If they really do a bigger screen, I hope its as predicted and the same size body with little to no bezel.
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Why the iPhone 5 makes sense
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I know it must be hard to accept, but how you perceive this situation and/or the reasoning you use to convince yourself (and others) for the sale of the product you desire, has zero effect on the way Apple operates or what products they sell. But, if it offers you a sense of security to write about it, then this is what personal diaries are for (or public website forums, I suppose).
sorry, i was just trying to administer some common sense in these iPhone analysts
its this new thing called deductive reasoning, you should check it out
You bring up a great point about the 3gs being during a WWDC and not it's own special event. That had not crossed my mind, at that time they were announcing ios3 and all of it's new features (which it had quite a few, copy/paste, picture messaging etc.) it had a few big features that took a bit of time to discuss. In the past the iphones have been announced along side the ios for it, now that we've separated the events how would they justify having a meeting/conference about it if it wasn't something larger and why couldn't they have just done it during the WWDC in June or July? Great point and gave me a little bit more confidence that there will be an iphone 5.
Woah, what is that, and where did you find those pictures?
As for the topic on hand, I think your reasoning is spot on. Tim Cook would not start off his career as official CEO with an iPhone 4S. The faith people have in Apple would certainly be shook if all we get is a 4S.
The current iTunes beta leak to me just confirms that Apple is doing a dual release of a 4S and a 5. That is to say, 2 different phones for people of two different tastes. Those who like the 4's design can get an Assistant enabled iPhone 4 like model, while those who like the 5's new radical design can get that.
People who don't want an Iphone 5 getting released are the ones that ain't able to upgrade when it is released so they will have to stick with their old generation iphone its a never ending circle
This makes so little sense I struggle to even call it logic.
The lead time for an iPhone release of any kind is years. Development of what's being announced on Tuesday started many, many months ago. A change in CEO has no bearing on the product development cycle. Whatever Apple was doing in July did not change just because of a CEO transition.
If a 4S is coming, it's coming whether Steve or Tim is CEO. The same is true if it's an iPhone 5 - who is CEO today has zero bearing on it.
I wouldn't be sure about that last sentence; it's pretty bold to say that Apple's CEO has no control over when the next iPhone will be released, or what the next iPhone will be. Even though SJ is still the main man at Apple, Cook definitely has some bearing and influence on future products (remember, it was Tim Cook who said that the iPhone should be for everyone, and not the rich only).
As for Tim Cook's influence on the iPhone 5... who knows how much he influenced it. I realize that the next iPhone was probably being designed and built as early as months before iPhone 4 launch. Personally, I think it will have SJ written all over it, but who knows. Tim Cook was the acting CEO for half of 2011 before SJ formally gave him the title. That means he was directly in charge of running day to day activities, which would undoubtedly have included the new iPhone(s).
SJ might be the man who decides the overarching plan, but he's no longer running around meeting telecom companies or Zuckerberg for discussions on future products. That responsibility has now shifted to Cook.
And Tim Cook unveiling the new iPhone(s) has more to do with symbolism than anything else. If he fails to impress, then it won't have much of an effect on Apple's current profitability; the new iPhone is going to sell in millions regardless of what they put out. But, it will have some weight on what people (not average consumers, but people like you and me on MR, big time investors, etc) think about Apple's long term future. Will they still be able to be the innovative company it was under SJ? Or has Apple now peaked, with SJ leaving and his legacy soon fading with iPad 3 and possibly iPhone 6? Those are the types of questions I meant when addressing Cook's role as CEO and his significance on stage.
I'm sure when designing anything, economy of production and parts reuseability are considered. A key reason for retaining the same look and size is to be able to reuse the same parts, like they do in the auto industry, if it is believed that that form factor command very high customer loyalty, and if it is believed that a large section of customers place high values in retaining the vintage look.
In the case of iPhone 4 with bigger screen, retaining the same look would not provide any economy and opportunity to save on parts. Second, the ability of the glass body to withstand breakage has turned out to be less than initially thought. Third, as we know, there has been big perception problem at least on the design of the antenna (although I personally don't believe a bit of it, and find the antenna to be really good). Fourth, unlike the watches and cars, smartphones are expected to dramatically improve from year to year, and there is little value held in retaining the vintage look. Finally, a slippery phone is not easy to hold.
It just does not make sense to simply make a bigger screen with the same look for these reason.
In the case of iPhone 4 with bigger screen, retaining the same look would not provide any economy and opportunity to save on parts. Second, the ability of the glass body to withstand breakage has turned out to be less than initially thought. Third, as we know, there has been big perception problem at least on the design of the antenna (although I personally don't believe a bit of it, and find the antenna to be really good). Fourth, unlike the watches and cars, smartphones are expected to dramatically improve from year to year, and there is little value held in retaining the vintage look. Finally, a slippery phone is not easy to hold.
It just does not make sense to simply make a bigger screen with the same look for these reason.
That's all well and good and true, but doesn't really address my point.
Apple has been working on the device its releasing this month for many months. I'd guess the lead time on a new iPhone project is probably two years. The hardware was pretty much settled when Tim took over as CEO.
Apple is not going to now change that hardware simply because they had a change in leadership. By which I mean, if Apple was really developing an iPhone 4S, they're not going to magically pull an iPhone 5 out of the air and have Tim release that, just so his first official product launch as CEO is better than a 4S.
When people say "Apple won't release an iPhone 4S because Cook's first keynote needs to be something better" they completely ignore how the product development cycle works, that's all...
Yes, but how can you say that the succession of Tim Cook happened immediately, and without planning? Maybe they had planned for this eventuality when designing the 5/4S, where SJ would retire and Tim Cook would unveil the new iPhone. Or maybe they didn't.
I mean, the thing is, we just don't know how Apple works. Yes, it makes sense that they started working on the 5/4S almost 2 years ago, but I'm just saying that one cannot just conclude that the planning of the new iPhone didn't include SJ's retirement. We just don't know. All we can do is try to deduce from what we do know, which unfortunately is very minimal.
I would think that the change from Jobs to Cook as CEO is THE major event in the Apples company history at this point in time - & bet your bottom dollar that Tim Cook is more concerned about shareholder perception and the reaction of the market to his first year as CEO (and hence his first major presentation) than he is about the "product cycle" ....
and Steve Jobs doesn't strike me as the kind of person that leaves anything to chance or to the last minute ....
having bought and sold several reasonably sized businesses over the years and having been involved in transitioning key management personnel in that process i am very sure that this CEO transition has been extremely well planned, in great detail, and over some considerable time ..
both Jobs & Cook will want the first year of Tim Cooks "reign" to be as trouble free as possible ...
i think (my opinion as a shareholder only) that this presentation is mega important for Apple & Cook - they will want it to be a "winner" ... one that overcomes any doubts that the market has in regards to Cooks ability as an effective CEO and as a "replacement" for Job's ....
They need him to be seen as a CEO that can continue to drive Apple (read shareholder value) to even higher levels ...
so i think its actually very "illogical" to believe that Cook hasn't been involved in the product cycle of the iPhone (read big income earner for Apple) for some time ...
i am sure that the timing of him taking over and releasing this new product (whatever it is) is no accident ...
ultimately its all conjecture and "guesstimates" based on some reliable and some unreliable "leads" anyway, but in my opinion, if Cook is heading it, i would expect much more than a "software updated iphone 4S" ... my moneys on a major new product (ie iPhone 5 + probably the 4S) that will carry Apple and Tim Cooks to a successful 1st year of tenure as CEO
just my 2 cents worth
I would think that the change from Jobs to Cook as CEO is THE major event in the Apples company history at this point in time - & bet your bottom dollar that Tim Cook is more concerned about shareholder perception and the reaction of the market to his first year as CEO (and hence his first major presentation) than he is about the "product cycle" ....
and Steve Jobs doesn't strike me as the kind of person that leaves anything to chance or to the last minute ....
having bought and sold several reasonably sized businesses over the years and having been involved in transitioning key management personnel in that process i am very sure that this CEO transition has been extremely well planned, in great detail, and over some considerable time ..
both Jobs & Cook will want the first year of Tim Cooks "reign" to be as trouble free as possible ...
i think (my opinion as a shareholder only) that this presentation is mega important for Apple & Cook - they will want it to be a "winner" ... one that overcomes any doubts that the market has in regards to Cooks ability as an effective CEO and as a "replacement" for Job's ....
They need him to be seen as a CEO that can continue to drive Apple (read shareholder value) to even higher levels ...
so i think its actually very "illogical" to believe that Cook hasn't been involved in the product cycle of the iPhone (read big income earner for Apple) for some time ...
i am sure that the timing of him taking over and releasing this new product (whatever it is) is no accident ...
ultimately its all conjecture and "guesstimates" based on some reliable and some unreliable "leads" anyway, but in my opinion, if Cook is heading it, i would expect much more than a "software updated iphone 4S" ... my moneys on a major new product (ie iPhone 5 + probably the 4S) that will carry Apple and Tim Cooks to a successful 1st year of tenure as CEO
just my 2 cents worth
Yup, agree with you 100%. The most interesting tid-bit is this though: It is Tim Cook who wants the iPhone to be for everyone, and not the rich. Steve Jobs revels in pricing their products high instead of competitively, and earning a bigger margin in profits (very SJ like), rather than selling more of their products with lower margins (current Android manufacturers like). But, all of the rumors seem to be pointing to the existence of an iPhone specifically made for a low end market. This would seem to indicate the influence of Tim Cook above all else. He's the man behind the rumored change to selling more products with a lesser margin.
If the cases circulating around are the real deal, then a 4 inch phone will be slightly wider, retaining the same side bezel width. Edge to edge screen for that phone width will bring the screen size to 4.3 inch but it is a nightmare for case manufacturers, and makes it more difficult for us to touch the sides of the screen.
Will they be able to fit the slightly bigger 8mp camera, new a5 chip, 1gb ram, the new world chip and others inside the iPhone 4 chassis? What about that bigger screen? It's totally possible but I don't know Karl...
It's impossible to say for sure, of course. But I find it highly unlikely that Jobs' retirement was worked into the timing of this release. I believe that his retirement as CEO was expected but sudden, because I find it hard to believe he would step down before his health literally forced him too.
Occam's razor says the simpler answer is true.
If the iPhone 5 isn't ready to be released, it isn't ready to be released. It's very simple. Tim won't just decide to announce an unfinished product because it would make a better keynote.