“A report from Korean site ET News says Apple is working hard on the next big iteration of its cash cow smartphone dubbed “iPhone Air,” according to sources somewhere in the Chinese IT and supply chain universe,” Eric Mack reports for Forbes.
“To earn the moniker already bestowed upon the top-of-the-line iPad and Mac models, the new iPhone will reportedly measure only 6 millimeters thick (Apple refers to this measurement more often as ‘depth’),” Mack reports. “For comparison, the current iPhone 5S has a depth of 7.6 mm and the old-school iPhone 3GS is a seemingly clunky brick by 2014 standards, measuring in at over 12 mm thick.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How would it not crack in half in pockets? Liquidmetal? Sapphire? Curved display? All three?
“How would it not crack in half in pockets? ”
… by not being made stupidly large of course.
iPod touch is already 6mm, so whats the big deal about this.
.. and the iPod touch isn’t stupidly large either and survives well in pockets. However some observers insist that iPhones need to have much larger screens and it’s pretty obvious that a large, thin iPhone would be less sturdy than a normal sized iPhone that was equally thin.
“Is it very thin?”
“Oh, sir, it’s only waffer-thin!”
If Apple can keep the cost about the same, all three is doable.
Calling all wall st analists wondering blindly, wanting “proof” that apple can still innovate…( Ha) :
iPhone is ubiquitous.
Cool
Big margin = no innovation = common fact .
Innovation = Low margin = hard to make
How can Apple innovate ?
There are “common facts,” generally referred to as BS or crap. And then there are real facts backed by reason and evidence.
Adding an “=” does not automatically make things equal.
Correct that takes a ==, = is merely an assignment…
/gh
PS if you don’t understand c you won’t think that’s funny (and you may not, even if you do 😉 )
Apple seems to contradict your statements.
If it wasn’t for Apple launching the iPhone in 2007 I’m sure we would be still be using stylus on touch screen (Palm Treo).
If it wasn’t for Apple releasing the iPad in 2010 there would still be net books and MS still would have perfected their Windows Tablet software.
*MS still wouldn’t have perfected Windows Tablet.
Putting the words “perfected” and “Windows tablet” together sure sounds completely oxymoron-ish
… And iPhone 7 will come with its own rolling pin.
Keep it the same thickness and add more battery. I never once thought my iPhone 5 was too thick.
I’d vote this one 10 stars if I could.
+1
Is the current thickness really a problem? Is there a massive public outcry… “MY GOD, THIS GROTESQUELY OBESE DEVICE IS HORRIFICALLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH MY SVELTE, WAFER-THIN LIFESTYLE!”
I really don’t need a thinner iPhone. I would really like to have one that lasts all day, tho.
Good to hear from you, ChrissyOne!
Hi Mel!!
For people who wear jeans and keep it in their pocket, yes. The iPhone 5 being thinner than iPhone 4 allows it to fit more comfortably in my pocket even though the iPhone 5 actually has a larger surface area.
Perhaps, but I’d still rather have more battery life. iPhone Air as an option, methinks.
Maybe you just talk too much.
Maybe. But at least I say something.
Good post! Thinner is not always better. I agree that the ultimate ideal is to have the device “disappear” while maintaining the associated functionality and user experience. In the absence of that ideal, I would place more value on:
1) Extended battery life
2) Environmentally sealed unit
3) Increased robustness to impact, scratches, etc.
If Apple keeps pushing thinness, then we will soon end up with the iPhone knife edge which will be banned by the TSA.
I WILL NOT be happy until the iPhone is as thin – or thinner – than a sheet of paper, with at LEAST a 1 year battery life.
My arm aches from lifting the current model, and charging it every night on the nightstand as I sleep is a PITA.
COME ON APPLE!
Absolutely. I wish Apple’s obsession with “thin” was devoted to things more important – such as improving, as opposed to dumbing down, the Mac’s operating system to match the limits of iOS. The iWork suite is best example – customer comments are running about 9 to 1 in support of the “old” apps they prefer. Apple has abandoned them and the superior features they offer.
By making it thinner they up the ante. Other manufacturers can’t go that thin without sacrificing battery life.
If Apple doesn’t push the envelope, it will make it easy on their competitors and make it difficult to charge such a premium on their products.
Apple sacrifices battery life too, and iOS7 certainly didn’t improve that either. It’s time for Apple to focus on more important specs.
You know I hear your point, however…
I would have said the same thing about the iPad4G… until I held the air.
Dick Tracy watch-phone. Star Trek TNG comm badge.
Complete sentences.
It’s a horizontal list, not sentences.
You should then use commas, not periods.
thanks crissy! no wonder my CSV files don’t work !-)
I’ll take a 7mm one and have a much bigger battery. Two days would be nice.
make it waterproof!
It will be about as thin as a razor blade. It may float on water!
No, no. What else floats in water?
Peasant 1: Bread.
Peasant 2: Apples.
Peasant 3: Very small rocks.
Peasant 1: Cider.
Peasant 2: Gravy.
Peasant 3: Cherries.
Peasant 1: Mud.
Peasant 2: Churches.
Peasant 3: Lead! Lead!
King Arthur: A Duck.
Sir Bedevere: …Exactly. So, logically…
iPod Touch with 4G… simple.
For the love of all things GOOD Apple please don’t skimp on the camera. An ultra thin phone make for a bad camera.
The spirit of Steve is alive and well. Make it thinner, he’d say. Who gives a shit about making the battery last longer? They should be happy we make it thinner while maintaining that 10 hour threshold after all these years. To hell with that, make it thinner, damnit!
So long as I can still balance it on the long side for rock-steady video takes…
People just don’t get it, even the ones here who have been following apple. Let me explain.
THINNESS:
Thinness is hard to manufacture. Hence requires a lot of innovation. Hence hard for others to replicate. Hence sets Apple apart. Hence makes apple more likely to proliferate the innovation to other products that others cannot easily copy. The ADDED benefits that it is easier to handle and store.
BATTARY:
Battery Life:
Same as it ever was……. from original iPhone to latest model. Maybe with a slight variation on the positive side.
Battery Charge Time:
Time to charge has steadily FALLEN due to (guess what?) the improvements in battery that have had to be made to get it THINNER. I can fully charge my iPhone 5s in about 30 minutes.
Getting things slimmer is not JUST about being svelt.
Think! Think Different!
I read about this technology a couple of years ago, and now it seems to be coming to fruition:
A long-lasting battery from startup Amprius is slowly making its way to your cell phone
http://gigaom.com/2014/01/06/a-long-lasting-battery-from-startup-amprius-is-slowly-making-its-way-to-your-cell-phone/
I’m sure that this is something Apple will be aware of, and it’s something I was hoping might lead to either slimmer phones with the same battery life, or the same thickness, and better battery life.
The sticking point might well be that making the phone even thinner might compromise camera performance.
Throughout the years (and a lot of them) I’ve seen countless articles about some new battery technology that’s “coming soon” and will revolutionize our handheld world. Never happens. Closest thing was the coming of rechargeable Li-Ion, pretty much just a lightweight NiMH cell. I think the fuel cell will be the next big jump … again, if it ever gets here.
Considering the first mobile phones used backpacks for the batteries, I’d say battery technology in our lifetimes has been revolutionary.
Not interested in a 6mm thick phone at all. This has become a pointless spec to chase after.
More battery life, please, Apple.
Try saying that while holding an iPhone 3G in one hand and the iPhone 5s in the other.
I actually preferred the heft and curvature of an iPhone 3GS. But you misconstrued my point. I didn’t say ADD thickness, I propose to STOP thinning out the body so that more battery can be inserted.
Are you trying to tell me that battery life is of lesser importance than DECREASING the current thickness of the iPhone 5S?
It better be that thin if not thinner. I’m always so envious of the thinness of the iPod touch, and when the next iPhone isn’t even as thin as the previous iPod touch, I can’t help feeling disappointment.