Source Claims Hands-On Experience with iPhone 5 Prototype

[ProwlingTiger]

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Wouldn't it be the iPhone 6? Considering the 4S is the 5th generation.

You just proved yourself wrong: the 4S is the 5th gen but carries a 4 name. Clearly the naming scheme never was intended to reflect the generation number; it began with the 3G which was a reference to the tech, not the generation. Now the naming scheme is simply: new number = major upgrade, old number + S = minor upgrade. So the next logical iPhone name would be iPhone 5. But really, at some point, it will likely drop the numbering system all together.

 

[Ktdhc]

I would call ******** on it and say that these rumors are a waste of time, but then I'd have a horde of people saying "WELL THIS IS MACRUMORS DUDE!"

Not ONE rumor of this year's iPhone came true.

They can use the same design and still sell more units than the previous year. Why waste time and money with a new design every year.

 

[firewood]

A 4" display with the same number of pixels as the 4s would look terrible in comparison.

With the same number of pixels, you can't really display any more stuff, and at below 300 dpi, the image wouldn't fuse for people with decent eyesight, and thus look pixelly. If you like pixelly, just buy a 3Gs.

 

[kolax]

"primary objection regarding the prototype design came from Steve Jobs, who claimed that the larger screen would result in fragmentation of the iOS "

But didn't we hear before that this was the phone he had been hard at work with and that he had little to do with the 4S ??

Seems like a false report

Who says Steve Jobs was hard at work with the iPhone 5 that used a 4" screen? The iPhone 5 that he focused on could easily have had a 3.5" screen because he was sure that there would be fragmentation in apps.

Only reason the iPhone 5 rumours have been so strong is because of the slight chance there may be a 4" screen...

 

[Neon01]

Checklist:

1. Shorter battery life? Check.
2. Thinner with a bulge on one end for a camera? Check.
3. Quad-core for no reason other than to brag? Check.
4. MOAR megapixels? Check.
5. Larger screen? Check.

I can't wait to get my Samsung iPhone Galaxy V. Seriously, this thing is starting to sound like [pick any new Android phone coming out in the next 6 months].

Well, at least it will have iOS 6 and not some Android crap. But I imagine Apple would do something more or different to distinguish this device. Steve Jobs was really involved with the design, even all the way up until his death! It can't be this simple. But let the new rumor season commence! Only 7 more months. Right guys? Guys???

lol, really? Apple should just forget about the primary features that make a contemporary smartphone useful (display size, resolution, processing power, photo ability, etc) and stick with the same display it's been using for two years? I completely agree that adding camera megapixels for the sake of adding megapixels, and the like, is stupid - which is why I don't buy into the hype that the Galaxy Nexus camera is crap, btw. But I will argue to the death that the iphone desperately needs a bigger display, and thinner (when it doesn't come at the cost of unevenness on the back) is ALWAYS better.

Please, whoever is in charge at Apple, do NOT listen to this guy.

 

[kavika411]

Oh, good lord. Aren't we a bit past "sources" and "iPhone 5"?

Slow weekend, macrumors?

 

[nfl46]

The iPhone screen will never be larger than 3.5". An "analyst" told me so.

/sarcasm

 

[Slurpy2k8]

A 4" display with the same number of pixels as the 4s would look terrible in comparison.

With the same number of pixels, you can't really display any more stuff, and at below 300 dpi, the image wouldn't fuse for people with decent eyesight, and thus look pixelly. If you like pixelly, just buy a 3Gs.

Completely garbage. It wouldn't look 'terrible'. The 4/4S are 4X the resolution of the 3GS at the same screen size. It's the highest DPI phone on the market, and they came themselves leeway. You can easily add 0.5 in, maintain the same resolution, and it would look fantastic still- nowhere near 'terrible'. Give me a break. Most non-messageboard nerds (ie. normal people) can barely tell the difference between the 3GS and 4 screen. I've asked quite a few. To say that 960x640 on a 4in screen would look bad is ludicrous. The current 13' MBP screen is not much higher than this resolution, with like 20 times the area.

 

[foxnews1]

This is why I do not believe this rumour. It's just so un-Apple.

Jobs is apple. No Jobs, no Apple. Apple is now just like a regular company who will do short-sighted things with long term damage.

 

[PJMAN2952]

Omg!

Let the rumors begin! This never gets old but gets really annoying.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

It's not like the average hand size has changed that much in the last 4 years. If Apple thought 3.5" was the optimal size in 2007, I'm not sure what has changed since then.

Only 6% of Android Market users have a large or xtra large screen, so people aren't necessarily choosing them en masse. I can't tell if tablets are included in these stats.
http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/screens.html

I doubt that Apple would fragment the iPhone market with two different sizes to appease that kind of minority.

Too bad you'll never see this. I don't know if this's has been mentioned in the past 6 pages, but that site defines a "normal" screen size as 3.5-4.5". Large is like 4.5-7" and xlarge is 7-10". So your logic is obviously flawed.

Did u really think only 6% of android users owned 4"+ phones? Because those are the only ones I ever hear about.

 

[louis Fashion]

Better Life Through Chem.

you know what happens when you have a nice fat dose of salt? cardiac arrest happens.

I think you are mistaken. Potassium Chloride is the heart attack compound, not salt.

 

[vitzr]

When was the last time Business Insider said anything at all worth listening to?

Why is it that so many of the Apple followers around here are waiting in the wings to bash a writer / blog / news agency / etc?

Do all of you have that much negative energy you have to spew venom?

Are you a journalist with real credentials?

And what positive could possibly come from your negativity?

Interesting, and very revealing.

To the phone in question... I like it. A Lot.

Cheers... It's good to be Happy

 

[SgtPepper12]

Wel, there's an elegant solution to it.
Make that 4" screen, and give it the same amount of pixels the iPad 1 has.
1024x768 instead of 960x640
That would mean that all the apps that are written for an iPad 1 are compatible for the iPhone 5.

(and the iPhone 5 than had an even higher screen resolution, not much, but still )
(and it would just not be HD just not 720x1080)

It just doesn't matter. Apps are designed for a physical resolution, not just the number of pixels. It does matter how big the screen really is for the user. There are iPad apps which just would not work on a 4" screen, because the buttons would be just physically too small to touch.

 

[koban4max]

regardless if iphone 5 is coming or not, I won't get anymore apples till they fix the current iphone 4s. Lately, they have been selling bad apples.
When Steve Jobs was with us, "it just works."
When Steve Jobs passed away, "It just doesn't work."

 

[unlinked]

define Xlarge screen. Change that to 4in screen size and that number would jump. The most popular Android phones have a 4in or larger screen size.

The screen size definition are quite vague. Normal looks like it is from about 3 to 4.3.

http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

 

[Rodimus Prime]

The screen size definition are quite vague. Normal looks like it is from about 3 to 4.3.

http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

no matter how you cut it from that 3.5 in screen is small and not popular.

 

[Datalinks]

There is no iPhone 5.

 

[MacDarcy]

I am totally digging this design. I LOVE the idea of a 4" screen. Some people here are talking like its an ipad. Come on. Its bigger...but not THAT much bigger. Just enough to make a difference on the eyes.

I do most of my web surfing on my ipad and i don't need reading glasses yet, but every little bit helps.

I like this design alot. The edge to edge screen. The thinner profile.

As long as the battery isnt compromised....but improved upon....I'm all over this.

 

[DefiantSoul]

Poor battery life?

That one phrase, poor battery life, tells me this is bogus. Apple doesn't compromise on that sort of thing. Or maybe this is why it didn't come this year.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Why is it that so many of the Apple followers around here are waiting in the wings to bash a writer / blog / news agency / etc?

Do all of you have that much negative energy you have to spew venom?

Are you a journalist with real credentials?

And what positive could possibly come from your negativity?

Interesting, and very revealing.

To the phone in question... I like it. A Lot.

Cheers... It's good to be Happy

I am totally digging this design. I LOVE the idea of a 4" screen. Some people here are talking like its an ipad. Come on. Its bigger...but not THAT much bigger. Just enough to make a difference on the eyes.

I do most of my web surfing on my ipad and i don't need reading glasses yet, but every little bit helps.

I like this design alot. The edge to edge screen. The thinner profile.

As long as the battery isnt compromised....but improved upon....I'm all over this.

I like the phone shown in the pic at the beginning of this article. If the real one looks like that, it will be fantastic.

 

[manu chao]

Completely garbage. It wouldn't look 'terrible'. The 4/4S are 4X the resolution of the 3GS at the same screen size. It's the highest DPI phone on the market, and they came themselves leeway. You can easily add 0.5 in, maintain the same resolution, and it would look fantastic still.

What people refer to is not the resolution would be look visibly different but that all buttons and other UI elements would be larger which (a) can make buttons and the like look larger than necessary and (b) makes the buttons physically larger than necessary.

 

[PJMAN2952]

What source?

 

[gkpm]

Cool story, bro

 

[andiwm2003]

You're wrong. Even if the resolution was the same as iPad's, the buttons would be physically smaller because all the pixels would be squeezes into a smaller areas. And if you had the same resolution as iPhone 4, it would be an inconsistent user experience because buttons on the 4in screen would be physically larger than on the 4.

So yes, there is a problem.

It just doesn't matter. Apps are designed for a physical resolution, not just the number of pixels. It does matter how big the screen really is for the user. There are iPad apps which just would not work on a 4" screen, because the buttons would be just physically too small to touch.

What people refer to is not the resolution would be look visibly different but that all buttons and other UI elements would be larger which (a) can make buttons and the like look larger than necessary and (b) makes the buttons physically larger than necessary.

All Apps I know have too small buttos to begin with as well as generally too small font sizes to comfortably read. This is because the screen space is limited.

If anything at all the Apps get better when they are scaled larger by ~15% and the buttons and fonts are easier to press and better to see.

There is clearly a general need for a larger screen with the same resolution. Just look at the Android phones with 4inch + screens. It would make sense for Apple to offer a larger screen version of the iPhone. The can keep the 4S around for a few more years for people who need tiny fonts and buttons.