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Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

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Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#21

Post by geon »

drcode wrote: post #16

I think now that retina is widely adopted, Apple no longer needs to worry about 2x, 3x, etc. Even if the phones are 1.457x or whatever, I bet iOS8 will just do its best to scale elements as needed- Since the resolutions are so high already, a scaling error of a fraction of a retina pixel is totally not noticeable.

> a scaling error of a fraction of a retina pixel is totally not noticeable.

Wat?

For a photo it can be acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. For UI elements, it is horrible. Smudgy, blurry edge makes no one happy.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#22

Post by xorcist »

cnbuff410 wrote: post #4

Okay, I'm not trying to be a dick here. But everytime when I see the rumor about the screen size of iPhone 6, it always remind me how Gruber and Jim Dalrymple, two of the biggest Apple fans on the internet, mock the screen size of Samsung Note before. Note became instantly popular in Asia area and I always thought there are big market for big phones. I even argued with Jim on his G+ saying there are someone who genui…

I think it's quite natural to base your thinking on your current use case. In the 90s we had a discussion about something involving SMS on IRC, and soon suddenly pretty much all the american people decided it was the most stupid thing they've ever heard of and such a thing could never take off in the US.

These were gadget happy geeks on IRC mind you. There are also the famous Slashdot iPod comments. Once the apple fans have gotten used to the larger screens they will think it was the way Jobs intended.

This can be seen again and again in everything from politics to religion .. to tech (which is not far from either nowadays, right?).

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#23

Post by jgruber »

cnbuff410 wrote: post #4

Okay, I'm not trying to be a dick here. But everytime when I see the rumor about the screen size of iPhone 6, it always remind me how Gruber and Jim Dalrymple, two of the biggest Apple fans on the internet, mock the screen size of Samsung Note before. Note became instantly popular in Asia area and I always thought there are big market for big phones. I even argued with Jim on his G+ saying there are someone who genui…

Here's what I wrote two years ago, when the iPhone 5 shipped:

  > There is no argument that some people really do like these big
  > closer-to-5-than-4-inch Android and Windows phones. I was in a
  > Verizon retail store yesterday (long story; don’t ask) and
  > overheard a relatively small woman buying a Galaxy S III. A
  > companion asked if she wasn’t worried that it was too big, and she
  > said no, big was exactly what she wanted, because she doesn’t have
  > a tablet and wanted to do a lot of reading on whatever phone she
  > got. She even said she was thinking about the 5-inch Galaxy Note
  > (which Verizon doesn’t carry). It was like a conversation out of a
  > Samsung commercial. Such people surely think the iPhone 5’s
  > display remains too small. But, trust me, there are going to be
  > many long-time iPhone users complaining that it’s too big after
  > they upgrade.
  >
  > In an ideal world, perhaps Apple would offer two iPhone sizes --
  > like they do with products such as MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and
  > iMacs. A smaller one with the classic 3.5-inch display, and a
  > larger (say, 4.5-inch?) one for people who want that.
http://daringfireball.net/2012/09/iphone_5

That holds up pretty well, but I undershot the two sizes by an inch apiece.

Also, I haven't said whether I think a 5.5-inch iPhone is actually any good, because, duh, I haven't even seen one yet, let alone used one.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#24

Post by jgruber »

demallien wrote: post #17
cnbuff410 wrote: post #4

Okay, I'm not trying to be a dick here. But everytime when I see the rumor about the screen size of iPhone 6, it always remind me how Gruber and Jim Dalrymple, two of the biggest Apple fans on the internet, mock the screen size of Samsung Note before. Note became instantly popular in Asia area and I always thought there are big market for big phones. I even argued with Jim on his G+ saying there are someone who genui…

So what's your point? For what it's worth, Gruber is on record as not going to buy the 5.5" version, as it's too large (the Talk Show podcasts of recent weeks). He also still believes that the smaller form factor is better, but as Apple doesn't appear to be continuing the 4" line, what's a guy like Gruber, who is all-in on Apple, supposed to do? Not talk about Apple?

Better to say I expect to prefer the 4.7 over the 5.5-inch phone, personally. But I would never say I won't buy a product before I've actually seen it in person.

(I have seen other 5.5-inch phones, though, and none seem like something I'd want to carry in my pocket everywhere.)

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#25

Post by wlesieutre »

jgruber wrote: post #23
cnbuff410 wrote: post #4

Okay, I'm not trying to be a dick here. But everytime when I see the rumor about the screen size of iPhone 6, it always remind me how Gruber and Jim Dalrymple, two of the biggest Apple fans on the internet, mock the screen size of Samsung Note before. Note became instantly popular in Asia area and I always thought there are big market for big phones. I even argued with Jim on his G+ saying there are someone who genui…

Here's what I wrote two years ago, when the iPhone 5 shipped: > There is no argument that some people really do like these big > closer-to-5-than-4-inch Android and Windows phones. I was in a > Verizon retail store yesterday (long story; don’t ask) and > overheard a relatively small woman buying a Galaxy S III. A > companion asked if she wasn’t worried that it was too big, and she > said no, big was exactly what she…

I was just discussing the screen size rumors with an iPhone 5 user yesterday, and you're spot on with the complaints about it being too big.

On his 3g (or maybe 3gs?) you could hold it one handed and reliably reach the whole screen with your thumb. One the iPhone 5's larger screen that's no longer true.

Apple's certainly aware of this problem, so even if they launch a bigger screened version I can't imagine they'll dropping the form factor of the 5s any time soon. But I'm curious to see how they'll market it.

Limiting iPhones to a single size has always let them control the touchscreen experience, but they'll have a lot of people buying phones with a worse experience because they don't think about the downsides of a larger screen.

Apple's always made it their business to make as many design decisions as possible for their users, and it's worked out well for their OSes and devices. I'm betting some people there aren't happy about giving this one up.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#26

Post by edent »

x0x0 wrote: post #15
cnbuff410 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying big screen is for everyone. I'm simply pointing out how stubborn and blind they were. They were not defending small screen. They were basically saying big screen is useless, stupid, and bad fit for your hand if you are normal human. Oh well.

it is a bad fit for your hand if you're a normal human I am over 6 feet and I can't hit the corners of my nexus 5 with a single hand. I've had to rearrange app icons on my home screen to be able to switch between spotify and google maps while driving. For a 5' tall person probably the top inch of the phone -- notably where the status screen comes from -- is inaccessible with one hand. Personally, I'll never use a sma…

Please - don't hold your phone while driving. It's incredibly dangerous for you and other people on the road.

If you absolutely have to interact with your phone while also steering a couple of tonnes of metal around, please spend a couple of bucks on a dashboard holder.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#27

Post by acqq »

So what is then the rationale for the "bigger" variant not being also 326 DPI? That would give something like 1562 x 878 display for the 5.5 inch one. Less pixels, therefore faster. The difference between 326 and 461 DPI is most probably not discernible for most of the people.

Another advantage: not needing one more target resolution of the resources. And another: no need for the new scale for the pixel masks by production.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#28

Post by andrewSC »

baddox wrote: post #13
comex wrote: post #3

I know I'm in a small minority here (at least, judging by the years of clamor for larger iPhones), but I almost always use my iPhone one-handed, so I'm very skeptical about any larger display. Currently, when holding it in a relaxed position, my thumb can reach a bit to the left of or above the current display, but not both - there would probably be a difficult to reach zone in the top left corner. A larger size woul…

I'm with you. I would still gladly take an iPhone 5s with the 3:2 form factor screen from the iPhone 4s.

Same.

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#29

Post by LazyGhost »

acqq wrote: post #27

So what is then the rationale for the "bigger" variant not being also 326 DPI? That would give something like 1562 x 878 display for the 5.5 inch one. Less pixels, therefore faster. The difference between 326 and 461 DPI is most probably not discernible for most of the people. Another advantage: not needing one more target resolution of the resources. And another: no need for the new scale for the pixel masks by prod…

Gruber does mention his rationale for not using a resolution that's close to this. Under "Other Resolutions" he says:

  1564 × 880 is feasible for a 5.5-inch phone.
  That’s what you get if you maintain the 326
  pixels-per-inch density and @2x scale. This
  would increase area — the number of points
  displayed on screen — by a whopping 89 percent.
  But it wouldn’t increase the size of what you
  see at all. I think the sweet spot for a
  5.5-inch phone requires you see to more content
  and to make what you see at least a little bit
  bigger. So that’s why I’d bet against 1564 × 880.
 (1564 × 880 would be implausible for the 4.7-inch
  phone: it would render UI elements and text 15
  percent smaller than all previous iPhones.)

Re: Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays

#30

Post by acqq »

LazyGhost wrote: post #29
acqq wrote: post #27

So what is then the rationale for the "bigger" variant not being also 326 DPI? That would give something like 1562 x 878 display for the 5.5 inch one. Less pixels, therefore faster. The difference between 326 and 461 DPI is most probably not discernible for most of the people. Another advantage: not needing one more target resolution of the resources. And another: no need for the new scale for the pixel masks by prod…

Gruber does mention his rationale for not using a resolution that's close to this. Under "Other Resolutions" he says: 1564 × 880 is feasible for a 5.5-inch phone. That’s what you get if you maintain the 326 pixels-per-inch density and @2x scale. This would increase area — the number of points displayed on screen — by a whopping 89 percent. But it wouldn’t increase the size of what you see at all. I think the sweet sp…

Thanks. To "see more content" is actually fulfilled with 1564 × 880. To "make what you see at least a little bit bigger" (seems he thinks that the icons and the text should be visually bigger when holding the phone in front of you at the same distance as before? why? it's still a phone) results either in needing the new resources or leaving the pixel perfectness (which won't happen for Apple) -- I don't buy it. But let's see if he actually got the insider information about something so non-obvious.
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