Video Demo of What a 4" iPhone Screen Looks Like in Action

[Millah]

iPhone -> iPhone 3G "It's only faster data"
iPhone 3G -> iPhone 3GS "It;'s only a better camera"
iPhone 3GS -> iPhone 4 "It's only a new case"
iPhone 4 -> iPhone 4S "It's only Siri"
iPhone 4S -> iPhone 5 "It's only taller"

Every time.

When you iterate a product every year, the changes will not be huge. Look at the car industry. New models every year, a redesign every 5-10 years.

Most people buy a phone every two years because otherwise you will end up paying more to do your 1 year upgrade. The jump from the 4 to 5 will be quite large (Taller screen, much better camera, much faster speed, Siri, thinner, lighter, etc.)

People have selective memory. They remember the dazzling moments from Steve Jobs (iPhone intro, aluminum PowerBook, iPod Nano, etc) but they forget the years of iteration that were done in between. The iPod only had two significant changes, the nano and then the touch. The aluminum PowerBook design did not get redesigned for FIVE years.

It seems more and more these days that Apple fans are expecting Apple to dazzle them with revolutions every single year. Hell, many of the old Macworld keynotes were spent mostly talking about software and not even much hardware. They'd debut a new iLife suite, or iWork. Now Apple fans want a MW07 to happen every time Apple gets on stage.

 

[dv8r]

Anytime you downscale the image (especially to a small screen size) you get a perceived sharpness increase because you actually have more data than you need. In the case of the iPhone 4 and later, we're getting over 300dpi, which is higher quality than a printed magazine or a printed photo. And considering a 70" HDTV has only a few more pixels, the quality is the same. Unless you're sitting so far back that the iPhone is actually bigger than your TV when held at arms length.

Enlighten me please then...

Apple would have to be scale by software to fit 640 pixels and according to your statement it would be better because you have more information in the picture stream than you need. I have seen tv sets doing this kind of thing (going 1080->720) and it looks horrible, and must then be due to bad software. This very thing is why i haven't updated my Samsung tv in ages since it seems they have scrapped their old and good scaling software somewhere in 2008.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

I rarely have my phone in landscape mode...let along watch videos on it. So this comparison to cinema standard screens is pointless.

I agree that the video doesn't add anything to what we already know apart from showing you the changes instead of just describing them.

To say it's pointless though because you don't use your phone in landscape mode though is ridiculous.
I'm pretty sure >90% of iPhone users will at some point use their iPhone in landscape mode so therefor this video would be quite relevant to them.

 

[Kanedaa]

3.5" to 4"
This is a revolution.

Haha Apple.. ;-)

 

[Geckotek]

People have selective memory. They remember the dazzling moments from Steve Jobs (iPhone intro, aluminum PowerBook, iPod Nano, etc) but they forget the years of iteration that were done in between. The iPod only had two significant changes, the nano and then the touch. The aluminum PowerBook design did not get redesigned for FIVE years.

It seems more and more these days that Apple fans are expecting Apple to dazzle them with revolutions every single year. Hell, many of the old Macworld keynotes were spent mostly talking about software and not even much hardware. They'd debut a new iLife suite, or iWork. Now Apple fans want a MW07 to happen every time Apple gets on stage.

Perhaps it's the nature of who they are and how they got to Apple. I'm guessing most of them came over for the innovation and excitement that was the iPhone....and expected that to carry over at every launch.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

This is what I'd really like to see on landscape keyboard mode:

It's nice but I have used my friends Samsung S2 and the keyboard in landscape mode is pretty much the same as the iPhones' current one but the extra room makes it easier to hit the buttons and I myself would prefer that style over the one who have shown, though I don't see why both can't be provided and a user decides which one they would prefer in settings.

 

[LordVic]

This is what I'd really like to see on landscape keyboard mode:

Novel idea. But not practical. the typing on it would be awkward due to non symetrical typing

 

[olowott]

Cool Video

Now that it seems we know and seen everything

What gonna be the "one More thing" we gonna shout and go

 

[rsnc]

props to the vid creator

 

[kiljoy616]

just curious why the odd resolution? I know it's 16:9 and everything designed around 16:9 will be in the right ratio.

But why that resolution? Why not the standard 1280x720?

Because Apple engineers are better and smarter and take into account other things than just boring standards. Its the reason one small company with a small amount of products has such followings.

 

[Millah]

Perhaps it's the nature of who they are and how they got to Apple. I'm guessing most of them came over for the innovation and excitement that was the iPhone....and expected that to carry over at every launch.

Innovations of the iPhones magnitude happen very rarely. Once a decade maybe, where you see a product radically transform an entire market overnight. It is not reasonable or intelligent to expect that level of revolution to happen every year.

Does that mean Apple has stopped innovating after 2007? Only a fool would believe that. App store was a software revolution. Retina displays were a display revolution. Siri was a voice control revolution. There have been many innovations since launch.

Easy way to measure how innovative something was. "Everything before you is obsolete, and everything after you bares your mark." Now we see App stores on every platform, other manufacturers attempting retina-caliber displays, and Siri-inspired "S Voice" or Google Now on Android.

 

[tranmillitary]

Did you ever own a 4:3 TV? Did you upgrade to a widescreen? Then you increased the width more than the length when you did. Same concept here.

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Its gone.....

Exactly. This is what i'm saying. Instead of 40inch screen... we get a 40 inch widescreen. IT'S NOT BIGGER IN TERMS OF OVERALL RESOLUTION. Just wider.

If you had a 32 inch TV, that was too small for you, imagine if you just had it wider. there is no point. the TV is too small in the first place. Same with the iphone. The 3.5 inch iphone is already wayyy too small. now they're just stretching out the sides? Doesn't change the fact because when people hold their phones, 99 percent of the population hold the phone upright, which isn't gonna change with the iphone 5.

Web browsing, facebook, every app will look the same except you can see a bit more up and down. The font will be tiny as hell because the screen hasn't changed. Honestly, Apple has stopped innovating since Steve Jobs died. Seems like they're just milking the Apple followers for all they're worth. Reminds me of Microsoft in the 90's.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Sure is a lot of hoopla over another 1/2 inch of real estate. I have a 52" TV and it still isn't big enough.

 

[LordVic]

Because Apple engineers are better and smarter and take into account other things than just boring standards. Its the reason one small company with a small amount of products has such followings.

Breaking from standard for the sake of breaking from standard is not good business practice.

If Apple didn't have a good reason for going with a proprietary format, it wont' be long before people start looking for the standards based platform.

But suffice to say, At least I can see that there is a legit reason why Apple is using a non standard resolution panel. keeping the same verticle height of the display while widening it to allow for the same DPI prevents them from needing to program in different scaling for different devices. It does make sense in this case for their "640p" screen instead of the universal 720p or 768p' standards.

And since it's the same 16:9 aspect ratio, video will not be "stretched" to fit. but still fit naturally as if it were on a normal 720 screen, just witha few less pixels (the image would obviously be scaled on the fly to remove additional pixels that cannot be shown due to not existing)

So your "better and smarter"? I think it's a stretch to make such a claim. arguments can be made both sides here. by not going to a 720p standard, it's in fact showing laziness that the designers don't want to have to program in proper scaling. But on the positive side, it means less ecosystem segregation

 

[Purant]

Retina displays were a display revolution.

No they weren't. At least on phones. I'd argue the retina on the macbook being more revolutionary than on phones.

On phones there were already android phones (I think the original motorolla droid?) that had a resolution of 854 x 480 and a dpi of 240. Apple did take it a step further, but it was a trend (higher dpi) that wasn't started by apple.

 

[Geckotek]

The 3.5 inch iphone is already wayyy too small.

There's your problem. That's your opinion. Many people are just fine with 3.5". Stretching it to 4" is acceptable.

 

[Millah]

No they weren't. At least on phones. I'd argue the retina on the macbook being more revolutionary than on phones.

On phones there were already android phones (I think the original motorolla droid?) that had a resolution of 854 x 480 and a dpi of 240. Apple did take it a step further, but it was a trend (higher dpi) that wasn't started by apple.

I never said Apple "invented" the concept of higher DPI. But they were the first to truly achieve a print quality display, with no visible pixels. Android phones at the time had higher resolution, but were nowhere close to being print quality.

So yes, it was a revolution, taken even further on the MBP and iPad. And they coined the term "retina" display. It's a lot more memorable than "High DPI" eh?

 

[powers74]

this is what i'd really like to see on landscape keyboard mode:

:d :d :d :d

brilliant!

 

[doelcm82]

Something's getting boring but it's not iOS.

There are no boring OS's. Only boring people.

 

[dv8r]

Perhaps it's the nature of who they are and how they got to Apple. I'm guessing most of them came over for the innovation and excitement that was the iPhone....and expected that to carry over at every launch.

I think it's wrong. People like really nice things and Apple have had some of the nicest designs in modern times - and a build/material quality that's still unmatched to this day. It's worth paying for and although Android phones now have some functions that makes the iPhone look like a cheap toy, the overall quality and balance between form and function is still unmatched.

But it does worry me a bit that Apple seem to stray from the formula now - I was a huge fan of B&O products because they had the same strict design mantra for years and it payed off - I don't know what the hell happened 7 years ago but I think David Lewis just went off the rails...

There are a couple of things in this iPhone 5 that seems odd - form-factor, holes and a very sloppy design of certain details.

I don't expect a revolution every time the iPhone is updated, but I do expect Apple to make the ultimate phone when it comes to form and function - no compromises. The weird form factor, camera misplacement and the downright ugly layout of speaker holes and headphone socket worries me a bit.

I don't expect any of the Android makers to get the build-quality aspect but Nokia gets it and that alone could drive Windows Phone adoption - even if they have that horrible Windows 8 OS working against them.

 

[doelcm82]

3.5" to 4"
This is a revolution.

Haha Apple.. ;-)

Yeah, I can't believe* Apple calls this new iPhone "Splendiferous". This is not a Splendiferous phone! Haha, Stupid Apple!

*The reason I can't believe it is that I just made it up in my head, and then pretended to be amused by the thing I imagined Apple doing.

 

[tbrinkma]

I agree, that really is an ignorant comment for the article to make.

Yes. I agree. Absolutely ignorant of the article to claim that the new screen has almost the exact same ASPECT RATIO seen on TVs and laptops.

No. Wait. The ignorant thing would be to emphasize certain parts of the sentence to knowingly distort what was being said, then shoot down the distorted version.

----------

720p is HD unscaled, HD sets sold are not downscaled, they are 720p not 640. Why would Apple say 640 is what television makers are selling?

First, the quote being criticized was not made by Apple.
Second, nobody said anything about TV makers selling 640 *anything*.

----------

How is it the same ratio if the screen is taller? Why watch HD movies on something that isn't scaled properly.

Aspect ratio is the *ratio* of the width and height of the object.

Something which measures 16x9 has the same aspect ratio as something which measures 160x90, 1600x900, or 1280x720.

You took a statement about aspect ratios, and somehow got yourself confused. We can't explain how that happened, we can just try to point out where you're wrong.

 

[jrcsh6]

Zzzzzzzz

Would much rather have it wider.

Yea I don't see being taller as a big deal. Not like it would be if taller AND WIDER. Lets hope the rumors are a elaborate leak trick by apple.

 

[tbrinkma]

Errr...you realized that this is the exact definition of propaganda?!? Make a statement that is absolutely true and combine it with something else to make an impression.

The sentence is meant to leave you with the perception that the screen is nearly as good as a TV screen. But actually any HD content will look bad on the display due to some weird rendering for the screen resolution (at least a good use for the A6 horsepower).

I realized that MR only talked about the aspect ration nevertheless the author tried to deliver a message about the picture quality being on par with Widescreen TVs and leaving the subliminal message that the screen is as good as those of the competitors...

...which simply is untrue and therefore PROPAGANDA.

And I'm allergic to that stuff. That's why I used so many

No, sadly, it's not propaganda just because the paranoid can read something into it. (And, at the physical screen size rumored for the new iPhone, moving up to full 720p, or even 1080p, wouldn't provide a better viewing experience. The pixels in the display are already too small to resolve individually at a typical viewing distance.)

 

[Purant]

I never said Apple "invented" the concept of higher DPI. But they were the first to truly achieve a print quality display, with no visible pixels. Android phones at the time had higher resolution, but were nowhere close to being print quality.

iPad 3 has a dpi 264 and an android phone before apple had coined the term retina had a dpi of 240. It's pretty close.

As I said, it was a trend that other people started, and then Apple took a step further. And then also found a nice marketing term for it.

My argument is that we would have progressed towards higher dpi screen anyway, even if Apple never released a retina phone, because the trend towards higher dpi started before them and without them.

Don't get me wrong, the iPhone 4 display is awesome and was definitely better than the competition at the time, I just don't believe they deserve credit for taking the industry in this direction. (they do for other things, of course, but not a lot of them are recent)