Tim Cook Comments on 5-Inch Phone Market, Reiterates Commitment to Quality Over Size

[Lancer]

They should just add a phone function to the iPad Mini 2 (with retina) and bingo a 7.9" phone to trump the 5" from Samsung

 

[OtherJesus]

All you guys with a samsung boner better rub it out before apple says, "Now you can have your phone calls on the cellular model iPad mini."

That's my prediction.

Just a matter of when they want to completely ****** on samsung, in my humble opinion.

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They should just add a phone function to the iPad Mini 2 (with retina) and bingo a 7.9" phone to trump the 5" from Samsung

Ha! I just typed that and then saw your post.

 

[Xiroteus]

All you guys with a samsung boner better rub it out before apple says, "Now you can have your phone calls on the cellular model iPad mini."

That's my prediction.

Just a matter of when they want to completely ****** on samsung, in my humble opinion.

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Ha! I just typed that and then saw your post.

They might as well, give it a retina screen and a phone feature, of course not sure what that would do to pricing and such, it can still be a fact that a smaller item may cost the same or more just as the iPod Touch vs the iPad mini.

 

[stroked]

But take, for example, a web page. A web page on a 5.5 inch Galaxy Note 2 SHOULD show a ton more content than say a 4.7 inch HTC One. Because the whole concept of having such a giant screen is to have a lot more content available, not just to make everything bigger.

That might be true for younger people with good eyes, but I need bigger. I don't want to have to look for my reading glasses, every time I look at my phone. I'm willing to scroll for more content.

 

[jimbo1mcm]

"Great stuff is in the pipeline"

My problem is that Apple is moving too slowly in today's marketplace regarding the Iphone. Maybe there is a disconnect between Sir Jonny and Mr. Tim. It certainly looks like Apple is in a "catch up" phase, not a leadership role. It is obvious that a fair percentage of people want a larger phone. The ideal size is probably between 4.3-4.8 inches. It looks like the problem is that they want to shed Samsung as their chip provider and go with TSMC, and their 20nm processors but the yeilds won't be there until next year. I think the screen technology will be there before the processors are ready. The HTC One is a very nice phone; I had one for about 18 hours. If it ran IOS I would still have it.
So we will just have to wait. I find Mr. Tim's statement encouraging because he didn't say Apple would not produce a bigger phone, he said they wouldn't until they could meet their own quality requirement. So we wait until next year. It is still better than jumping to a fractured Android OS. ( I've been there with Droids and the S3)

 

[akbarali.ch]

Delusional. But what else would you expect from a guy who has destroyed 5 times more investor value in one year than Bernie Madoff stole in a lifetime?

If Apple thinks they can wish away the changing reality of the market, they (and their stockholders) are going to be in for very rude awakening. There is absoutely *nothing* I can do with my phone on a 4" screen that I can't do better on a 5" screen. 4.7" is the bare minimum these days - Apple is still trying to compete with phones that were obsolete two years ago.

...and they managed to sell 37.4 million obsolete iphones.

 

[macnisse]

So I will just keep enjoying my Nexus 4 alongside my JB iPhone 5 for another while then... can't imagine going back to standard iOS6, Apple & Jonathan please surprise us by making iOS7 smashing!

 

[MacDarcy]

All you guys with a samsung boner better rub it out before apple says, "Now you can have your phone calls on the cellular model iPad mini."

That's my prediction.

Just a matter of when they want to completely ****** on samsung, in my humble opinion.

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Actually I am grandfathered in n AT&T's unlimited data plan for the ipad and already currently use the ipad mini as a phone sometimes. Works perfectly.

 

[cambox]

Apple is in the business of giving customers what is best for them, not what they want. What people say they want is not always what works best.

Specifically the larger phones. Yes, I have some 6'5" friends who feel the iPhone is too small, but they're a very small part of the market. I have fairly average sized hands, any phone wider than the current iPhone is a no-go for me. I hike a lot and use my phone as a GPS/mapping tool. I need to be able to use the GPS with one hand only, using the thumb alone for touch. I can't do that on any of the other larger-sized flagship smartphones made today.

If you have small children, you already appreciate the fact that the iPhone is one of the only flagship smartphones you can use with one hand.

As to why Apple doesn't make a lot of differently-sized iPhones for different people, it goes back to the first point. A lot of people will buy a larger-sized iPhone just because it's larger, despite the fact that it would provide a worse user experience. In the end, they'd have the sale anyway, but a larger group of customers are going to be unhappy with their experience than would otherwise have been the case. Apple won't do that.

What tosh!

 

[Boomish69]

About time we start to see the cracks appear , ever since walked into a shop and picked up the S3 and held it next to my iPhone 4 I realised why everyone I know in the UK is buying a Samsung, not just cos it's cheaper but it just looks way cooler with the bigger screen.
Now I couldn't give a toss about how cool mine looks , I keep it all wrapped up in a leather case but my kids and lot of friends like to show their phones off, having just a back cover. Apple have sat on their thumbs cashing in and not innovating since Steve left us..I think they have lost connection with the customer..
This guy at Znet just about sums it up for me..

http://www.zdnet.com/why-apple-push...cts-to-fall-could-be-a-good-thing-7000014439/

Just make a bigger screen size Apple! jeez..you have the tech to make it great stop with all the excuses.

 

[cambox]

A 5" iphone is coming. Steve Jobs used to do this all the time too. We're NEVER gonna make a phone....out comes the iphone. We're never gonna make a smaller ipad....out comes the mini. Etc etc. it's Apples way. They do what others do, but only when they can do it better.

Personally I like the current iphone size. I know the larger smartphones are all the rage now...but personally, I've got the mini for that. The iphone is when I wanna go ultra portable. It's my travel camera as well. I like it just the way it is.

Whenever Apple does offer a larger iphone, I'm sure they'll offer it in both sizes. My guess is summer of 2014. But who knows. For now, I'm just waiting for the 5s with the better camera. ;-)

You say the screen size is right for you and the larger phones are all the rage? But yet you say you have a mini for a larger size but you use a phone camera? Why not use a proper camera and then you will have everything you wanted. People dont want 3 different devices with 3 different power leads, most would like one that does it fairly well. If you want a better camera on your phone go and but a proper camera, and who uses the phone these days? Tx, emails and social networking my friend and all need better screen sizes. It seems to me that those who are fine with a smaller screen are from the older generation maybe? Apple are behind the curve but lets hope they catch up soon otherwise its a Nokia scenario.

 

[Drunken Master]

I'd suggest Tim to take a look at the new HTC One. It is the first phone that is comparable to the iPhone's build quality and design. That's why Samsung hired students to bash it in forums.

The problem with the HTC One, is that it's a mess to use one-handed. Waking the thing from sleep generally requires two hands because you can't wake it from sleep by pressing the home button.

Then while holding it one handed, a normal person's thumb can't reach a good deal of the screen. Want to hit the sleep button again? Need to use to hands for that again. In that sense, it lacks versatility. I know as someone who is often standing on a train, having a phone that is easy to use one handed is a real benefit.

 

[BvizioN]

He's effectively saying that the iPad and iPad Mini screen's are of poor quality there, as they are larger than the iPhone screen.

Read again...

Some customers value large screen size. Others value other factors such as resolution, color quality, white balance, reflectivity, power consumption, compatibility of apps, and portability. Our competitors have made some significant tradeoffs in many of these areas to ship a larger display.

Neither iPad or iPad Mini are designed to fit in your pocket or to be one hand used.

 

[kis]

App compatibility and one-handed use




Nope. It most certainly is NOT.

actually, yes it is - if you compare to latest-gen phones, it's definitely worse than the HTC One's, the SGS IV's and probably also than the Xperia Z's (which has sucky viewing angles but the screen's otherwise pretty awesome).

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Wrong the htc one's is!

/just saying random things.

yes, apparently you are - the One's by FAR the nicest screen ever used in any smartphone.

 

[BvizioN]

They said the same thing before the iPhone 5 "we think 3inches is the best size"

Also, "we don't think anything smaller than 10inches is acceptable for a tablet"

Never trust what people in the industry say. They want you to keep buying the current stuff.

They said neither of that.

iPhones have never been 3" so that's wrong.
Regarding the iPad's, they said that they would not do 7" tablet. Guess what? They still haven't.

 

[kis]

But after the S3 overheating, battery issues and generally not managing 12 hours of minimal use

You're repeating yourself. And so am I: that's a load of bull-crap. My S3 consistently outperformed my (former) iPhone 5 in terms of battery-life.

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Everyone accept for the 37.4 million iPhones they sold this quarter the most in the companies history!

the problem being that Apple actually fell behind the global increase in the smart-phone market. Also, Android has about double the market-share - so I'm getting the feeling that your argument is moot.

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I personally think the larger 5"+ phones are a fad. A fad doesn't have a time duration.

except that the Galaxy Note series has been selling like hotcakes for years now.

 

[Kattym]

It appears that Apple will not be releasing an iPhone with a larger screen until the company's manufacturing partners can supply it with a 5-inch screen that meets its demanding criteria.

And the demands are really high and the level set by Samsung devices are not lower.... It will be a challeging task.

 

[sneaky butcher]

They said neither of that.

iPhones have never been 3" so that's wrong.
Regarding the iPad's, they said that they would not do 7" tablet. Guess what? They still haven't.

guess what the exact quote from steve jobs was

We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary."

 

[iCole]

I have an SG3 but i do respect Apple for staying with their 4 inch approach. One handed use on the SG3 is possible but just not comfortable. With the iPhone 5, you have a screen that is large enough to do phone stuff, you have a solid OS with some very handy features (if somewhat limiting if you compare it to android, which they really need to fix) and a good build quality. Its a one phone fits them all. Altho i wouldn't trade my SG3 for an iPhone 5, I do find Samsungs approach with all their different models and specs confusing. Also the screen is great, but the one of the iPhone is better. Overall, there's just much more polish.

 

[Zunjine]

So be it. HTC One, here I come. I'm looking for bigger screen, not narrower.

... which screen got narrower then?

 

[ul1984]

An 5" iPhone could have 3 resolutions: 1) Keep 1136x640 2) Double resolution to retain "Retina Display" quality: 2272x1280 3) 1080p.

Any reason they couldn't use a "retina multiplier" of 3 instead of the current 2, I mean like this: take the iPhone5 "point" resolution, 568x320, multiply each axis by 3, and we get:

1704 x 960

thats pretty close to 1080p, and high enough pii for a device of this size.

Personally I would hope they go somewhere between 4.2 and 4.7 inches though.

 

[Fishticks]

That's great! Having a samsung is like carrying a tablet in your pocket as a phone. The iPhone is just perfect in size. Also, it's like everyone else is going backwards in time when the phones were larger.

Mouhouhou, only 2 votes for you !

This dumb remark about any-phone-bigger-than-iPhone5-being-too-big is really getting as obsolete as ip5 itself.
Keep it to yourselves folks.

 

[Oletros]

Regarding the iPad's, they said that they would not do 7" tablet. Guess what? They still haven't.

Wrong, they said that than 10" was the minimum size for a tablet

https://www.macrumors.com/2010/10/18/steve-jobs-criticizes-7-inch-tablets-says-10-inches-minimum/

Commenting on avalanche of tablets heading to market. Just a handful of credible entrants. Almost all use 7" screen, compared to iPad at nearly 10" screen. 7" screen is only 45% as large as iPad's screen. Hold an iPad in portrait view and draw a horizontal line halfway down. What's left is a 7" screen...too small. There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary.

 

[Futurix]

An 5" iPhone could have 3 resolutions: 1) Keep 1136x640 2) Double resolution to retain "Retina Display" quality: 2272x1280 3) 1080p.

You are forgetting the fourth option of doubling resolution of 4/4S and not 5 - so 960x640 becomes 1920x1280. Much more manageable and will give them an extra boast compared to 16:9 5'' phones.

Any reason they couldn't use a "retina multiplier" of 3 instead of the current 2

That will make any upscaled app look horrible: they will either have to scale retina apps by 1.5 (which will lead to a lot of blur) or scale non-retina apps by 3 (which will have less blur but instead will have giant pixels).

 

[Kirb112]

Interesting phenomenon going on here. Usually, anything Apple says, the fans rationalize and agree. Most people here are posting that Tim Cook is just wrong. I have an S3 and an iphone. I have no problem holding the S3. My eyes love the larger screen. Those that think the size is just perfect should try a larger screen for a day. They'd not go back.

Yes, the battery life is better on the iphone.. but not allowing the user to swap out the battery for a spare is so limiting. Even with a longer battery life, I often find myself out of juice. With my S3, I just swap for a fresh battery in about 10 seconds.

Apple is just arrogant. They were game changers but they then sit back and slowly evolve while others surge forward. It is a recipe for disaster for them. You can't rest on your laurels forever. You can't continue to believe your own press and the fanboys. That huge advantage they got by being very good and first is now clearly waning. Making the iphone 5 longer but not otherwise bigger was a HUGE mistake. To prolong it may put them irretrievably behind. The comment about the bezel is right on. My S3 is only slightly larger than the iphone. It is all that wasted bezel space that makes most of the difference!


As for the comment about boring rows of icons... I've always thought that was like a PC. You would think that Apple would have the widgets allowing for seeing your calendar, the weather, quick buttons for important phone numbers. Palm Pilot had it before the iphone... and the iphone comes out with less functionality...and looks like a PC to boot. The longer iphone 5 screen just allowed for another row of icons. It seems so ostrich-like. People want a screen with functionality. Maybe you just can't do that on that tiny screen.

The Steve Jobs idea of not listening to others but rather telling people what they want works sometimes...but not always... and Steve is gone (and so is his 2 button mouse). It sounds a little bit like USSR and China. Planned systems from the top down are doomed to fail.

The fact that there are so few fanboys here tells you the tide is turning. Never saw this before.

Well said, particularly the last part.