“As I look forward to the likely September launch of the next iPhone, I can’t help but wonder how the heck Apple is going to name its new lineup,” Chris Maxcer writes for TechNewsWorld. “Make no mistake, the naming scheme for the iPhone is due for a change. Last year, the shakeup was two form factors that introduced the plastic body of the iPhone 5c with the clear flagship iPhone 5s model.”
“It’s rumored Apple will break from tradition by introducing the next iPhone in two new screen sizes — 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches,” Maxcer writes. “Once you tilt your head at the numbers here and imagine two new iPhones, how will Apple name them? In Appleland, smaller always costs less, while bigger always costs more. That’s intuitive enough for consumers — but with the new iPhone, will bigger actually be better? I can’t imagine that Apple would call the lower-priced option an iPhone 6c (never mind that the rumored photos don’t appear to include plastic).”
“Apple has to come up with a simple solution that will make intuitive sense to most consumers. Brand and product recognition are key to Apple. My best guess is that Apple will keep it simple. The 4.7-incher will simply be the ‘iPhone 6.’ It will be the lead model,” Maxcer writes. “The variants, like the 5.5-incher, will get another letter. Which letter? I have no idea. Meanwhile, that would allow Apple to continue to offer an iPhone 6c if it wanted to continue its entry-level line.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iPhablet®. 😉
Related article:
The only thing really wrong with Apple’s iPhone is its name – January 9, 2007
The only catastrophe is your career if this is the best you can come up with
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t understand one jot of that waffle. The small one won’t have a letter while the large phone will get a new indefinable letter leaving room for a cheap small one to sport yet another letter. Yup as clear and sensible as mud. What was that about known unknowns, it sure made more sense than this.
Absolutely. Absolutely idiotic article.
Yes, but it did generate a lot of clicks…
The worthless drabble is not worth a glance
I never liked that word, nor the sound of it: “Phablet”.
Why not call it a “Tablone”?
Or padphone
I’m thinking we need a new term for this kind of writing, or this kind of writer.
Let’s see, we’ve already got ‘Chicken Little’, ‘The boy who cried wolf’, and the ‘Nattering neigh-bobs of negativism’.
I’m drawing a blank on deriving a new term blending those: “Think’n Little”
I don’t think catastrophe means what that guy thinks it means.
Apparently this writer is a complete moron, naming debacle. Yes because that’s always important. What an idiot.
Actually in marketing (and Apple is a master at that) naming is VERY important.
What’s truly moronic about the writer is that he is so full of himself that, what is a naming “challenge” to him, has to forebode a catastrophe for Apple. As if he were smarter than the army of marketing experts on Apple’s payroll.
If he has any children I wonder how he named them with such unimaginative naming skills. Beta Maxcer ? Food Maxcer ? Min Maxcer ? Bation Maxcer ?
I’ve been wondering about this myself. I think the 4.7″ will simply be the 6 but I’m having trouble with the 5.5″. 6L, 6XL? No, doesn’t seem right. I think I’ll just go with 6WTF until I hear a solid answer. (It was, after all, my initial reaction.)
It’s really quite simple says the man with the XL (extra large) shirts.
The 4.7″ will be the 6XL and the 5.5″ will be the 6XXL.
I’m confused. Why not call them both the iPhone 6? The 5s comes in three colors but they’re all called the iPhone 5s. Why can’t the 6 come in two sizes both called iPhone 6?
When Apple was running out of cat species for its Mac OS brands, it simply switched to California place names.
Solving this issue for the iPhone should not be a challenge for anyone except tech pundits.
LOL. As if Apple could totally master the design, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of the iPhone and then fail at coming up with good names for the two variants.
I agree with him. “The New iPad” was a complete screw up.
iPhone 6S, 6M, 6L (small, medium, large).
For the last time, there was no product called “The New iPad.”
It was called iPad.
That’s why it was a screw up. While Apple likes to drop the article, it was too awkward in referring to “new iPad”, so whenever they had to state the distinction, they ended up doing so inconsistently and often awkwardly.
Why would the sizes require a different name? It would simply be iPhone 6 — just like today there are several MacBook Airs, but you just buy the 11″ or 13″ or whatever…
Yup! Exactly.
Yep – I think they’ll just call all of them iPhone 6.
Apple loves that simplicity.
iPhone for regular 4″ size and iPhone Air for 4.7/5.5″
Or iPhone Air for 4.7 and iPhone Pro for 5.5
I actually don’t think there is much of a catastrophe here:
– iPhone 5c moves to free on contract.
– iPhone 5s Moves to $99 on contract.
– iPhone 6 will be available two screen sizes under one name (like MacBook Pros and Airs in various screen sizes). Base price of $199 for 4.7″ and $299 for 5.5″.
I would love for there to be that many iPhones in the mix – something for everybody in every price range. I find even my older iPhone 5 still has plenty of kick in it.
If zmarc and Matt understand what Apple is (very likely) going to do. Why can’t the author?
Oh that’s right. Page views.
If you read 6C as “six see”, it’s too phonetically similar to “eat shit” in at least one of the major Chinese dialects, so Apple better not use that for any of its models, ever.
(Yes, 6 is pronounced totally differently in Chinese, but with an English product name and an English letter to end it, count on the number being said in English, too).
on the other hand that is perfect name sending the correct sentiment to “Samsung six see”
Sounds sexy to me.
4.7 inch = iphone air
5.5 inch = iphone pro
Air yet it’s bigger than all previous models released? Strange.
Pro because… It’s has the same specs as the 4.7″? But is pro because it’s got a bigger screen? Strange again.
“Air” because Apple will tout the engineering marvels that allowed it to make the *thinnest* iPhone ever. It also gives them an out to restart the numbering system, a la iPad Air. It also harmonizes product lines.
“Pro” because Apple wants you to spend more. We have little information on the 5.5, but my bet is that they will charge a nice premium for the device, justified by a larger *sapphire* screen and more memory for each price point. That’s all conjecture though.
Even if the 5.5 inch iphone is nonexistent, I’d still expect Apple to call the 4.7 inch the iPhone Air.
Ding ding ding – a winner! Give the (wo)man a prize
The numbering scheme will end. “Air” and “Pro” are established monikers. Perhaps they’ll introduce new ones, but the announced strategy is Continuity and that’ll start with names.
Wowsers, some folks believe Apple will definitely release a 5.5″ screen iPhone this years without a shred of proof.
What if the iPhone 6 is just the iPhone 6 but available in different sizes? Macs come in different sizes but don’t have different names, they’re just the size.
4.7″ model = iPhone 6
5.5″ model = iPhone 6 XKE-JFK 1500
Not sure of your reasoning, but I immediately saw it and thought:
“Yep. Doesn’t fit in the pocket or roll off the tongue.”
If I were to name the next iPhone. Not the oversized one the normal one that many apple fans will still buy I would call it the Steve Jobs Signature phone in memory of him and add his signature Steve Jobs engraved on the back
The bigger ones they can call 6wtf as no one will really care
I emailed Tim Cook this idea last year but still waiting on a response
Don’t worry that Cook hasn’t answered you yet.
I’m sure it’s the very next thing he’ll do tomorrow.
Keep that in mind every day from now on 😉
4.7 inch will be iPhone 6, 5.5 inch will be iPhone 6 XL, next year iPhone 6S and 6S XL.
Sooner or later, Apple will drop the #. I mean, do we really want to be saying.. “I’m getting the iPhone47”? 🙂
I would change then to naming it for the year – I’m good with this year’s being the iPhone14. But even numbers beats naming after cats. I never tried to keep up with that. 10.6 told me where it fit in line with 10.5 just fine. Leopard vs. Mountain Lion? Uhhhh… A mountain lion is smaller, but I don’t think size… wait a sec. I was about to say size doesn’t matter, but we all know it does.
This feedback is totally derailed now. Can’t we just keep using numbers?
Call the big One Big Bob
Call the little one Shorty
Why not Fat Man and Little Boy …
I think that Apple could name the new 5.5″ device an iPod 6. Yeah. It make sense. Look, the iPhone can’t have 5.5″ screen. Apple isn’t Samsung. In Korea you could have smartphones with screens as big as 65 inches and they still will be called smartphones. 🙂
On the top of that, looking after new 5.5″ device, we have to come with some firm assumptions:
1). 5.5″ device can’t be pricier than the flagship smaller iPhone line, because Tim Cook on many occasions stressed that smaller form factor for the phone make sense and others make big screen smartphones cause the challenges with tiny form factors.
2). 5.5″ device can’t have more features then flagship smaller iPhone line.
3). iPod must get phone features while still being differentiated from iPhone, because if not it will become completely obsolete.
BTW, that’s why Apple shifting current iPod prices into lower price point.
iPhone 6 Grande
iPhone 6 for 4″ and for 4.7″ and 5.5″… Big and Tall.
iPhn
iPhone
iPhooooooooooone
iPhone Air, no contest.
iPhad. ‘Nuf said.
Take a cue from BMW. 6i and 6M.
What a simpleton the author is.
Apple knows how to keep things simple and easy tp understand.
4.7″ iPhone = 6S
5.5″ iPhone = 6S Turbo
Got it?