“In the past, when Apple has grown the screen of an iOS device — for example, with the transition from the iPhone 4s to the iPhone 5 — Apple has taken pains to keep the pixel density the same,” John Brownlee reports for Cult of Mac. “The Retina Display on the iPhone 5 is 326 pixels per inch, just like the iPhone 4s. This makes it easier for developers and helps prevent the widespread fragmentation seen in the Android operating system.”
“With many rumors pegging the forthcoming iPhone 6 as having a much bigger 4.7-inch display, a practical issue presents itself: what would that mean for resolution and pixel-density?” Brownlee reports. “If Apple increases the display size, will they increase the resolution to compete with the likes of HTC and Samsung’s 1080p Android smartphones? And if so, what does that mean for app developers?”
“Citing a report by reputable analyst Ming Chi Kuo that says the iPhone 6’s 4.7-inch display will boast a 1,334 x 750 pixel display, the theory is this: even though it will have a bigger screen, Apple will keep the iPhone 6’s resolution exactly the same as the iPhone 5,” Brownlee reports. “In this approach, Apple wouldn’t worry about increasing resolution, and instead “letterbox” apps that hadn’t been updated to support the iPhone 6, surround a 4-inch app with padded borders… The biggest danger here is that Apple would look behind-the-times compared to the competition… [but] Apple might even be able to make a marketing weapon out of it, arguing that their competitors are wasting battery life to power screens with pixels people can’t see anyway.”
Read more, and check out the example images, in the full article here.
“This seems like the easiest path forward for Apple,” Pi writes for The Verge. “The burden on developers is minor (and is similar to the 4″ transition), no apps are at risk of being broken (just slightly annoying to use, thus incentivizing devs to update), and screen costs and complexities can remain low so that either new technologies can be fielded at lower risk (thinner panels, new screen tech, etc.) or just to keep margins high.”
“Plus, devs are further pushed to use auto-layout, giving Apple further flexibility in the future. (Perhaps for that 5.5″ iPhablet),” Pi writes. “Finally, additional power consumption is kept to a minimum since there’s only marginally more pixels to push and light up, so the presumably bigger battery can give a sizable boost to battery life.”
Much more in the full article here.
Iphone 6 lineup is going to be the biggest and most successful iphone launch ever!
Well I agree at 4.7″ it will surely be the biggest. Most successful? Maybe. Not everyone is in love with big ass phones.
Another lame attempt at trolling.
Actually, I agree with him. So far, contrary to what Samsung would like to tell you, big smartphones have been rather slow to sell. They are fastest to get discounted (an offered on those bogus “by one get one free” offers), and while there is a decent number of people who consider them cool, a large part of that group actually doesn’t want a big phone for themselves.
So, it may or may not be the most successful. Even if it isn’t, I have no doubt that it will be more successful than any single smartphone model not called iPhone (just like 5c was when it came out).
Agreed. Judging by sales and the polls here, there’s plenty of interest in a larger-screen iPhone, but not necessarily significantly more interest than there is in the current form factor, so it will fill a market demand, but one that will supplant sales of its smaller brethren.
To be fair though, Youjimbo said the iPhone 6 *lineup* would be the “biggest and most successful iPhone launch ever”. With a new line of big- and small-screen devices, with new processors, new tech, a new design, etc., it may indeed be the biggest and most successful launch yet.
Each and every iPhone launch has been a record setter.
tho i am not bored with that repeated trouncing that apple has done on the market !-)
“So far, contrary to what Samsung would like to tell you, big smartphones have been rather slow to sell.”
This is the crucial fact that keeps getting ignored or deliberately lied about by the phablet fetishists.
I’ll be a first-day buyer, that’s for sure.
HTC and Samsung’s 1080p Android smartphones
What a joke. Take a lovely high res image and SMASH IT down onto a phone screen. *boggles* Nosh down on that battery YEAH!
I’ll take Apple’s approach: Aim for the perceptual resolution of the human eye at the ideal viewing distance of the product. You can’t do any better.
Makes sense but I would rather flog a dead horse than trying to make an asset of it when selling it to the public and worse still analysts.
*sigh* I know.
What is the point of a bigger screen if it has black borders, you want to make the most of the bigger screen!
There are plenty of phones on the market now with beautiful big screens with larger resolutions, that have a battery far better than the existing 4″ screen of the iPhone. If others can deal with the problem then why cannot Apple after years of waiting?
If the screen uses any sort of backlighting tech for the screen the black borders actually use MORE power since they are ON to shutter the backlight resulting in black.
This is a silly article. And it’s wrong.
It says resolution, and based on what it believes are appropriate examples, means pixel density.
However, where Apple can make an app take full screen, they will. Where they need to enlarge the screen, by pixel doubling or some fraction there of. Where Apple can resample fonts, they will. Apple will not letterbox, if they can avoid it.
9.7 inch ipad
7.9 inch ipad retina display
4.0 inch iphone C
4.7 inch iphone 6
5.4 inch iPhone 6
isn’t all these resolutions to much for developers? does anyone know if they really care…does it all scale easily within the same devices? i have always felt apple likes simple structure…because when technology is not in your way..you get to have fun with whatever your doing. I think anything past 4 different dimensions is too much…even 4 seems like a lot. Sometimes to much diversity in your product produces problems. please tell me your guys thoughts.
ipad mini…not ipad retina display