in the world (not in some online forum) don't want a larger screen. So you can go ahead and email Apple all you want. Until you become the majority, they aren't going to change it.

 

[boss.king]

Wow, biased much? [SNIP] Until you become the majority, they aren't going to change it.

Thjs is one of the most well presented arguments i've seen on MR for some time. Unfortunately i doubt it will get your message across to the OP.

 

[wikoogle]

Wow, biased much? According to your own poll, only 55% of posters here prefer a larger screen. That's not a "vast majority". Also, as someone pointed out, this is a small sample of the total iphone market (less than 1%), and it is also a BIASED sample, being a technology forum.

LMAO. Wow, sensative much? The numbers are there for any one to judge. 56% of the people here want a 4.5 inch screen, 38% do not. In otherwords, for every 4 people that don't want it, 6 people do. That's is a significant majority.

Don't take this so personally. Besides, this isn't a technology forum, it's an apple forum, all the real tech geeks and spec chasers are over at xdaforums and wouldn't buy an apple if their life depended on it.

What this forum has are the biggest most passionate apple customers and users, the users that not only buy apple products but go out and convince friends and family members to buy apple products. In short, this is a base of people that apple does care about, or at the very least should.

You act like only tech geeks enjoy watching videos on the iPhone, browsing the web on the iPhone, reading ebooks on the iPhone, reading maps on the iPhone, looking at and showing off pics on the iPhone, all tasks that are made substantially easier with a bigger screen. I am willing to bet that a general sample of all iPhone owners would show similar stats, with most wanting a bigger screen that makes these tasks easier and more pleasent.

In fact the bias on this forum if anything tilts the other way. Elderly people don't post here, but they do own a substantial number of iPhones. And they need and desire bigger screens that are easier to see and do tasks on more than anyone. The new Nintendo DS XL, the one with the massive screen, was marketed entirely to the elderly population that didn't just want but actually NEEDED a bigger screen. And it sold out faster than any other gaming device to date. So clearly a demand for this is there.

Like I said, apple has recently started to offer last years model of iPhone for sale alongside the current iPhone. There is no reason they wouldn't or could offer a slightly updated version of the 2010 iPhone HD with it's 3.5 inch screen for sale for that 38% while offering the 4.3-4.5 inch iPhone for the rest of use.

 

[Ish]

If there's any space to be saved I'd prefer to keep the same size screen and shrink the phone around it a little. I've got small hands though.

 

[mrblack927]

LMAO. Wow, sensative much? ...

Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I'm sorry if it came off that way. All I'm saying is that there isn't overwhelming evidence that people want a bigger screen, and a case could be made for either side. For example, you mention old people use the iPhone. Okay, so maybe they want a bigger screen, or maybe they want a more ergonomic finger layout (black bars). I know plenty of old people who have great vision but are easily frustrated by pushing buttons accidentally. Just imagine how hard of a time they would have if there was no room on the front of the phone to rest their fingers.

Same goes for "watching videos on the iPhone, browsing the web on the iPhone, reading ebooks on the iPhone, reading maps on the iPhone, looking at and showing off pics on the iPhone". Maybe for you, those things would be easier if the screen was bigger. But I know for me and most other people I know, ALL of those things would be made significantly more difficult by trying to do it on a device with a screen that goes all the way to the edges.

To each his own though. I agree with all of your points and I can see why you would want a bigger screen. Apple knows what their customers want and they show no signs of changing. It sounds like you should buy a different phone that suits your specific needs.

 

[wikoogle]

Thanks for agreeing with me. About the points where you disagreed, a big chunk of false finger key strokes are caused because the screen is too small as a result of which, the keyboard is also too small. Bigger screen=bigger keyboard=fewer errors. It's easier to type on the HD2 even with a slightly smaller bezel because the screen is so much bigger, try it out if you don't believe me. Apple should take that same route.

You're saying that 56% of the people in this forum should get a non-iPhone. That doesn't make sense. Why would apple want to ostracize such a large chunk of their fan base, the fan base that has been with apple since when times were tough for apple, the fan base that talks their friends and family into buying apple products, when there is such a simple solution: release a 4.3-4.5 inch iPhone in 2011 but also continue to manufacture and sell the 2010 3.5 inch iPhone, possibly even with some updates.

Andriod is nipping at apple's heels. Their flagship phones all offer much larger screens than the iPhone and their software keeps getting better. From a business standpoint, the dumbest thing apple can do is to not give it's core customers a feature 56% of them want and their competitor is offering when they could please everyone by simply making such a phone and selling it alongside their 3.5 inch line.

 

[wikoogle]

People are already posting about how after using the iPad, the iPhone screen feels way too small and barely usable for basic tasks such as browsing the web.

Once people get to play with the Evo 4G that was released today, I expect those opinions to multiply many times over. The screen on the Evo 4G is gorgeous.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I think this poll should have been broken up a little bit more. As per your argument there is a huge difference between 3.5 and 4.5. There are many intermediate steps such as 3.7, 4.0, and 4.3. I'm not sure If I would have broken it up quite that much, but I think it would be interesting to see if people want to keep 3.5, slightly increase to 3.7 or 4.0, or have a larger increase of 4.3 or 4.5

Because I think a lot of people (myself included) would be in that middle ballpark.

 

[wikoogle]

I'm guessing if the poll asked "Do you want to see a 4.3 inch screen on the next iPhone like the Evo 4G?"

The yes's would've shot up to 66% or so.

You are welcome to start a seperate thread with a poll to ask. Me, in my experience, 4.5 inches is the ideal size to be convenient to browse the web and read ebooks without having to squint/zoom in constantly while still being pocketable, so that's the size I took the poll for.

 

[Irish Rose]

I'm guessing if the poll asked "Do you want to see a 4.3 inch screen on the next iPhone like the Evo 4G?"

The yes's would've shot up to 66% or so.

You are welcome to start a seperate thread with a poll to ask. Me, in my experience, 4.5 inches is the ideal size to be convenient to browse the web and read ebooks without having to squint/zoom in constantly while still being pocketable, so that's the size I took the poll for.

A 4.5 inch screen would have shot the poll up to at least 99%.

 

[ajohnson253]

At first I was like, "nah I enjoy the size of it now", but since owning an iPad and using that for the past week at home or at tullys coffee down the street. I definitely like more screen real estate. The 9.7 inch screen on the iPad just has my eyes trained to be spoiled to a bigger screen. I could see the os4 looking beautiful on a larger screen maybe not a full 4.5 but something fairly larger. After seeing all the leaked phones I don't see it happening though

 

[oftheheavens]

It's shocking how big a difference that extra inch makes.

That's what she said! OOOO snap!

not usually one to act childish in this nature but that was just too good to pass over

 

[wikoogle]

I am tempted to join you on the inch jokes, but that's why the previous thread on this exact same topic got locked

At first I was like, "nah I enjoy the size of it now", but since owning an iPad and using that for the past week at home or at tullys coffee down the street. I definitely like more screen real estate. The 9.7 inch screen on the iPad just has my eyes trained to be spoiled to a bigger screen. I could see the os4 looking beautiful on a larger screen maybe not a full 4.5 but something fairly larger. After seeing all the leaked phones I don't see it happening though

I know what you mean. I feel the exact same way. Especially after seeing the Sprint Evo 4G and seeing how compact it really is, despite packing on such a nice big screen.

 

[d.shorty1]

get rid of that dang black bezel at the top and sides of the current model, and bam, we have room for 3.7-4.0 inch screen

personally, yes, i would LOVE a major overhaul on the front of the iphone. to me, its very plain and boring. take the bezels out and give us a bigger, high res screen apple!

 

[wikoogle]

So do you think there is any chance the iPhone they show today will have a 4" Screen?

Hear me out.

Yes I know the leaked iPhone infact has a 3.5" inch screen. But it was also disguised to look just like the 3GS.

The fact is, all the prototypes they send out for testing have to be disguised to look just like the 3GS from the front.

This means that even if the new iPhone includes a 4 inch screen, the prototypes they use to test it will still need to use 3.5 inch screens in order to not have these phones spotted as prototype phones. The prototypes could have all the internal enhancements for testing purposes, but the screen size would have to be the same in order to fool people.

Also consider the resolution, 960x640 is a ridiculously high resolution to pack into 3.5 inches. I was reading about viewing distances (for HDTVs), used the formula they provided and at that screen size, such a high resolution would not be noticable over a slightly lower resolution.

The screen would have to be atleast an inch larger for such a high resolution to be noticable to the naked eye.

Just surveying this place, it seems like a ton of people want an iPhone with a bigger screen, especially after having spent time with the iPad. In addition, many Andriod phones including the Driod and the Nexus One, that were out six months ago while the new iPhone was still in planning stages, offer up significantly higher screen sizes than the iPhone. So Apple had every reason to try and match their screen size.

What do you guys think? Just wishful thinking on my part, or do you think there is a tiny chance that the phone they show off today will have a 3.7 inch, 4 inch or a 4.3 inch screen but will otherwise be near identical to the leaked phone?

 

[Marty Macfly]

Disguised... by shaving off a half-inch of screen.

Somehow I don't buy that. Especially since they DID "shove" 960x640 into the 3.5 inch screen on the prototypes. Additionally, I would venture to say that the idea behind resolutions is that they're not noticeable, in that you're not supposed to be seeing pixels.

Apple doesn't care what Android does with phones. This is nothing but wishful thinking.

 

[spyda]

Haha, wont happen.

 

[wikoogle]

If you were apple and your new iPhone is going to be 4 inches, would you send iPhone prototypes with 4 inch screens out into the wild to be tested 6 months ahead of release, and risk having everyone who looks at the phone know it's a prototype.

Or would you insist on making the prototypes that go into the wild look identical to regular iphones but carrying all the internal upgrades to the processor and ram and such?

 

[OOC]

Sure it'd be nice to have an EVO sized screen. But then you've got to take in the fact that it'd take more energy from the battery to power it. Either way, if it's the same size screen as the 3GS, I won't be surprised or saddened.

 

[Marty Macfly]

If you were apple and your new iPhone is going to be 4 inches, would you send iPhone prototypes with 4 inch screens out into the wild to be tested 6 months ahead of release, and risk having everyone who looks at the phone know it's a prototype.

Or would you insist on making the prototypes that go into the wild look identical to regular iphones but carrying all the internal upgrades to the processor and ram and such?

I'd build my device as I plan to sell it rather than wasting time, effort, and money designing, building, and testing something that I will never, ever sell.

Anyone snooping enough to be trying to notice one of these phones is going to be noticed by the person using it, thereby causing them to use it more discreetly.

 

[wikoogle]

Sure it'd be nice to have an EVO sized screen. But then you've got to take in the fact that it'd take more energy from the battery to power it. Either way, if it's the same size screen as the 3GS, I won't be surprised or saddened.

No, actually it wouldn't take any more power to power it.

What takes power is to light up the individual pixels.

A 3.5 inch screen and a 4 inch screen with a resolution of 960 x 640 would both have an identical number of pixels to light up.

Thus both screens would take nearly the same amount of power. It's the number of pixels (and the type of pixels: LCD vs OLED, OLED pixels are significantly more power efficent) that overwhelmingly determines power consumption, not the screen size.

So despite this prevalent myth, in fact, if the new iPhone offered up a 4 inch screen with a resolution of 960 x 640, it wouldn't take any more power than the current 3.5 inch screen with that same resolution. Going with this size however would give Apple the room to incorporate a bigger battery and thus actually would improve the battery life.

 

[wikoogle]

get rid of that dang black bezel at the top and sides of the current model, and bam, we have room for 3.7-4.0 inch screen

personally, yes, i would LOVE a major overhaul on the front of the iphone. to me, its very plain and boring. take the bezels out and give us a bigger, high res screen apple!

I couldn't agree with you more, esp after using the Evo 4G

Sure it'd be nice to have an EVO sized screen. But then you've got to take in the fact that it'd take more energy from the battery to power it.

No, actually it wouldn't take much more power to power it.

What uses up power is to light up the individual pixels.

A 3.5 inch screen and a 4.5 inch screen with a resolution of 960 x 640 would both have an identical number of pixels to light up.

Thus both screens would take nearly the same amount of power. It's the number of pixels (and the type of pixels: LCD vs OLED, OLED pixels are significantly more power efficent) that overwhelmingly determines power consumption, not the screen size.

So despite this prevalent myth, in fact, if the new iPhone offered up a 4.5 inch screen with a resolution of 960 x 640, it wouldn't take any more power than the current 3.5 inch screen with that same resolution. Going with this size however would give Apple the room to incorporate a bigger battery and thus actually would improve the battery life. If they also switched over to an OLED display over the current displays they're using, it would dramatically improve the battery life.

 

[wikoogle]

God I hope I get to say I told you so today, while preordering my new iPhone.

Doubtful though.

 

[Tones2]

Going with this size however would give Apple the room to incorporate a bigger battery and thus actually would improve the battery life.

Bigger size also increases the possibility of 2 NAND flash slots, which would increase the possibility of a 64 GB phone.

Neither is going to happen today, though. The screen size will stay the same as the prototype and the capacity will stay topped out at 32GB, unfortunately.

Tony

 

[jaragon]

mmmmmm i'm not sure