WSJ: Apple to increase iPhone screen size to 'at least' 4-inches
- Thread starter Good Job Bob
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It's not going to happen. If they elongate the screen while keeping the same resolution width and body width, I won't be happy about it. That's the worst implementation of a 4" imo. Just way too long.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
I don't think anyone with average, or below average hand size can do that, while gripping the phone normally, i.e like this: http://www.gadzooki.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/iphone-hand.jpg I think I have slightly bigger hand size as this person holding it on that picture, and I can't comfortably reach as high as it would need with an elongated screen,
Almost every system app supports landscape. They are not going to letterbox them or do something equality hilarious, like put extra buttons on the side. I just don't see any usability or any issue whatsoever that elongated screen solves, any kind of usability experience that it improves. It only has drawbacks.
I hear you can update software to make better use of screen real estate. Might just be a rumor though.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
nib95, G3 screen you have there is wider but also taller.
Understood, but I was just trying to show the pluses and minuses and to show how it doesn't look "YUCK" or "awkward" contrary to what some hyperbolically say. It barely looks different at all. 16:9 means more screen real estate (I use my phone in portrait 90% of the time) since it just occupies the random unoccupied physical phone space instead.
Nib, you can't exactly compare how a different OS handles widescreen keyboard with what iOS already does. In many apps already, landscape is a pain to use because you can barely see the shit you're typing. It's a bit better in the native apps (since apple knows that fact and alter the menu bar thicknesses etc), but not by much. Here's how it would look stretched, which I consider to be (imo) ugly;
Barely being able to see a single line of what you're typing is what I consider 'yuck', but that's just me... and that isn't even landscape browsing experiences or apps.
Barely being able to see a single line of what you're typing is what I consider 'yuck', but that's just me... and that isn't even landscape browsing experiences or apps.
Now, we've all seen 4" screens before. Our imitators <boos> have been using these for years. <shows images of a 5 year old getting crushed by a Galaxy Note>
<dramatic pause>
But how many of these screens are magical?
I can't wait for Cook to monotone his way through this keynote.
<dramatic pause>
But how many of these screens are magical?
I can't wait for Cook to monotone his way through this keynote.
badcrumble
Member
Nib, you can't exactly compare how a different OS handles widescreen keyboard with what iOS already does. In many apps already, landscape is a pain to use because you can barely see the shit you're typing. It's a bit better in the native apps (since apple knows that fact and alter the menu bar thicknesses etc), but not by much. Here's how it would look stretched, which I consider to be (imo) ugly;
Barely being able to see a single line of what you're typing is what I consider 'yuck', but that's just me... and that isn't even landscape browsing experiences or apps.
lol yes if they wen't 16:9 they'd make the keyboard taller in landscape mode. even though it's obviously bad design. because that's totally an Apple thing to do.
Nib, you can't exactly compare how a different OS handles widescreen keyboard with what iOS already does. In many apps already, landscape is a pain to use because you can barely see the shit you're typing. It's a bit better in the native apps (since apple knows that fact and alter the menu bar thicknesses etc), but not by much. Here's how it would look stretched, which I consider to be (imo) ugly;
Barely being able to see a single line of what you're typing is what I consider 'yuck', but that's just me... and that isn't even landscape browsing experiences or apps.
Pretty sure they'd tuck in the keyboard height somewhat similar to how Android have done it. Which wouldn't really make a size difference given the bigger size of the screen. Same size keyboard buttons (near enough), but more screen real estate. Win Win.
badcrumble
Member
Here are some nice mockups of how 16x9 would look pretty nice on the iPhone that don't do any unlikely and purely fabricated things like making keyboard assets larger.
Keep in mind that many or even most consumers are perfectly fine with the existing size of *assets* (buttons, et cetera) on the iPhone 4/4S display, based on the fact that people buy the shit out of iPhones. Oh and lol at the 'they'd buy them no matter what' argument; no, they buy them because they're good phones that meet the needs of the consumers who purchase them and provide an excellent (as per industry-leading consumer satisfaction ratings) user experience. It's not about marketing somehow hypnotizing people into making the 'wrong' decision, it's about the fact that Apple actually delivers a quality product that a whole lot of people - shock - actually like very much.
http://www.overdrivedesign.com/blog...ll-benefit-from-a-4-screen-on-the-new-iphone/
Keep in mind that many or even most consumers are perfectly fine with the existing size of *assets* (buttons, et cetera) on the iPhone 4/4S display, based on the fact that people buy the shit out of iPhones. Oh and lol at the 'they'd buy them no matter what' argument; no, they buy them because they're good phones that meet the needs of the consumers who purchase them and provide an excellent (as per industry-leading consumer satisfaction ratings) user experience. It's not about marketing somehow hypnotizing people into making the 'wrong' decision, it's about the fact that Apple actually delivers a quality product that a whole lot of people - shock - actually like very much.
http://www.overdrivedesign.com/blog...ll-benefit-from-a-4-screen-on-the-new-iphone/
The one hand usability of that, esp. given that the menu bars and controlling assets are located on the hardest places to reach when holding it, makes me think there's no way Apple would jump on that.
Hell, I honestly don't want a 4" screen if that's what it'll be providing.
Hell, I honestly don't want a 4" screen if that's what it'll be providing.
My thumb can reach that far, I just tried it. Since the width doesn't change, it can work, especially if it's thinner.
LightOfTruth
Member
I have to agree. I have fairly large hands but I dont think I would be able to comfortably navigate a 4 inch phone.
Either Apple will offer two different sizes or they wont offer 4 inches at all. Maybe they'll only increase it marginally to something like 3.8"
I only hold it like that if I'm going to use the index finger with my other hand. When I'm going to use my iPhone with a single hand/thumb I have the habit of holding it with my little finger working as a support below (sort of like this, my palm stays mostly free). That way I can reach the entire from of the device with my thumb with ease (and the quasi-claw grip makes it much harder for me to drop it by accident). The way it's being held in the picture you linked makes it uncomfortable for me to reach the lower area.
Then again, I didn't have trouble with day-to-day thumb usage when I had a 4.3 HTC DHD, lol (it took a bit of reaching but nothing crazy). I still think that vertically elongated design some people are proposing is damn ridiculous and hopefully it will look nothing like that. If it does, they better manage some great hat tricks with iOS 6 because simply letterboxing will just make me shake my head.
At one point or another you have stop and ask yourself, why didn't they go with this aspect ratio in the first place? The amount that goes into deciding such a thing isn't on a whim, and changing it won't be either.
In other words, there's a simple reason why it wasn't 576x320 in the first place. I just hope if they do 4", they do it real, not by elongating the screen and giving me little to no considerable benefit over the 3.5".
I'm trying to make lemonade from these lemons. I want the form factor(especially width), to be as close as possible to the size it is now. This is the only way I see to do it.
Gruber made an excellent point about the operations factor, as well. Cutting new screens from the same sheets they've been producing for years makes a lot of sense.
V
Vilix
Unconfirmed Member
No thanks.
It's not a viable solution, imo. The goal shouldn't just be to get the words "Four Inches!" on the stat sheet. If they do 4", it should be done properly and not copped out like that, imo.
I think they know this, as apart from blogs talking about what could be done, we haven't seen any evidence that that's the way they're going to go with it. On the other hand, we practically know for a fact that they are considering making a (slightly) physically bigger device, and dramatically thinner. In the end, ergonomics has the biggest impact on how incorporating a bigger screen will play out.
Refer to the case pics I posted a page or two ago. Think about holding the current iPhone in your hand for a second. When they went from the rounded edges of the 3GS to the 4's squared off design, it got pretty substantially thinner at the same time. Part of it is about grip. It evens itself out to a certain degree, and I don't see that changing. You're saying you don't want more width, but how do you know if you've never held one? My thinking is that when they make it wider, it's going to be (as the cases have shown) ridiculously thinner. That's not just because 'they can', imo. By making it so thin, not to mention curving the edges, the grip isn't as solid as the current model. The new design would be thinner than even the iPod Touches, with an even greater curvature. I can't see how that isn't an ergonomics nightmare. The width being slightly increased almost evens things out in that sense.. You can't pick up your current iPhone and think of the width being increased. When I do that I can't agree with you more, I don't want them to change the width. But then I remember those case designs. You have to pick it up and not only imagine the width increase, but the ridiculously thin frame. It changes the way you would grip the thing entirely.
Anyway, sorry for the rant but if they go the 4" route I think think it'll be in a whole new body with the same aspect ratio as before.
Good Job Bob
Member
I'd rather Apple up the screen size to 4" while keeping the same res and aspect ratio than doing that widescren nonsense that The Verge forum guy made up.
Bloomberg confirms: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...an-overhaul-of-iphone-with-bigger-screen.html
That's the trifecta. It's happening.
That's the trifecta. It's happening.
Mecha_Infantry
Banned
I don't know why people are going on about the one handedness of the current/future iPhone
Don't Apple alway show people using it with two hands: one holding, and the other hand using the index finger?
Don't Apple alway show people using it with two hands: one holding, and the other hand using the index finger?
4" will definitely work even at their aspect ratio. But I dont even want to see them going higher than that unless its 16:9. That current ratio scales horribly for phones. The width, ugh... 4" is just fine.
Of course they do. Tons of people use two hands on a phone. That whole one hand thing is overblown as hell. Very few people are going to care.
Of course they do. Tons of people use two hands on a phone. That whole one hand thing is overblown as hell. Very few people are going to care.
badcrumble
Member
How does this argument not apply equally well to the physical size of the phone?
ESPECIALLY when you consider that once the next iPhone is out, Apple is only going to be manufacturing the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5*. Two of those three models, at the very least, will be using displays cut from the same sheets. Tim Cook is all about the supply chain; I think it's very likely that the next iPhone will be using displays with exactly the same pixel density. Either they'll be 16x9ing it to keep the same pixel density or they'll be increasing the number of pixels in *both* dimensions. Either of those will require some amount of letterboxing for current apps that aren't ready for the new hardware. But they're not gonna keep the same resolution at a *lower* pixel density under basically any circumstances whatsoever.
*or whatever the hell they call it
It's so crazy how it looks so much more like an Android phone once you take the screen ratio to 16:9.
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I hope iOwners get to experience 4"+ in the future. It's truly a game changer.
Aspect ratio is different than physical frame. Even putting aside the technical capabilities of the time and what the market was used to in terms of smartphones, the software is built around the aspect ratio.. Bigger phones work because they aren't as thick, otherwise you're basically holding a mini tablet. The thickness of the leaked i5 design simply wasn't possible back then, but the screen aspect ratio always was.
If you don't think part of Apple's design and what Ive does isn't taking into account one-hand operation, then you're simply wrong. I'm not saying it's the crux of everything they do, just that it matters.
badcrumble
Member
As far as software is concerned, keeping the phone at the same width would require much, much less work for developers who wanted to convert the apps than increasing the resolution in both directions. Just like when they chose pixel doubling for the Retina display.
badcrumble
Member
Technically, fucking with the aspect ratio would also mean fucking with the resolution. Both mess around with the resolution, both would require some amount of letterboxing on current apps.
Like I said, the one thing that WON'T get changed is the pixel density.
edit: I should note that I *agree* with Sentry in that I'd really prefer that Apple stick with 3:2, provided the physical size of the phone doesn't get bigger. I just don't think that's what Apple is going to do.
Yeah, I meant to say pixel density.
And I never said anything about it not being part of their design, Im saying it doesnt matter that much at all.
People will use two hands if needed. Its not going to be that big a deal.
You know, at this point Apple could make a 4.3" iPhone with the aspect 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad, and it wouldn't even matter. Developers follow suit, it would be a non-conversation less than a year from then. Apple might want to accommodate for physical changes, but they won't go out of their way and literally shape/design the device based purely on the connivence of whatever current software norms.
Remember, everything right now says "at east" 4 inches.. who knows, maybe it'll end up being 4.6" like that rumor a while back.
Probably not, but point is they could give a retina boost if it's 4.3", no?But everything matters to Ive.
If Apple made their designs with 'oh this won't be a big deal to people' things would be different. Not being able to use a phone with one hand falls in the category of 'big deal', especially if the previous iteration allowed that and would no longer exist, forcing people to upgrade to a less usable form.But everything matters to Ive.
I'm not sure who you are looking to convince here. I mean, people that say they cannot use a phone one handed with a 4" screen. Yet a 4" iPhone is coming..... So I mean, if you think thats a mistake, email Apple. Apparently they are ok with it.
It can be close, but itll likely have to be slightly wider unless they go with extremely thin bezel.
I'd be ok with it being slightly wider.
At least it would still be smaller than the majority of Android phones.
All those tall iPhones with long screens just look weird to me. It looks like a poorly proportioned item. Consider me shocked if apple releases that.
I think they'd rather take the ppi hit and keep the AR the same.
Take that crazy tall iPhone and place it next to the 3rd gen fat iPod nano - which also looked weird* - and you got a real Laurel and Hardy duo
* although one difference is that the fat nano was easy to operate and hold but a tall iPhone would be harder to operate than the previous model.
I think they'd rather take the ppi hit and keep the AR the same.
Take that crazy tall iPhone and place it next to the 3rd gen fat iPod nano - which also looked weird* - and you got a real Laurel and Hardy duo
* although one difference is that the fat nano was easy to operate and hold but a tall iPhone would be harder to operate than the previous model.
You're right, the long one looks terrible.
I hope they're able to pull off something like this;
Yeah that would look great.
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
Definitely prefer width over length. TWSS
I hated the original Motorola Atrix for the same reason. Atrix 2 solved this problem with a screen that also was a little wider. iPhone has a lot of real estate on the current form factor to increase the screen size properly. The phone wouldn't have to get much bigger.
Still prefer Android though. Widgets rock!
I hated the original Motorola Atrix for the same reason. Atrix 2 solved this problem with a screen that also was a little wider. iPhone has a lot of real estate on the current form factor to increase the screen size properly. The phone wouldn't have to get much bigger.
Still prefer Android though. Widgets rock!
freenudemacusers
Member
Horse Detective
Why the long case?
I am glad I waited
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