why do i feel iPhone 5 will not be a MAJOR redesign?

[animatedude]

let's face it, iPhone 4/4S is perfect but all these rumors we've been having lately are depressing....all of them indicate it's going to be 4-inch screen blah blah.

everything i've read so far about the iPhone 5 makes me think it's going to look exactly like the iPhone 4/4S but only with a few minor design differences like a 4-inch display instead of 3.5 or different back cover etc...

as much as i love my iPhone 4, i'm hoping for a MAJOR redesign.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

It won't look the same. If you think the 3G/3GS looks the same as the 4/4S, then yes it's the same.

The iPhone branding is no different from cars. This may be a bad analogy. But you don't see the number 1 selling Toyota Camry in the USA retaining it's design, even though it's the most sold. That goes for any product. So if you're looking for a new design, it will change.

 

[animatedude]

Wirelessly posted

You had me at Camry lol

No the iPhone 4 great design is a major redesign of the 3G/3GS desing which I never liked but all the iPhone 5 rumors so far indicate it's going to be a 4 inch with Aluminum or plastic back cover, that doesn't sound like a major redesign to me.

I'm hoping for something totally different like all the crazy mock ups you see online, my favorite is the tear drop design similar to the design of the MacBook Air or the mock up which looks like the Magic Mouse lol

 

[sulpfiction]

Wirelessly posted

or the mock up which looks like the Magic Mouse lol

Haha!! This is horrible. You are being sarcastic, right? Could you imagine it rocking back and forth as it laid on your desk.

 

[cdmoore74]

iPhone 5 will be different but not major compared to Android devices. LTE is a given and a 4 inch stretched display is all that I can see Apple doing. Maybe a different gpu to handle the higher screen res and a ram bump to 1gig. Tweaks to the antenna or some other small hardware bump. It should be a worthy upgrade from the 4/4S model but Apple is moving at a turtle's pace and does not want to rock the boat.
My issue with the iPhone 5 (if true) is the display. Knowing Apple their going to milk that display for 2 to 5 years. 4 inches on Android is considered entry level. Second would be iOS. Apple still has the 3GS to update and I believe that the older hardware is holding them back from a major redesign. People laughed at Google for only having Ice Cream Sandwich on 7% of the devices but you get the full operating system, not bits and pieces. Apple is so determined to avoid fragmentation but it looks just as bad when you use selective upgrades because devices can or can't handle them. And for the 3GS to get iOS 6 but not my iPad 1 is a slap in the face.

 

[nuckinfutz]

won't go major until Liquid Metal is ready on a larger scale.

 

[blairh]

let's face it, iPhone 4/4S is perfect........

Perfect? The iPhone 4/4S has serious flaws. Glass backing that is slippery. Stainless steel sides and a flat back that make it awkward to hold to your ear. A small screen.

I like my iPhone 4 a great deal but it has serious room for improvement. Unless Apple has a huge surprise in store this fall, you should not expect anything beyond a 4" screen, LTE, a different backing material, and a thinner device. You need to determine if those changes are enough to satisfy you or not.

 

[App King]

Not sure the definition of "major redesign". If you ask me the first iphone looks similar to the 4s.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Maybe this:

 

[mrsir2009]

Perfect? The iPhone 4/4S has serious flaws. Glass backing that is slippery. Stainless steel sides and a flat back that make it awkward to hold to your ear. A small screen.

I like my iPhone 4 a great deal but it has serious room for improvement. Unless Apple has a huge surprise in store this fall, you should not expect anything beyond a 4" screen, LTE, a different backing material, and a thinner device. You need to determine if those changes are enough to satisfy you or not.

A thinner device? Why? Have you used an iPod Touch without a case?

 

[Redjericho]

It's obviously still going to be of similar form, but i would bet it's going to be gutted and improved from the inside out.

 

[aleni]

i wish the next iphone will have a design like this

 

[ixodes]

let's face it, iPhone 4/4S is perfect

Perfect?

Surely you jest.

Perhaps you've never used one.

If you have, then it's obvious you've never owned a truly excellent smartphone.

Last years the 4S was fresh & new, even if it does use an outdated size & form factor. This year, it's old hat. Nothing exciting. Rather dull actually.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

Wirelessly posted

You had me at Camry lol

No the iPhone 4 great design is a major redesign of the 3G/3GS desing which I never liked but all the iPhone 5 rumors so far indicate it's going to be a 4 inch with Aluminum or plastic back cover, that doesn't sound like a major redesign to me.

I'm hoping for something totally different like all the crazy mock ups you see online, my favorite is the tear drop design similar to the design of the MacBook Air or the mock up which looks like the Magic Mouse lol

Which is why I said it was a bad analogy. But I think you got my point. Here's to a new redesign.

 

[blairh]

A thinner device? Why? Have you used an iPod Touch without a case?

Er, what? If Apple gives us a taller iPhone, then I expect it will be thinner than a 4/4S because they will have more internal room for the battery. If the next iPhone is the same form factor but with a 4" screen, then there is the potential that it will be the same thickness. My guess is that the next iPhone will be thinner than the current one.

 

[Sedrick]

Apple has one of two philosophies:

1. We have the best product out there and we're not going to change it drastically any time soon. We'll begrudgingly stretch it for a quasi 4" screen and lose the glass black everyone's been complaining about, but that's it. Same for the OS: It's perfect the way it is.
or
2. We're going to devote as few resources as possible to iPhone/iOS development and will milk this design for as long as it sells.

You be the judge.

 

[animatedude]

i think it's going to look like this

but i prefer this

 

[ChrisTX]

Apple has one of two philosophies:

1. We have the best product out there and we're not going to change it drastically any time soon. We'll begrudgingly stretch it for a quasi 4" screen and lose the glass black everyone's been complaining about, but that's it. Same for the OS: It's perfect the way it is.
or
2. We're going to devote as few resources as possible to iPhone/iOS development and will milk this design for as long as it sells.

You be the judge.

More than likely, #1 is the culprit. Automobile makers tend to keep the same designs for 4 years minimum before major redesigns. But when a tech company such as Apple keeps the same phone design for more than a year they never hear the end of it from the opposition. Desktop UI such as MS Windows, and OSX has looked the same for years without question. While iOS on the other hand after 5 years is already becoming stale to some people? It's crazy how some things work.

 

[onthecouchagain]

The tapered iPhone might be the ugliest iPhone concept I've ever seen.

I can't even imagine holding it. Look, the Air looks great tapered, and it makes a lot of sense for it to be tapered, but that doesn't mean it makes sense for a mobile device.

 

[Netherscourge]

I will 99% guarantee the back of the new iPhone will be FLAT, not curved.

(The 1% being that they ship it with some sort of stabilizer dock, which I highly doubt)

Most people like laying their devices flat when not in their pockets and it's much easier to type/navigate on a device that's lying FLAT rather than one that's rocking back and forth on a curved back.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more STUPID it is to make a device like this NOT have a flat, stabilized rear-backing.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Apple may have removable back covers/panels for the next gen iPhone:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Appl...rs-with-different-camera-lens-options_id31262

Or next-next gen?

 

[Sedrick]

The tapered iPhone might be the ugliest iPhone concept I've ever seen.

I can't even imagine holding it. Look, the Air looks great tapered, and it makes a lot of sense for it to be tapered, but that doesn't mean it makes sense for a mobile device.

Not to mention there's no room inside for components, it couldn't support it's own weight in any kind of dock and would feel terrible in landscape.

I wish people would quit dredging up that ridiculous mockup.

 

[SR45]

Maybe this:

Image

I like something like this. Its clean/professional looking, and not so wide as to feel uncomfortable in ones hand....

 

[pooleman]

I like something like this. Its clean/professional looking, and not so wide as to feel uncomfortable in ones hand....

I agree

 

[Sital]

i wish the next iphone will have a design like this

Image

That one looks sharp, but I wonder if it's too thin to be durable enough.