WSJ: Apple to increase iPhone screen size to 'at least' 4-inches

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numble said:
I think the cloud options come out cheaper than what would likely be paying $300 extra on top of the $199 two-year contract cost. Especially if you take music and photos out of the equation with the very cheap/free options you have for those. Higher-storage iPhones also have lower resale value.

$499 iPhone, and a 2-year contract, yikes.

I don't think we're going to get 128 gb until the iPad gets 128 gb anyway.
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Why did you take out the bandwidth factor out too? It looks like iCloud has a maximum of 55 GB for $100 a year, so you couldn't even reach 128GB if you wanted to. You'd have to deal with the yearly cost and the bandwidth costs which at best probably come out even if not worst in favor of iCloud. All that for in many ways inferior access to storage. iCloud isn't the solution functionally or even cost over local storage.


The Faceless Master said:
it's only a little more than double the bitrate, 11Mbps vs 24Mbps
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My bad. I had heard 3 to 4 times before when the 4S first came out and didn't take the time to do the math. Either way it sucks that Apple doesn't give you an option when you have a fixed sized storage with no expandability option.
 
Marty Chinn said:
Why did you take out the bandwidth factor out too? It looks like iCloud has a maximum of 55 GB for $100 a year, so you couldn't even reach 128GB if you wanted to. You'd have to deal with the yearly cost and the bandwidth costs which at best probably come out even if not worst in favor of iCloud. All that for in many ways inferior access to storage. iCloud isn't the solution functionally or even cost over local storage.
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What bandwidth costs? Photostream and iCloud backup only via WiFi.
If you want to get a $499 iPhone, feel free to go ahead and do so, I think there are plenty of options to save space at cheaper rates, especially since the type of person who will throw down for 128gb is likely the type of person that upgrades phones often. You can also use DropBox via the app or it's automatic media uploading function when you plug it in to your computer. Or download it to your computer constantly. Yes, it's a bit less convenient, but It's not worth an extra $200-300 to me. An iPad 2 is $399. A Nexus 7 is $199. Extra storage to take your iPhone to 128 GB will cost you $300.
 
I get the feeling that the iPad mini will be a smaller iPad 2 (therefore no Retina). That's a deal breaker for me at this point. I'll wait it out for a Retina + 4G iPad mini in 2013 (14?). Won't change the fact that this will be a blockbuster though, even with the low resolution (160ish ppi vs. 220ish ppi for Nexus 7).

I would love to see Apple go all out and make a mini iPad that is Retina with 4G and price it at $300. But their love for high margins and a price target closer to $200-250 won't let that happen.
 
numble said:
What bandwidth costs? Photostream and iCloud backup via WiFi.
If you want to get a $499 iPhone, feel free to go ahead and do so, I think there are plenty of options to save space at cheaper rates, especially since the type of person who will throw down for 128gb is likely the type of person that upgrades phones often. You can also use DropBox via the app or it's automatic media uploading function when you plug it in to your computer. Or download it to your computer constantly. Yes, it's a bit less convenient, but It's not worth an extra $200-300 to me. An iPad 2 is $399. A Nexus 7 is $199. Extra storage to take your iPhone to 128 GB will cost you $300.
Click to expand...

To be comparable to local storage, you're going to need to be able to offload when WiFi isn't available, say maybe on vacation, or have access to your videos when you may need them. WiFi isn't always available. iCloud simply doesn't stack up to local storage.

How are you even getting an extra $200 too $300? Last I checked, $299 was 32 gig, $399 was 64 gig. Let's assume pricing doesn't change and it costs $100 more for 128 gig. So for $100 more, how is that cheaper than two years for $200? Even if you went 32 gig plus iCloud, that's still the same price. It's even worse if you don't upgrade after two years.
 
MercuryLS said:
Agreed, it works with the iPhone 4/4S because the back plate sticks out too. Here it just looks weird, there's no symmetry.
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Yep!
jts said:
Look at the top and then at the bottom. At the top the glass is deeper inside the shell than at the bottom. So the thing is just not well assembled. I'm sure it's flush.
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It's not flush on top. That is a trick of the perspective the photo is shot from. Looks assembled correctly :/
 
Marty Chinn said:
To be comparable to local storage, you're going to need to be able to offload when WiFi isn't available, say maybe on vacation, or have access to your videos when you may need them. WiFi isn't always available. iCloud simply doesn't stack up to local storage.

How are you even getting an extra $200 too $300? Last I checked, $299 was 32 gig, $399 was 64 gig. Let's assume pricing doesn't change and it costs $100 more for 128 gig. So for $100 more, how is that cheaper than two years for $200? Even if you went 32 gig plus iCloud, that's still the same price. It's even worse if you don't upgrade after two years.
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Go ahead and get the $499 iPhone. That's $300 on top of the base model of $199.

I'm not going to stop you. I personally think you can do more with that $300. Including upgrading to the 7th gen iPhone for $200 in 2 years.

Opinions! All I'm saying is that I think you can manage your storage between the cloud, local storage, and on your computer, and maybe save money along the way. An Airstash might even save you money.

If you're deadset on putting $499 down on an iPhone, I'm not going to stop you. It might be the best for your needs. But you're not going to convince me that it's the best for me. Especially since I resell my iPhones in China yearly for nearly the same price I paid for them, and I know that the resale market for higher storage iPhones is not good.
 
sc0la said:
Yep!

It's not flush on top. That is a trick of the perspective the photo is shot from. Looks assembled correctly :/
Click to expand...

Check out this video of the housing with the glass placed. You can see it sits flush.

PSFAPl.png
 
It's like a hybrid of the iPhone 1 and 4, the two major design milestones. Rectangular profile + two-tone metal shell.

I think Apple is trying to achieve a more high-tech realization of the OG design. A LiquidMetal shell in 2-3 years will probably be the apex of that journey.
 
armv said:
Check out this video of the housing with the glass placed. You can see it sits flush.

PSFAPl.png
Click to expand...

I will be pleasantly surprised if that is the case, but still not convinced. That video just shows the glass, not the entire display assembly. The glass doesn't mount directly to the frame.
 
numble said:
Go ahead and get the $499 iPhone. That's $300 on top of the base model of $199.

I'm not going to stop you. I personally think you can do more with that $300. Including upgrading to the 7th gen iPhone for $200 in 2 years.

Opinions! All I'm saying is that I think you can manage your storage between the cloud, local storage, and on your computer, and maybe save money along the way. An Airstash might even save you money.

If you're deadset on putting $499 down on an iPhone, I'm not going to stop you. It might be the best for your needs. But you're not going to convince me that it's the best for me. Especially since I resell my iPhones in China yearly for nearly the same price I paid for them, and I know that the resale market for higher storage iPhones is not good.
Click to expand...

So now we're shrinking it all the way down to 16 gig plus 50 gigs of iCloud is enough? Again, you're still paying $100 a year for iCloud which is $200 on top of your average 2 year plan. So for $199 + $200, you're at $399 anyway which gets you a 64 gig iPhone. I don't see how it's cheaper. I can't even believe you're suggesting 16 gig is all you need. Heck my current 32 gig iPhone 4 is full as is and that's only with 720p video which now any new phone gets increased to 1080p.

First you made the silly comparison that iCloud is good enough to replace local storage and now you're trying to say it's cheaper. A lot of this would be fixed if Apple just allowed external storage like most other phones but we can't be cutting into Apple's profit margins for the sake of the end user can we.
 
sc0la said:
I will be pleasantly surprised if that is the case, but still not convinced. That video just shows the glass, not the entire display assembly. The glass doesn't mount directly to the frame.
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Look, it doesn't even make sense to have the rim tapered on the front if it's not going to be flush. The point is to make it a softer shape to hold, if the screen sticks out it would just be stupid and look weird.

Regarding the previous photo, nope, geometry doesn't lie:

L6o1q.png
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The 2 lines are in no way possible parallel. In full size you'll see it clearly.

Also, notice the very different sized shadows between the glass and the display, again when you compare the bottom and the top (circled areas). Not only that's supposed to be uniform, the 2 parts are supposed to be laminated together with virtually no shadow going on. So no, that phone isn't properly assembled. It's just a bunch of spare parts thrown together poorly.

I'll paypal you 1 buck if the front isn't flush.
 
jts said:
Regarding the previous photo, nope, geometry doesn't lie:

The 2 lines are in no way possible parallel. In full size you'll see it clearly.
Click to expand...
That is literally the text book example of parallel lines in perspective. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_(graphical)
You are illustrating my argument for me ;P

jts said:
I'll paypal you 1 buck if the front isn't flush.
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Your dollar won't console me!

I hope you are right, but I think you are wrong.
We will see on September 12.
 
sc0la said:
I will be pleasantly surprised if that is the case, but still not convinced. That video just shows the glass, not the entire display assembly. The glass doesn't mount directly to the frame.
Click to expand...
Same here, if it's as flat as the back is, that'll be awesome. Still not a fan of the two-tone in some of these pics, as it isn't exactly charcoal as others have shown. Not sure...

Oh and I was right about the bezel size being only several mm difference (and not nearly a cm as some said). :p

vxnnamb71vshrf0rcu_j_q.jpg
 
Out of all the newness, I think LTE will be the only feature that I really need (or even matters that much).

  • Bigger screen - it doesn't make anything on-screen larger (such as text, game controls), so it won't actually be very useful. Here's hoping that iOS 6 introduces some radical enhancements leveraging the additional space.
  • New design - 99% of everyone will throw it into a case. The phone's base design barely matters, except for marketing purposes. They should just cut to the chase and build the actual exterior out of rubber. Also, the headphone jack is now in the wrong place.
  • NFC - I already use my iPhone to pay for things with the very excellent LevelUp, which is probably supported in more locations than NFC payment.
 
Utako said:
Out of all the newness, I think LTE will be the only feature that I really need (or even matters that much).

  • Bigger screen - it doesn't make anything on-screen larger (such as text, game controls), so it won't actually be very useful. Here's hoping that iOS 6 introduces some radical enhancements leveraging the additional space.
  • New design - 99% of everyone will throw it into a case. The phone's base design barely matters, except for marketing purposes. They should just cut to the chase and build the actual exterior out of rubber. Also, the headphone jack is now in the wrong place.
  • NFC - I already use my iPhone to pay for things with the very excellent LevelUp, which is probably supported in more locations than NFC payment.
Click to expand...

Hit the end call button, without changing positions of the phone, naturally put the phone in your pocket. Headphone jack is in the correct place ;)
You don't know it yet but it's much more convenient.
 
Kaiken said:
Hit the end call button, without changing positions of the phone, naturally put the phone in your pocket. Headphone jack is in the correct place ;)
You don't know it yet but it's much more convenient.
Click to expand...

Yup. Not to mention when holding the phone and looking at it, if the headphone jack is on the top the cord has to bend abruptly as it sags down and has the potential to block the screen. With the jack on the bottom there's no abrupt bends and no potential to block the screen. I like the new position.
 
Utako said:
[*]NFC - I already use my iPhone to pay for things with the very excellent LevelUp, which is probably supported in more locations than NFC payment.
[/LIST]
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Huh? I have never seen, heard or witnessed anyone ever using or mentioning this, anywhere? So the clerk in store scans your phone with their phone? No, definitely not. Is it a European thing maybe? In the US and Canada NFC is becoming quite popular, every place that accepts pay-wave type of credit card payment seems to work with NFC as well, so that's basically every single store now.

Utako said:
[*]Bigger screen - it doesn't make anything on-screen larger (such as text, game controls), so it won't actually be very useful. Here's hoping that iOS 6 introduces some radical enhancements leveraging the additional space.
Click to expand...
As an iOS6 user, all I can say to this is, lol. Expect another row of icons, and that's about it.

The only chance of me considering the Iphone 5 anymore is if it has NFC. Even then, Google Now is heavily swaying me towards the Android camp.
 
Lord Error said:
Huh? I have never seen, heard or witnessed anyone ever using or mentioning this, anywhere? So the clerk in store scans your phone with their phone? No, definitely not. Is it a European thing maybe? In the US and Canada NFC is becoming quite popular, every place that accepts pay-wave type of credit card payment seems to work with NFC as well, so that's basically every single store now.
Click to expand...

NFC...you mean that pay wave stuff on mastercard? Can't say I've seen it used yet in Montreal or Vancouver. A lot of alt payment stuff doesn't really get any transaction since it all needs to be interac kosher. I have seen MC pay wave debit readers now and then (maybe half the time?) but never have seen someone actually use it, probably because there hasn't been a forced card adoption like there was for the debit -> visa/mc debit transfer. It's 99.9% debit card chip transactions.

Looks cool though, look forward to trying it next time I have to get my CC updated

As an iOS6 user, all I can say to this is, lol. Expect another row of icons, and that's about it.
Click to expand...

The big advantage is really just for texts/emails where the soft keyboard takes up so much space. Nothing really compelling about it otherwise thus far.
 
Sentry said:
Same here, if it's as flat as the back is, that'll be awesome. Still not a fan of the two-tone in some of these pics, as it isn't exactly charcoal as others have shown. Not sure...

Oh and I was right about the bezel size being only several mm difference (and not nearly a cm as some said). :p

vxnnamb71vshrf0rcu_j_q.jpg
Click to expand...

Not sure how you were right Sentry, the difference may not be 1cm, but 2.6mm on the bottom and a similar cut on the top means more than half a cm, which is significant. It's clearly not the same as keeping the same bezels like the iLounge mock-up was doing.

Not an extreme cut, but significant.
 
MercuryLS said:
Have to agree here. Only thing that sucks about it is that visually it doesn't look good. I like the symmetrical look on the bottom of the 4/4S.
Click to expand...
The bottom looks beautiful apart from the asymmetry, especially with the grills having such a prevalent 'see me!' look to them. But isn't the bottom jack sort of a bitch for left-handers?

jts said:
Not sure how you were right Sentry, the difference may not be 1cm, but 2.6mm on the bottom and a similar cut on the top means more than half a cm, which is significant. It's clearly not the same as keeping the same bezels like the iLounge mock-up was doing.

Not an extreme cut, but significant.
Click to expand...
Right, which is basically the measurements I was guessing off of that old pic. I said it'd be in-between that iLounge mock and the other more drastic one iirc, with it being a 2-5mm diff and not a 7mm or 1cm change.
 
Liu Kang Baking A Pie said:
What's the point? The home button is the best button ever made.
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Not really, it's easy to break on the iPhone 4, and if you're as unlucky with geniuses as I am, you end up with a paperweight :P

The problem with phones that are designed to have limited amount of buttons is they become very hard to use when one breaks.
 
cjelly said:
It's going to be so weird holding something as big as 4 inches in one hand.
Click to expand...

My 4-inch phone fits just right, I can get to all parts of the screen without even completely extending my thumb. Honestly, depth and weight are much more important than screen size when it comes to stuff like this.
 
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