Would iOS 7+4.7" iPhone bring you back?

[jrswizzle]

Fair enough. If you want the scenario to be so hypothetical, then I agree it will be more about preference, except for obviously the larger screen real-estate.

Yes - which I don't find adds ALL that much benefit personally and certainly doesn't make one device more advanced or futuristic than another.

Funny, 10 years ago "futuristic" was making devices smaller. All goes to show, consumer desires and trends really are pretty fleeting and fickle ESPECIALLY in the tech world.

 

[Irishman]

It was widely reported last month. See here.

Widely-reported on USAToday.

Okay. Linkbait. The credible rumors can be traced to someone within Apple's supply chain. Think about it. Two new form factor phones from Apple in a year where normally they would be recouping margins in an "S" year with largely internal changes?!?

Apple's margins would take a ridiculous hit this year. After having been taking margin hits since the fourth quarter 2012.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Yes - which I don't find adds ALL that much benefit personally and certainly doesn't make one device more advanced or futuristic than another.

Funny, 10 years ago "futuristic" was making devices smaller. All goes to show, consumer desires and trends really are pretty fleeting and fickle ESPECIALLY in the tech world.

You know full well 10 years ago phones didn't look anything like today's phones. Getting "smaller/larger" 10 years ago meant very different things than getting "smaller/larger" today.

This analogy is often brought up. Often misused.

 

[jrswizzle]

You know full well 10 years ago phones didn't look anything like today's phones. Getting "smaller/larger" 10 years ago meant very different things than getting "smaller/larger" today.

This analogy is often brought up. Often misused.

Oh sure - we had no idea back then what would happen. Just as we have no idea now.

The thought that somehow, we've now figured it out - that we surely will want larger screens for things is as dumb as us thinking we wanted everything smaller back then. As you said - something new will come along (like foldable screens) and we'll figure out, "I want it to be both small (when folded) and big (when unfolded) at the same time!".

 

[Liquorpuki]

not if the UI still looks like unicorn poop

 

[jcpb]

Didn't read the 50+ posts that exploded over the past 18 hours. All that talk about what is, to put it simply, a huge e-peen bragging contest.

Apple's margins would take a ridiculous hit this year. After having been taking margin hits since the fourth quarter 2012.

Not like it will matter to anyone except Wall Street analysts and traders. Apple still enjoys healthy profit margins - they just aren't what they were before the 4S launch in late-2011.

 

[F123D]

For you.

Exactly. Wasn't the original question what our opinions were? I was never speaking for anyone else when I answered the question.

 

[Assault]

Widely-reported on USAToday.

Okay. Linkbait. The credible rumors can be traced to someone within Apple's supply chain. Think about it. Two new form factor phones from Apple in a year where normally they would be recouping margins in an "S" year with largely internal changes?!?

Apple's margins would take a ridiculous hit this year. After having been taking margin hits since the fourth quarter 2012.

If Apple believes that the high end smartphone market is reaching its saturation point and the majority of growth will be relegated to the low/medium end of the market, Apple may look at the short term loss of bringing out a cheap, plastic iPhone as a long term investment. (Assuming that smartphone growth provides enough profit margin to make it worthwhile. It seems to work for Samsung?) Besides, they have the liquid cash to dump for several years before having to worry about this sort of thing.

 

[onthecouchagain]

It'd be nice if the next iPhone sports a similar new home button (not to mention notification light?). This is supposedly the Meizu MX3:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Meiz...erformance-in-one_id45445#2-Meizu-MX3----Back

Time to move on from the physical home button, me thinks. Even better if they can move to a full gesture base phone.

 

[kasakka]

Time to move on from the physical home button, me thinks. Even better if they can move to a full gesture base phone.

I disagree. I find that it's a bit too easy to accidentally press the capacitive buttons on my S4. There isn't anything particularly wrong about an old fashioned hardware button. Unlike capacitive buttons, it gives a solid "yes you clicked me" response and is very unlikely to be pushed by accident.

 

[Technarchy]

I disagree. I find that it's a bit too easy to accidentally press the capacitive buttons on my S4. There isn't anything particularly wrong about an old fashioned hardware button. Unlike capacitive buttons, it gives a solid "yes you clicked me" response and is very unlikely to be pushed by accident.

The Apple home button is a design barrier as it is. Apple needs to redesign it or dump it.

My last android phone from 2011 had 4 capacitive buttons and I don't recall ever tripping one by mistake.

 

[The Robot Cow]

I'll be waiting for the next iPhone anyways to make a decision on my next phone. I am very interested in getting either the Motorola Droid Ultra Maxx, Moto X, or the iPhone 5s. I miss owning my old iphone 5.

 

[robotphood]

Oh sure - we had no idea back then what would happen. Just as we have no idea now.

The thought that somehow, we've now figured it out - that we surely will want larger screens for things is as dumb as us thinking we wanted everything smaller back then. As you said - something new will come along (like foldable screens) and we'll figure out, "I want it to be both small (when folded) and big (when unfolded) at the same time!".

10 years ago we couldn't do half the things we could today on a phone. Hell, that applies to even 5 years ago. But back then phones shrank to become more portable. Screen size was irrelevant. Other than phablets, I do think smartphones are hitting a wall. But the device size of today is actually getting smaller while retaining screen size or bumping it up a bit. I don't see screen size shrinking anytime soon, device size most definitely (ie; foldable, projection, etc...).

 

[The Game 161]

size would make it a considered phone but i just love the features that come with android. 5 inch device is the min for me.

 

[Dontazemebro]

size would make it a considered phone but i just love the features that come with android. 5 inch device is the min for me.

I can agree with this, I went back to using the 4S recently and while I can understand the portability of having a credit care size device I just can't fathom how one can be comfortable with such a small screen. The differences between using the 4S and S4 is like night and day.

 

[0dev]

I disagree. I find that it's a bit too easy to accidentally press the capacitive buttons on my S4. There isn't anything particularly wrong about an old fashioned hardware button. Unlike capacitive buttons, it gives a solid "yes you clicked me" response and is very unlikely to be pushed by accident.

As someone with an iPhone 4 that has a broken home button and is also aware of many others with the same problem, I respectfully disagree.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Yes at the technical level they are the same bloody thing. rooting and jailbreaking=root access to OS.

It's the same thing and I don't care which has a bigger community.

The end result is the same but getting root on the vast majority of android phones does not require months for a hacker to find an exploit in the OS. Unlocked boot loaders on android phones simplify this even further.

It's a drastically harder and more tedious process on iOS.

 

[vikingjunior]

On screen buttons is the way to go, Google got it right.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I know we don't really care for analysts' predictions (until they turn out right) but the "iPhone Lite" aka the plastic iPhone may come in at these unlocked prices:

"The analyst sees the plasticky (as far as we know) model attacking the market with a price tag between $450 and $550."

http://www.phonearena.com/news/iPho...ch-sometime-in-September-analyst-says_id45596

If true, a bit high, me thinks. Will those who charge Samsung of overcharging for "cheap plastic" charge Apple the same thing?

 

[slu]

Yes. The only reason I left was for a bigger screen. I would miss the android keyboard though.