Thought I'd just throw this out for people to comment on and see what people think.
So, I've never been very convinced the long iphone was real, which leads me to wonder what the new phone will look like. I've been thinking big screen, smaller bezel and what not--basically the stuff I'd like. But then something occurred to me (probably to many of you too).
What if iPad dropped it's number to signify the product was mature, and what if the next iPhone is simple "the new iPhone?" Not simply in name, but that the "new" version is basically the same old 3.5" phone (granted with LTE and NFC added this time around).
But that begs the question--why would Apple have ever given up their yearly numbering? It's a great way to get people to upgrade--the auto industry figured this out 75 years ago. But if Apple isn't going by generation, they must have a reason.
My hypothesis is that Apple intends to sell it's products in their current form much like video game consoles.
The benefits are reduced R & D and manufacturing costs, as you only make generational changes every 5-10 years, and you provide a stable platform to attract really good software development. So, for the iPad, maybe we can just figure for the foreseeable future, you're going to get what you can buy today...no big upgrades on a yearly basis.
If Apple did the same with the iPhone, the 3.5" screen, the bezel, the basic shape, the home button....maybe these are all going to stay the same for the next few years.
Tim Cook has pretty much said this, "one resolution iPhone, one size iPad....etc" (I'm paraphrasing). If this is true, just as the Xbox and PS3 see only non-publicized internal upgrades (or minor tweaks like slim versions"), the iPhone really wouldn't change much year to year until they make a big generational leap.
This could also explain a mini-iPad. Apple could sell developers three basic touch based screen sizes to develop for, all using the same tools. Also if you develop an app for today's iPhone, you can assume it will run on future models because the basic hardware architecture isn't going to change.
TL;DR - Apple is done playing the hardware spec race, and is trying to change smartphones basically into consoles.
What do you think? (My initial reaction would be against such a move, but it seems to fit what they're doing.)
