“Many consumers have developed an appetite for smartphones with larger screens, and expectations are growing that Apple will try to satisfy them this year,” Brian X. Chen reports for The New York Times.
“Paul Semenza, an analyst for the research firm NPD DisplaySearch, said he believed that Apple would ship two bigger iPhones this year: one that measures 4.7 inches diagonally and the other at 5.5 inches,” Chen reports. “Screens on the latest model, the 5S, are 4 inches. ‘Our understanding is that Apple is working on both of the screen sizes for the new iPhone, with shipments likely in the second half of this year,’ Mr. Semenza said. His predictions, he said, were based largely on information from several sources in the supply chain.”
“Two weeks ago, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities, said in a research note that he expected Apple to release iPhones with those same measurements. (Last year, Mr. Kuo accurately predicted that the new iPhone would include a fingerprint sensor),” Chen reports. “If the analysts are correct, introducing two larger iPhones this year would be a big change for Apple’s iPhone portfolio, the company’s biggest source of revenue. Not only would it be increasing the size of its standard iPhone, but it would possibly be selling the handset in three different sizes: small, medium and large.”
Some portion of [those who want larger smartphone displays than Apple currently offers] are too stupid, blind, or pathologically anti-Apple to have ever purchased an iPhone, regardless of screen size.
This is not to say that Apple, the world’s most valuable tech company, rolling in more billions of dollars than they know what to do with, shouldn’t have a larger screen iPhone available by now. They should. It’s criminal malpractice on the part of Tim Cook that they don’t. The sales Apple have left and continue to leave on the table should have been keeping Phil Schiller up at night for at least the last year.
Yes, Apple should have a bigger iPhone yesterday, but this is just simple logic: Not all phablet owners would have bought an iPhone even if a bigger iPhone was available.
We understand fragmentation. We understand the issues of producing apps that work on devices with various screen sizes (intimately).
None of it matters because too much of the market wants an iPhone with a bigger screen. Developers will simply work harder for the premium customers found on the premium platform. Period.
This omission – not iMacs and Mac Pros that miss Christmas or anything else – is Tim Cook’s biggest mistake to date. Apple should have a bigger iPhone on the market by now, but since, for some inexplicable reason a company with more cash at their disposal than Intel Corp. is worth doesn’t, the sooner the better.
When Apple finally extracts their collective head from their collective ass and ships iPhone models with larger screens, they’ll do more damage to slavish copier Samsung than all of their endless, plodding patent infringement cases combined.
We believe that Apple became infatuated with the fact that only they could produce small, thin smartphones with an efficient OS that could work with the small batteries that these compact iPhones housed. “Nobody else can do such things.” Meanwhile, battery-hogging Android leeches like Samsung slapped larger screens on their phones to hide the fact that they needed significantly larger batteries in order to run for even a few hours (Android phones are notorious for running out of charge).
Far too many otherwise intelligent consumers saw little or nothing of Apple’s considerable engineering superiority (the iPhone 5s is simply the best smartphone anyone has ever produced), these otherwise intelligent consumers only saw iPhone’s smaller screens. They didn’t see Android’s inefficiency or inferior ecosystem, they only saw phones with larger screens.
If we’ve heard from one person who went with an Android phone for a larger screen who in fact really wanted an iPhone – “I’d have gotten an iPhone if only they had a larger screen” – we’ve heard it from a thousand. These are top tier, cream-of-the-crop customers (i.e. Apple’s target demographic), not low information cheapskates. They want to be Apple customers and participate heavily in Apple’s ecosystems, but, for a few years now, Apple has been blowing these sales by failing to deliver the product these high value customers desired. It’s inexplicable; any downsides (fragmentation, inventory management, etc.) are vastly outweighed by the vast sales potential to those who should be Apple customers, but are now carrying a plastic piece of crap from Samsung.
Bottom line: Apple screwed the pooch on this one. Shit or get off the pot, Tim.
No iPhone with a screen larger than 4-inches – it’s now 2014 – despite a plethora of high-value customers who obviously want to buy one, but have turned to other platforms in order to get a smartphone with a larger screen. Oops. Mismanaged.
One-handed interaction is a concocted load of bullshit attempting to cover for not having a proper lineup of iPhones offering customers varied display sizes at even this late date.
After years of using iPhones, I’m at a point where I can barely use my iPhone (5S). In the beginning iPhones were cool. Then I look back at that small screen on the early generations and think: how could I ever have used that!
The larger screensize (lengthwise) has always been a huge letdown for me. It was a sort of copout on Apple’s part. Now I have a skinny chocolate bar. The iPhone screen is weird being so long and skinny for starters. But the biggest problem: it’s just not spacious enough. The Galaxy S series phones have the perfect screensize.
I don’t like Android and am indifferent to Samsung. But on this front, Samsung nailed it. The biggest challenge for me using the iPhone these days is pretty much everything: the screen is just too small. So much pinching and zooming. And I’ve all but given up on using it much for the Web.
It’s frustrating. But I’m an Apple guy so I’m stuck. And what’s even more frustrating is they need to redesign it! I hate how soulless and industrial the iPhone is. The sharp edges suck.
MDN has a very clear opinion on this, and I believe it is incorrect. They even have their own poll to back it up. Anyone who knows anything about polling knows that online polls that are self-selecting (i.e. where users volunteer to participate) are fairly worthless, since only those who have reason to complain would participate. I never voted in it, since I’m quite happy with the standard iPhone screen size and don’t care for the big one, and vast majority of those who didn’t vote likely think the same way.
The reaction to the big-screen phones is similar to the reaction to those big SUV trucks. Every year, at the Geneva Auto Show, visitors are in awe of those large American trucks (like Durango, Denali, Yukon, Suburban…whatever they show in Geneva). They are impressed and wowed by them, but when they go to their dealer, they buy a Renault Laguna or Audi A4, or something similar.
The point is, large is impressive, but impractical. While there is a distinct group of (quite vocal) users who like and buy large (after all, Samsung does sell some millions of phablets), when put in proper perspective, this group is still rather small, and mainstream consumer simply doesn’t want to carry a big device in their pocket / purse.
In order to satisfy investors and analysts, Apple will most likely release a device that will wow everyone and probably seriously damage those Samsung phablet sales. However, it most likely won’t be a significant contributor to Apple’s bottom line. And for that reason, we should expect it to be a premium product with a price that is noticeably higher than the standard iPhone.
Please tell us why a larger screen is impractical. Please do not mention too big for the pocket or cannot use with one hand as I and many others use one every day and its not a problem.
It is too big for a single-handed use and too big to fit comfortably in pocket for most of average people.
I know it is not what you like hearing, but it is a real and valid reason. I too see people using large-screen phones (even teen girls, with somewhat smaller-than-average hands), but for most of us, it would just be too clunky.
Do you remember when cellphones were as big as bricks? Ever since then, the trend was to make them as small and as light as possible. The first iconic runaway hit was Motorola’s StarTac, which was significantly smaller than any model before. Moto RAZR was even smaller and ultra-thin (at the time), and that was the next big hit.
Small is practical. Big is cumbersome and impractical. Obviously, there are people for whom screen space trumps the extra bit of convenience you get from a smaller device. But for others, extra bit of screen space does NOT justify uncomfortably large size.
Let us see how large-screen phones really fare once a large phone is done right (i.e. once Apple releases a large-screen iPhone).
The sad part is the ANALyst sooner or later gets something right. The sadder part is WS reacting to ANALyst even when it’s just FART coming out if their ass! 😛
I agree with the MDN takes. But why does MDN finger Cook when the blame lies with Steve? Can’t manage a negative utterance against Saint Steve? He was the one who missed the boat on big screen phones. Tim obviously changed course after he took over the company and now it’s taken a couple years for Ive and his team to finally get a big screen iPhone right. Tim’s head was never buried in his ass.
The most reliable predictor that an ignorant opinion is on the way are these three words – “Analysts expect Apple . . . “
After years of using iPhones, I’m at a point where I can barely use my iPhone (5S). In the beginning iPhones were cool. Then I look back at that small screen on the early generations and think: how could I ever have used that!
The larger screensize (lengthwise) has always been a huge letdown for me. It was a sort of copout on Apple’s part. Now I have a skinny chocolate bar. The iPhone screen is weird being so long and skinny for starters. But the biggest problem: it’s just not spacious enough. The Galaxy S series phones have the perfect screensize.
I don’t like Android and am indifferent to Samsung. But on this front, Samsung nailed it. The biggest challenge for me using the iPhone these days is pretty much everything: the screen is just too small. So much pinching and zooming. And I’ve all but given up on using it much for the Web.
It’s frustrating. But I’m an Apple guy so I’m stuck. And what’s even more frustrating is they need to redesign it! I hate how soulless and industrial the iPhone is. The sharp edges suck.
Brilliant analysts!
At least Munster has shut his mouth about a Apple television. He’s not much of a seer.
Why is this the first I’ve heard about this?!
/s
let me rephrase that headline..
“The typical ANALyst that are always wrong are expecting apple to behave like the copycats”
Welcome to the Party!
MDN has a very clear opinion on this, and I believe it is incorrect. They even have their own poll to back it up. Anyone who knows anything about polling knows that online polls that are self-selecting (i.e. where users volunteer to participate) are fairly worthless, since only those who have reason to complain would participate. I never voted in it, since I’m quite happy with the standard iPhone screen size and don’t care for the big one, and vast majority of those who didn’t vote likely think the same way.
The reaction to the big-screen phones is similar to the reaction to those big SUV trucks. Every year, at the Geneva Auto Show, visitors are in awe of those large American trucks (like Durango, Denali, Yukon, Suburban…whatever they show in Geneva). They are impressed and wowed by them, but when they go to their dealer, they buy a Renault Laguna or Audi A4, or something similar.
The point is, large is impressive, but impractical. While there is a distinct group of (quite vocal) users who like and buy large (after all, Samsung does sell some millions of phablets), when put in proper perspective, this group is still rather small, and mainstream consumer simply doesn’t want to carry a big device in their pocket / purse.
In order to satisfy investors and analysts, Apple will most likely release a device that will wow everyone and probably seriously damage those Samsung phablet sales. However, it most likely won’t be a significant contributor to Apple’s bottom line. And for that reason, we should expect it to be a premium product with a price that is noticeably higher than the standard iPhone.
You’ve never driven a Cadillac Escalade, it doesn’t get any better.
Please tell us why a larger screen is impractical. Please do not mention too big for the pocket or cannot use with one hand as I and many others use one every day and its not a problem.
It is too big for a single-handed use and too big to fit comfortably in pocket for most of average people.
I know it is not what you like hearing, but it is a real and valid reason. I too see people using large-screen phones (even teen girls, with somewhat smaller-than-average hands), but for most of us, it would just be too clunky.
Do you remember when cellphones were as big as bricks? Ever since then, the trend was to make them as small and as light as possible. The first iconic runaway hit was Motorola’s StarTac, which was significantly smaller than any model before. Moto RAZR was even smaller and ultra-thin (at the time), and that was the next big hit.
Small is practical. Big is cumbersome and impractical. Obviously, there are people for whom screen space trumps the extra bit of convenience you get from a smaller device. But for others, extra bit of screen space does NOT justify uncomfortably large size.
Let us see how large-screen phones really fare once a large phone is done right (i.e. once Apple releases a large-screen iPhone).
The sad part is the ANALyst sooner or later gets something right. The sadder part is WS reacting to ANALyst even when it’s just FART coming out if their ass! 😛
I agree with the MDN takes. But why does MDN finger Cook when the blame lies with Steve? Can’t manage a negative utterance against Saint Steve? He was the one who missed the boat on big screen phones. Tim obviously changed course after he took over the company and now it’s taken a couple years for Ive and his team to finally get a big screen iPhone right. Tim’s head was never buried in his ass.
I love it when the analysts actually running the company.
⅔ want bigger screens!! Get to it Apple!!!