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I hope apple keeps he same aspect ration. The tall narrowing one is going to make regular landscape tasks bad. You will have reduced visible content, and unless apple changes their keyboard it will cover a greater percentage of of the screen.
 
Regarding resolution, seeing as how Apple will be keeping the iPhone 5 on the market for a good 2 yrs based on recent history, they are thinking ahead. I'd imagine they would want to jump to a minimum 1080p resolution. The easiest way to do that and maintain 3:2 ratio in a phone that isn't too big is to use the 440ppi screen, giving a resolution of 1620x1080 and a screen size of 3.68x2.45. The big problem of course would be the scaling, which would basically need a total redo. I'd bet that Apple held off on the iPhone 5 for this reason or until they could make the next step...screens reaching pixel density to allow a doubling to 1920x1280. Even at 440ppi the screen size jump would be more than what Apple would like to see, so they need a "Super" retina display of close to 500ppi for this to work.

I agree that 1136x640 is far too small of a resolution bump for a screen that needs to be competitive for 2 iterations.

720P would be good, but a 1080P display on a phone would certainly be enough to last till 2014.
 
Regarding resolution, seeing as how Apple will be keeping the iPhone 5 on the market for a good 2 yrs based on recent history, they are thinking ahead. I'd imagine they would want to jump to a minimum 1080p resolution. The easiest way to do that and maintain 3:2 ratio in a phone that isn't too big is to use the 440ppi screen, giving a resolution of 1620x1080 and a screen size of 3.68x2.45. The big problem of course would be the scaling, which would basically need a total redo. I'd bet that Apple held off on the iPhone 5 for this reason or until they could make the next step...screens reaching pixel density to allow a doubling to 1920x1280. Even at 440ppi the screen size jump would be more than what Apple would like to see, so they need a "Super" retina display of close to 500ppi for this to work.

I think the bigger problem is the tech you are describing simply doesn't exist yet.
 
True, as far as we know, and maybe that is the problem Apple has had all along. The highest resolution I have heard of is the 440ppi from LG, and maybe Apple will use this or something similar...or maybe they have something else in the works that we just don't know about.

If they stay with the retina display or go with a 440ppi screen, they will have to adjust the scaling on the software for this phone. That will be complicated and lead to some fragmentation. They ony way they can avoid that is by using a screen with sufficient pixel density to double the resolution.

As was posted earlier, the 1.5x would probably work without a lot of problems, but to me that seems like a ground-rule double when they want a home run.

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I agree that 1136x640 is far too small of a resolution bump for a screen that needs to be competitive for 2 iterations.

720P would be good, but a 1080P display on a phone would certainly be enough to last till 2014.

Agree 100%!
 
I suppose it is completely possible that Apple could follow their recent tactic of doubling the resolution and scaling accordingly.

iPad2 1024 x 768
iPad3 2048 x 1536

MacBook Pro 15-inch 1440 × 900
MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina display 2880x1800

iPhone 4/4S 960 x 640
iPhone 5 1920 x 1280????

We can only hope...
 
I brought this exact topic up over at Imore forum only to be shot down by posters saying I was high based on the fact that the iPhones ppi was already so high that it couldn't be improved. My reasoning at the time and still is is very simple why go through the trouble of increasing the screen size and changing the ration to 16.9 and only bump the ppi a little to handle it. iOS 6 already has been built using auto layout, first hint that a drastic change is coming. Second doubling the resolution to 1920 * 1280 is virtually easy at this point in the game and with the amount of development time they have had to work on it with their suppliers. Third if your going to go 16*9 why not give the dang phone full 1080p resolution why your at it, movies can play at their native resolution basically everything is released in 1080p anyway isn't all the new movies on iTunes released in a 1080p format now, Apple tv supports 1080p, any tv that can support AirPlay will have at least a 720p resolution and so forth.


Some posters said blatantly that this wouldn't happen because Apple didn't need to increase their resolution. 1 Apple does know what their competitors are doing regardless of what they say. And as a company why wouldn't they want the absolute best for their customers if there was ever a terrific selling point to go along with that new bigger screen it would be The new IPhone with the highest resolution screen ever offered by anyone anywhere on a phone. Remember Apples marketing is legendary and with a new design and all the new features they will once again send the competition back to the drawing board.
 
1920x1080 full HD screens ... why?
Were talking about pocket devices with screens in the 4" - 5" range.

As was posted earlier, the 1.5x would probably work without a lot of problems, but to me that seems like a ground-rule double when they want a home run.
The home run would be when resolution could be considered as 2x 720x480, and no more 3x 480x320 for compatibility/transition with the older models :)
 
1920x1080 full HD screens ... why?
Were talking about pocket devices with screens in the 4" - 5" range.


The home run would be when resolution could be considered as 2x 720x480, and no more 3x 480x320 for compatibility/transition with the older models :)

yesssir we are and I would have thought someone was flat out insane of they told me 2 years ago that folks would walk around with 720p resolution screens on their phones but hear we are.
 
yesssir we are
A 1920x1080 4" screen would then have a pixel density of 550 ppi.
Screens with such a pixel density already exists, and even if Apple were able to get them mass produced and cheap enough, i don't see them targetting this usage for this kind of device.
Seriously, who cares to display on a 4" screen a full HD video?
No human being could see the benefit to jump to this resolution to such small screens.
And how would iOS deal with this resolution (2x vertically, but not in width) to render actual apps?
I already find my 440 ppi mockup almost crazy, but 1920x1080 sure won't happen. This would be just pointless.
 
A 1920x1080 4" screen would then have a pixel density of 550 ppi.
Screens with such a pixel density already exists, and even if Apple were able to get them mass produced and cheap enough, i don't see them targetting this usage for this kind of device.
Seriously, who cares to display on a 4" screen a full HD video?
No human being could see the benefit to jump to this resolution to such small screens.
And how would iOS deal with this resolution (2x vertically, but not in width) to render actual apps?
I already find my 440 ppi mockup almost crazy, but 1920x1080 sure won't happen. This would be just pointless.

I agree with you 100% that that kind of quality on a phone is pointless. However, it would be a huge selling point because a lot of people simply don't understand that. It's the same thing with megapixels- the average joe just assumes the higher the number the "better" the camera and that is far from true. I don't think Apple will do this just yet, but between them and Samsung it is coming either way. There are millions of consumers out there who have more money than brains.
 
An important distinction is that I was suggesting 1920x1280, not 1920x1080. I think it will stay 3:2, and this would be double resolution in length and width so scaling is a non-issue.

I agree also that it would be overkill in today's market, but it would be a big selling point that they can display native 1080p, which would tie-in with their offerings on iTunes, and guarantee they would be competitive for the 2 yr cycle of the phone, if not more. As b166er said, someone is going to do it first. The technology will be available and they will use it. Does 4k video give you a noticeably improved picture on a tv in your living room? Do we need 600hp cars when the speed limit is 45 on most streets?

I also don't think they are constrained to a 4" diagonal screen, although admittedly they don't want to make it too big. They will have to increase the screen length and width by at least 1/2" in order to add another row and column of icons, or there will be a lot of dead space around the ones in the current 4x5 icon setup. That would mean a minimum of 2.45x3.45, but keeping with the 3:2 ratio, the 2.45x3.68 (4.42" diagonal) that I mentioned earlier works. They could do this with the 440ppi screen and it would give a resolution of 1620x1080 that could display video in 720p. Again, though, with this size scaling is a problem...which leads me back to believing that 1920x1280 is their goal if they can do it.
 
However, it would be a huge selling point because a lot of people simply don't understand that.
That's not usually the way Apple work, though.
When they jumped to 326 ppi on the iPhone 4, it was for good reasons (doubling resolution, ease of transition for devs, etc.), not simply because the technology were available or to be the first consumer device with such a high pixel density.
Does it brings value to the user experience is better question.

They will have to increase the screen length and width by at least 1/2" in order to add another row and column of icons, or there will be a lot of dead space around the ones in the current 4x5 icon setup.
Do you really believe that's a target for Apple, adding one more row or column of icon?
That would help having less pages of apps to pass through, but would it be easier to search visually in even more icons per pages? Spotlight or Siri might be more efficient anyway for launching apps. Or they can re-think the whole thing, i don't know. Anyway, you spend more time actually in apps than dealing with icons in a grid
 
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that's exactly my thinking the current resolution has been around for 2 years now and most of the legit smartphone competitors have bettered Apple in terms of resolution not ppi but definitely resolution. If we look at Apples current trends and the retina madness they have going on right now this all seems like the perfect time to future proof the next generation iPhone


Now think about this for a minute this will be the first iPhone with a new screen for at least the next couple years we will be here. So if I were going to change screens and the iPhone and iPad use such similar processors and I could from a companies perspective keep cost in line then I would want to be the first to get there, especially now that all my competitors have shown their cards for the year. In this world people like sexy products and if there's one thing Apple knows well is the sexier and more premium you make a product the more it will sell itself
 
That's not usually the way Apple work, though.
When they jumped to 326 ppi on the iPhone 4, it was for good reasons (doubling resolution, ease of transition for devs, etc.), not simply because the technology were available or to be the first consumer device with such a high pixel density.
Does it brings value to the user experience is better question.

Apple likes things to be neat and polished. They have made it clear that they don't like the fragmentation, so whatever they can do to minizime that would be the top choice. The easiest and smoothest solution, IMO, is to increase in multiples that can be easily scaled. Don't get me wrong, I like your proposal...I think that is the minimum option for them, but I think the 1.5x scaling is going to be a compromise they don't want to make unless they have to.

Do you really believe that's a target for Apple, adding one more row or column of icon?
That would help having less pages of apps to pass through, but would it be easier to search visually in even more icons per pages? Spotlight or Siri might be more efficient anyway for launching apps. Or they can re-think the whole thing, i don't know. Anyway, you spend more time actually in apps than dealing with icons in a grid

Actually yes, and it goes back to the polished, finished look. They are all about neatness in the layout..that's why you can't put the icons wherever you want. It's one thing to have a little bit of dead space, it's another to have too much. I see two options, one where they make only a slight increase in screen size, where there is not enough dead space to be noticeable (less likely, IMO), and one where they stretch to make sure they continue the regimented layout and fit in a fifth column to keep proper spacing.
 
If the screen is only taller, then I certainly won't be upgrading. The biggest problem with the current screen is the dismal keyboard in portrait mode, where the letters are too densely packed to be able to type usefully. Switching to landscape not only SHOULDNT be a requirement, but you still run into the problem of very little content being display because, AGAIN, the width of the screen is too narrow.

Either they increase the width, or the iphone 5 will be a failure. It's worth fragmenting the resolutions for.
 
I suppose it is completely possible that Apple could follow their recent tactic of doubling the resolution and scaling accordingly.

iPad2 1024 x 768
iPad3 2048 x 1536

MacBook Pro 15-inch 1440 × 900
MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina display 2880x1800

iPhone 4/4S 960 x 640
iPhone 5 1920 x 1280????

We can only hope...

1920x1280?! Its an impossible resolution for the new iPhone assuming it has the display size ranging from 3.5-4.3 inches (rumored), unless Apple has somehow decided to adopt nanotechnology...

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Apple likes things to be neat and polished. They have made it clear that they don't like the fragmentation, so whatever they can do to minizime that would be the top choice. The easiest and smoothest solution, IMO, is to increase in multiples that can be easily scaled. Don't get me wrong, I like your proposal...I think that is the minimum option for them, but I think the 1.5x scaling is going to be a compromise they don't want to make unless they have to.



Actually yes, and it goes back to the polished, finished look. They are all about neatness in the layout..that's why you can't put the icons wherever you want. It's one thing to have a little bit of dead space, it's another to have too much. I see two options, one where they make only a slight increase in screen size, where there is not enough dead space to be noticeable (less likely, IMO), and one where they stretch to make sure they continue the regimented layout and fit in a fifth column to keep proper spacing.

I was just thinking... perhaps that extra space for a fifth row of icons could be used for a widget? Take the weather widget from the NC and put it on the extra row. It all makes sense now!
 
The easiest and smoothest solution, IMO, is to increase in multiples that can be easily scaled. Don't get me wrong, I like your proposal...I think that is the minimum option for them, but I think the 1.5x scaling is going to be a compromise they don't want to make unless they have to.

Step 0 - 1.5x of every actual retina apps
Step 1 - devs update their apps, supplying the 3x version of any bitmap, apps are now rendered at 3x 480x320, just as it is at 2x now on the iPhone 4/4S ; the screen while bigger doesn't offer more space for datas, it's only an expansion (while games for instance, as on the rMBP, can access the full resolution). And one can imagine iOS doing some work to adapt apps to add really more space (adapt keyboard with no vertical expansion, status bar physically the same height, and stuffs like that).
Step 2 - during the next -say- 2 years, once 3GS are completely obsoleted, and most handset sold/replaced are now with the new resolution, iOS operate a transition to the resolution 2x 720x480
 
Step 0 - 1.5x of every actual retina apps
Step 1 - devs update their apps, supplying the 3x version of any bitmap, apps are now rendered at 3x 480x320, just as it is at 2x now on the iPhone 4/4S ; the screen while bigger doesn't offer more space for datas, it's only an expansion (while games for instance, as on the rMBP, can access the full resolution). And one can imagine iOS doing some work to adapt apps to add really more space (adapt keyboard with no vertical expansion, status bar physically the same height, and stuffs like that).
Step 2 - during the next -say- 2 years, once 3GS are completely obsoleted, and most handset sold/replaced are now with the new resolution, iOS operate a transition to the resolution 2x 720x480

I agree that it is an option and it can be made to work. And it may very well be the way they go...my thoughts are pure speculation. My only reason to think they won't go that route is the fact that they made such a big deal about the retina display and image clarity on the 4/4S that I think they'd be hesitant to take a step back or a perceived step back. Like you said, going to the 440ppi screen means it's unlikely to be noticeable, but to me this seems like a compromise. Apple has been known to make baby steps, so it's certainly very possible. But given the fact that this phone will be in play for 2 yrs or more, I'd stil think they would want to reach a bit in order to prevent becoming "obsolete" next month.
 
my thoughts are pure speculation.
yep and so are mine, of course :D

My only reason to think they won't go that route is the fact that they made such a big deal about the retina display and image clarity on the 4/4S that I think they'd be hesitant to take a step back or a perceived step back. Like you said, going to the 440ppi screen means it's unlikely to be noticeable, but to me this seems like a compromise. Apple has been known to make baby steps, so it's certainly very possible. But given the fact that this phone will be in play for 2 yrs or more, I'd stil think they would want to reach a bit in order to prevent becoming "obsolete" next month.
Only compromise on visual aspect would be on not updated bitmap elements (as used for buttons in apps, etc.), everything else (text content, photos, videos) could take advantage of the screen, exactly just as when the iPhone 4 was launched, or the mMBP more recently.
 
plus with the increase in resolution all of Apples current products will have displays in full 1080p resolution that in itself means no matter which device you view iTunes content on it will be in its native resolution which is inherently a staple in how Apple does things no compromises in any of it's products, and that my friends is the way a company can dominate the completion.


Raise the bar do unnaturally high that no matter what the competition does they are playing catch up while Apple will seem like they are dictating
 
Also and this is pure speculation this helps with development of future Apple products and drives down the cost of components in the future. New products can improve in function only but the native resolution will be at current and the foreseeable futures peak. This way the only thing that can be improved is the speed of the device. The cost savings will occur with time although initial development cost would be high in less than a year the prices will naturally lower due to improved assembly times and also the cost to produce the screens will drop as well a win win for now and the future.

And I know there isnt a good reason for a 1080p screen on a mobile device but 3 years ago I would have said the same thing now I say how did we live without these things
 
plus with the increase in resolution all of Apples current products will have displays in full 1080p resolution that in itself means no matter which device you view iTunes content on it will be in its native resolution which is inherently a staple in how Apple does things no compromises in any of it's products, and that my friends is the way a company can dominate the completion.


Raise the bar do unnaturally high that no matter what the competition does they are playing catch up while Apple will seem like they are dictating

They have 1 laptop over 1080p. It's hard to say all their products are 1080p.
 
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