Steve Jobs 'Worked Closely' on Design of Next-Generation iPhone with Larger Display

[MuppetGate]

That idea is completely, laughably absurd.

Tech is unpredictable - technology doesn't follow a predictable path

No, the idea is sound and most probably correct. Companies that don't plan five years ahead are usually reactionary: they look to see what's happening in the market and look to take advantage.

Apple is fortunate enough to have considerable influence in technological trends, so yes, they will be planning and designing products that will not see the light of day for years. In many cases they will start to design products and wait for the technology to make them viable. The iPhone was on the deck years before it was released, or do you think that the thing was designed, engineered, programmed, approved, sold to the networks and then marketed in the space of a few months? If they weren't working on the iPhone while they were getting ready to release the first iPod then I'd be very surprised.

 

[adildacoolset]

I miss this guy... Really do. What a loss for all of us

correct. What a brain that has gone. It's a shame

 

[yusukeaoki]

To be honest, 3.5~4in is enough.
Anything above that size wont be able to fit in my pocket.

 

[Collected]

I hope they let Jony Ive present it when it's launched. Tim Cook can do the build up but I think Jony himself should get to show it off like Steve would have.

 

[kiwiboi87]

I hope they let Jony Ive present it when it's launched. Tim Cook can do the build up but I think Jony himself should get to show it off like Steve would have.

i noticed that Jony was missing at the 4s keynote, couldn't see him in the front row.
have also missed him in the videos,


it doesn't really surprise me that steve has had his hand in the pie, he more then likely has signed off on the next two years worth of designs and projects,

i will miss seeing him at WWDC keynote,

 

[thekev]

They will say Steve was attached to many projects moving forward.

a) it's most likely true for the next few years
b) it's good PR for stockholders
c) it's good PR for apple fans
d) it's good PR for the press

But - isn't it funny how so many MR posters insist that Apple would never change their size from 3.5" because STEVE (and crew) had done so much research (5 years ago folks) and determined 3.5 was optimal.

Can't wait to see all the backpeddling

What really matters is how the phone feels to you both in use and in terms of pocket comfort. Preferences on phone size shouldn't have to be right or wrong. It is possible that the screens cost quite a bit early on, and they wanted to keep that cost down. It's possible that they were looking at sales statistics on larger phones and determined that going larger may influence more upgrades. It's also equally possible that this is just another fabricated rumor.

So yesterday a larger display iPhone was a terrible idea and today it's a great idea because that's how Steve wanted it?

It only becomes a bad idea when it can no longer comfortably be carried in your pocket or held comfortably in my opinion. Again it's an opinion. This is just part of their marketing. A company like Apple will do research, but when they say they're positive that this is the absolute best decision, that's just about marketing.

 

[theumang]

For sure. 3.5 was optimal because apple wanted to reissue basically the same iphone 4 for a second generation in a row (well, one with an antennae that did work anyway) and make even more money out of economies of scale. Hence 8% market cut and 70% profit cut for the iphone.

Only apple can issue pretty much the same phone format and interface with very minor modifications for 5 years in a row, have one phone model, and 70% of the profits of the industry. The marketing of this company is insane. Only apple can get people clapping in an auditorium for offering the ability to re-arrange icons on the iphone screen via itunes after, what was it, 3 years?

I could not agree with you more on that...
But this is a place where Apple is a religion & most of the forum members are the worshipers.

Its like Apple is Beowulf in its own way & I had never expected that I'll be able to break-free from the spell.

They have the magic to hypnotize the Fans & So well that Apple gave everything that could have been given in the 1st gen iPhone over 5 / 6 Generations & they became the most profitable Mobile selling company with that, having said that... there is no taking away of what iPhone still did in 2007, Turned the iPhone industry around along with turning the future of Apple around for Good & Steve... You are & will be Missed.

 

[G.I. Joe]

Hang on, dear 3GS, hang on...

Hang on, my dear 3G, hang on...

 

[ThatsMeRight]

These leaks make me wonder if we're looking at a launch of the next iPhone at WWDC. It seems like the release will be sooner rather than later since the "usual suspects" that spread news on behalf of Apple PR are already writing stories. It seems odd that they would release stories now for a product that won't release until late summer/early fall.

I'm wondering the same thing. This Bloomberg report has all the signs of a controlled leak (detailed information by a trustworthy source). And let's not forget the recent WSJ article which also had all the signs of a controlled leak.

Assuming these are controlled leaks, it just doesn't make sense for Apple to leak all those details 4-5 months before the rumoured September/October launch.
Why would any company risk losing sales by leaking product information early?

Here's an article written by an ex-Apple employee on how Apple does controlled leaks.

Another part of me says that it is impossible that Apple will launch a new iPhone in June: simply because until just a few months ago Apple was still rolling out the iPhone 4S.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

I don't think they'll do it either, in fact I know they won't as it'll break (perfect) compatibility with over 600,000 apps... just to make the screen a little bit bigger.

The next step up in resolution from 960x640 is 1440x960, anything else and they'll break compatibility.

1440x960 also breaks compatibility with apps specifically made for the iPhone 4 or 4S (because you can't scale those apps).

 

[steve-p]

I'm probably in the minority, but I don't much care whether he was involved or not. I know what I like, and if Apple keep making the right things, I will keep buying them. I don't need any other justification for it.

 

[theumang]

The Vocal Few

I don't think we'll see backpedaling as much as we'll see changing goalposts. "It doesn't matter if the iPhone has a 4" screen now; the 3.5" screen was optimal for it's time" or "Apple/SJ waited until now because the components weren't up to Apple's standards..." or "Samsung is such a copy cat... they probably got the a list of possible future components from Apple and copied a bigger screen before Apple could put theirs to market" or "yeah, other phones may have had bigger screens first... but Apple was the one that really made it popular among the masses" or something like that.

Of course not all (most) Apple/Mac/iPhone fans and users will say that... but there's always the vocal few here who will throw out such nonsense

*waits for the flaming to begin*

You are right, just doing the +1 to the arrow was not sufficient to pat your back.... We Vocal few do it B@lls to the W@lls way & I like it like tht!

 

[Defender2010]

This was SJ's 1 more thing, OMG I want this so bad

Hope it's released on October 5 on 1st anniversary of the most inspiring genius in my lifetime

Imagine Graham Norton reading out your post and then think aboutn how silly it sounds...#

 

[Thex1138]

Wasn't it reported..

Before or around the time of Steve's passing that he had finalized the design of the next two iterations for all products...?
And he noted at D7 or whichever one it was that they spend about 18 months in development and have at least 5 design options to decide with just before production?

 

[theumang]

How the larger screen iPhone came to be...


Peasant: My Lordship, the people, the people like big screens.

Lord Jobs: idiots! They know NOTHING! They will like what I tell them to like!! *pounds desk* Fetch me a fresh turtleneck!

Peasant: But, ma Lord, the EVO 4G and Galaxy S2, it sells greatly across all of the the lands. The people's faces light up with joy when they see the big screens!

Lord Jobs: *eyeroll/sigh* Nonsense! HTC and Samsung wish they could pull off a retina screen! *evil laugh*

Peasant: But, Ma Lord, the Androids, the Androids they bringeth the highest of definitions of 720p displays soon!

Lord Jobs: 720p? What sorcery is this?

Peasant: It's quite breathtaking, your highness. The HTC Rezound cometh with a grand 4.3" 720p display at 342ppi eclipsing the Retina.

Lord Jobs: (Darth Vader NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!) Fetch me some ****** Androids to study. I'll show them. I'll show them ALL!!! *Evil laugh*

Peasant: Right away your highness! Would you like a different color turtleneck as well?

Lord Jobs: *Cold stare* Off with his head!

Hey! That was Brilliant & Funny.... MRers don't have a sense of humor, @least 5 of them din't...
Do you write / something? May be we can do something together.

 

[terraphantm]

That's not true, there's no such thing as a 'retina app', they're all designed at 480x320 points. Any multiple of that will work fine. What's been said is that the 'retina artwork' might not scale well to 1.5x the resolution, but ultimately it should be fine for the most part.

The letter box display would give you a much too tall portrait mode and a much too short landscape mode, and on top of that it breaks the perfect compatibility with apps that every iPhone model has had thus far.

I didn't say it would break the apps, I said it would break (perfect) compatibility, and in that sense it does. Ultimately moving to a 1440x960 resolution would be perfect as everything would continue to work just fine.

Apps designed for the retina display are rendered in 960x640. I don't care about the definition of "points" apple uses - the fact of the matter is, if existing apps were scaled to 1440x960, they would look worse than on the iPhone 4/4S. I don't think Apple would consider that acceptable.

On the other hand, an 1152x640 resolution gets you to almost 16:9. When running legacy apps, you would only have a 96 pixel border on each end of the long side. Such a border does not look bad - it would basically look like the black space that's already in our iPhones. And the aspect ratio is more suitable to things like video. It does not break compatibility in any way. 1440x960 would break the rendering.

I personally would prefer a pixel perfect rendering with a small border, than stretching 1 pixel over "1.5" pixels and having everything look like crap.

 

[theumang]

"Optimal" changes with time. 3.5" was not only optimal in 2007, it was cutting edge. RIM CEOs said after the iPhone keynote, "that's impossible, there's no way Steve Jobs demoed a live phone. It would be impossible to power a screen that large with an internal battery."

But as we learn new things, tastes and preferences can change. 3.5" was certainly the sweet spot introducing this whole new class of phone, but as they've researched and learned new things, I'm sure their tastes have changed at Apple.

No, the idea is sound and most probably correct. Companies that don't plan five years ahead are usually reactionary: they look to see what's happening in the market and look to take advantage.

Apple is fortunate enough to have considerable influence in technological trends, so yes, they will be planning and designing products that will not see the light of day for years. In many cases they will start to design products and wait for the technology to make them viable. The iPhone was on the deck years before it was released, or do you think that the thing was designed, engineered, programmed, approved, sold to the networks and then marketed in the space of a few months? If they weren't working on the iPhone while they were getting ready to release the first iPod then I'd be very surprised.

You MRers are sensible & know what you are talking about, PpL such as you are a rarity on the Internet *Tips hat in respect*

 

[SeaFox]

Here we go - something tells me this "Steve Job stamp of approval" is going to be coming out for a lot of future apple products well into the future.. Seems like this man continues to change the world even after he has passed on.

Or so consumers are led to believe, perhaps.

Get it now folks, the Steve Jobs Memorial Edition iPhone, also known as the iPhone 5. How can you complain about the screen changes? Steve decided this himself!

 

[barryl85]

Exactly, they could have made the screen bigger from day 1 if they thought it was necessary.

But you have to remember to make money (that's why they make these phones) they have to not only meet ergonomic standards but also market demand.

Its all about a fine balance.

 

[swagi]

I'm wondering the same thing. This Bloomberg report has all the signs of a controlled leak (detailed information by a trustworthy source). And let's not forget the recent WSJ article which also had all the signs of a controlled leak.

Assuming these are controlled leaks, it just doesn't make sense for Apple to leak all those details 4-5 months before the rumoured September/October launch.
Why would any company risk losing sales by leaking product information early?

Here's an article written by an ex-Apple employee on how Apple does controlled leaks.

Another part of me says that it is impossible that Apple will launch a new iPhone in June: simply because until just a few months ago Apple was still rolling out the iPhone 4S.

You realize that they have to do something to counter the mobile industry?

First the major hype around the Galaxy SIII (so much hype it was even a Macrumors news story), second the unfunny truth that Siri mentions the Nokia Lumia 900 as best smartphone.

I'll tell you my point of view: Coming September I'll be getting a new contract. I'm pretty platform agnostic meaning I have hands-on experience with iOS, Android and WP7.

Current iPhone 4S is just laughable compared to the competition and next gen iPhone better wow me.

Same situation with the MBP. I'm in for an upgrade. After more than a decade on Mac OS X I'm in the position to reinvest in software that I need - so I'm also platform agnostic. MBP better wow me or I'll get a Zenbook.

 

[dragje]

can't wait!

 

[spcdust]

It's what Steve would have wanted

 

[legato777]

1440 x 960 or 1.5 times would be too much IMO.

I'm hoping for 1200 x 800 or 1.25 times.

No change to the size of the icons, and it will be like adding an extra column and extra row in the home grid.

At the current 326 pixels per inch this will be about 4.4 inches diagonal and will add about half an inch width and a quarter of an inch height in the phones dimensions.

 

[MythicFrost]

1440x960 also breaks compatibility with apps specifically made for the iPhone 4 or 4S (because you can't scale those apps).

That's not true, there are no apps specifically made for any iPhone model -- they're all just 480x320 points.

Apps designed for the retina display are rendered in 960x640. I don't care about the definition of "points" apple uses - the fact of the matter is, if existing apps were scaled to 1440x960, they would look worse than on the iPhone 4/4S. I don't think Apple would consider that acceptable.

On the other hand, an 1152x640 resolution gets you to almost 16:9. When running legacy apps, you would only have a 96 pixel border on each end of the long side. Such a border does not look bad - it would basically look like the black space that's already in our iPhones. And the aspect ratio is more suitable to things like video. It does not break compatibility in any way. 1440x960 would break the rendering.

I personally would prefer a pixel perfect rendering with a small border, than stretching 1 pixel over "1.5" pixels and having everything look like crap.

Apps aren't made for any specific iPhone model, they're all just 480x320 points. On the iPhone 3GS and lower one point is one pixel, and on the 4 and higher one point is two pixels. With a 1440x960 resolution, one point would be three pixels.

I can elaborate further if you wish, but put simply: an iPhone app is only ever 480x320 points. That means an iPhone app can scale properly to any resolution that is a multiple of 480x320.

 

[alFR]

So yesterday a larger display iPhone was a terrible idea and today it's a great idea because that's how Steve wanted it?

Nope, it's still a bad idea (for reasons which I won't repeat because the argument has already been done to death on here and no-one would change their opinion anyway).