“There are two of them, called the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. But you can call them the Bigger iPhone and the Much Bigger iPhone. And you’ll be able to order them starting Sept. 12, or buy them outright on the 19th,” David Pogue writes for Yahoo Tech. “In any mobile gadget, size is always a tradeoff: You want the biggest possible phone when you’re looking at it, but you want the smallest possible phone when you’re carrying it.”
“Apparently, the people have spoken, and they fall into the looker camp: The people want bigger,” Pogue writes. “Which is kind of weird, since the general direction of gadget growth over generations is usually smaller… Anyway, Apple has done everything engineeringly possible to minimize the downsides of having a big phone. The sleep switch, for example, is now on the right edge, so you can get to it one-handed. The Home screens, for the first time, now rotate with the phone. And if there’s something you want to tap on the top part of the screen — too far away for your puny little thumb to reach — you touch the Home button twice (not fully click it). The iPhone screen image slides downward so that the top half of the image is now in thumb reach.”
“Apple made the phone really, really thin. Thinner than previous phones. Thinner than the Samsung Galaxies or LG’s G3. About a quarter of an inch thin,” Pogue writes. “The edges are rounded, not sharp and square, for the first time in several iPhone models. It feels good. You’re tempted to rub your fingers over it as though it’s a worry stone. You can’t believe how little it weighs. And you can now tell which way the screen is facing in your pocket by touch, for the first time since the iPhone 3 family.”
“You know what? I truly expected these bigger iPhones to feel too big. At the very least, I expected that it would take some time to get used to them. But the iPhone 6 felt right and natural from the first moment I hefted it,” Pogue writes. “The iPhone 6 Plus is another story. It’s a monster. It’s like holding an iPad to your head. Heaven help you if you sit down with this thing in your back pocket. Then again, people buy those mega-phones, so who am I to know?”
Much more in the full article here.
Pogue is gushing so something must be going well…
4.7 is max and i’m not even sure if now if I want something that big also. Samsung idiotic campaign brainwashed the masses into reverting backwards in technology. At least Apple with its superior engineering and design actually succeeded in making something ginormous semi comfortable to use, lug around but not certainly to put up against your head. Thinner for this size is a great engineering feat! Hate the direction smartphones are heading into, no thanks to Samsung.
No, thanks to Samsung. Wrong use of the negative there…
It is a disappointment that Apple has abandoned 4″ as flagman model.
What I really want is iPhone 6+ specifications in iPhone 5/S body. There were no technical limitations in doing that, it is Apple’s mistake.
Also, the naming is bad. It is time to get rid of numbers that make no sense.
Ideally, the should be:
1) iPhone mini: iPhone 5S successor with basically unchanged design — there is no way to make it thinner while continuing it to be as flagman phone;
2) iPhone: new standard 4.7″ phone — what Apple currently calls “iPhone 6″, though without ugly rounded stripes;
3) iPhone Maxi: that 5.5” — what Apple now calls “iPhone 6 Plus”. But, again, without those ugly stripes.
But now Apple continued with stupid figured/numbers, and abandoned compact flagman (#1), and has made those ugly stripes. Three mistakes by Apple.
You must have lofty engineering degree making statements like this.
Actually, this is an ongoing discussion in another story MDN posted today. Naming conventions of Apple products are inconsistent, and while their Branding strategy has long been satisfied, creating a consistent and easily identifiable way of distinguishing between Apple’s growing roster of products will be a tremendous help to the general public.
I am engineer, and I see no even remotely controversial statements in the message.
As expected, iPhone 5S is still in the next iPhone lineup ($100 less expensive). It’s still better than any smartphone that does not have an Apple logo. And iPhone 5C is still there too (in 8GB config).
So, the “small” iPhones are still around. Here’s a prediction… iPhone 6/6+ will have monstrous sales, but sales of iPhone 5S and 5C (popular as the “free” option) will be better than expected. There are a lot of customer who DO appreciate smartphones that are smaller, not larger.
NEXT year (2015), the top iPhone will be iPhone 6S (and 6S+); it will look like the 6 (and 6+), with upgraded specs. The “middle” ($99) choice will be iPhone 6C; it will be iPhone 6 tech (4.7-inch size only) in a colorful case, just as iPhone 5C is iPhone 5 tech in a colorful case. “Colorful case” does not necessarily mean plastic; it could be anodized stamped aluminum, like the current iPod touch. The “free” choice will be iPhone 5S (in its third year), the last “small” iPhone.
But wait… Apple will see that the sale of iPhone 5S (and 5C) remain strong. During the final year of having iPhone 5S in the lineup, Apple will create a NEW smaller iPhone, for release with the 2016 iPhone lineup. It will have the latest tech and a 4-inch screen. 2016 is when the two-year contracts for iPhone 6/6+ begin to expire. While many iPhone 6/6+ customers will continue to buy larger iPhones, some of them will have realized that “smallness” DOES have great value in a “mobile” phone. They want their iPhone to fit in their front pants pocket again, and not look like they are holding an iPad to the side of their head.
Say “Hello” (again) to iPhone Air.
It will be interesting to see which model sells better. I suspect the 4.7″ for a variety of reasons, but as far as android users switching, the 6+ may be more popular.
I predict our first major demographic change – 4.7″ for guys, 5.5″ for girls – carried in pocket vs. purse.
So size does matter for the ladies.
That’s probably correct. As a woman with a large purse over my shoulder whenever I go outside I’m more than happy to buy the bigger model, especially since I very rarely have to speak on the phone whenever I’m outside of my home (and at home I always use the speaker which for me has become a more comfortable way of chatting on the phone anyway.)
Yup, the bigger iPhone suits my needs better; I want the real estate on the screen, especially for a much more pleasant typing experience, say, on Facebook. I’m sick and tired of having to turn the phone in landscape mode so often…
Guys: keeping all your stuff in your pockets is crazy from my perspective. Just buy a bag, it’s much more comfortable that way.
Does anyone think Apple will release a new iPhone in the 4″, to replace the 5S? I liked the new 6s, but they are just to big for my pockets.
I hope so, but I’m prepared to make my 5S last a long, long time.
That’s what I am wondering. WIsh they had the iPhone 6 in the 4″ size also.
Plus that would give them a good metric to see what people really want.
I suspect they are testing the waters for a year…and will reintroduce the 4″ size next year with the latest tech.
That’s my take as well: this year is all about getting people used to a larger iPhone, including Apple itself. Since they’re still offering both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, it will be easy for them to introduce an “iPhone 6c” next year that uses the same sort of plastic shell and 4″ screen as the iPhone 5c, but with updated internals to match the current iPhone 6.
I expect the 4″ screen to always remain a year behind the current hardware going forward, however. I mean, it doesn’t make sense to maintain feature parity between what would clearly be the “mini”/economy model (4″), the flagship model (4.7”), and the luxury model (Plus). They need to differentiate in hardware offerings (beyond size) to justify differentiation in price structure.
But yes, give Apple a year to get everything sorted out with the iPhone 6. They just released two new HUGE phone models this year. This is the biggest iPhone release ever, including last year with the 5s and 5c. Puns not intended.
This old person blind as a bat will buy the 6+ gladly.
Exactly. I’ve been waiting for an iPhone I don’t need reading glasses for, for years. And, before someone says it, screen size and font size aren’t the same thing (or the answer to the same issue).
I want a 4s sized iphone with the pay feature please Apple. And yes, I can use the zoom feature–no problem.
I think I’ll pass on calling them the Bigger iPhone and the Much Bigger iPhone, what with not being an idiot and all.
If you guys want a small phone, then buy the Apple Watch. You say Apple is going in the wrong direction. You can buy the smallest Apple Watch & make calls with it. I am buying my iPhone 6 Plus in the morning & will buy the cheapest Apple Watch when they release it, just because it is a first Gen Watch. No need of spending a lot of money until I really see if I really want one.
I am skeptical also about the iPhone 6 “Plus”.
But my wife keeps telling me “bigger is better”.
My personal preference would be for a 4.25 inch and little thicker heavier little longer battery!
I see a smaller model coming along later – a lightweight model with a 3.5″ screen, which the ideal one-hander *phone* for the top pocket.
I’ve seen the way the monster android phones are used and it’s usually more as a small iPad (a media viewer with a phone function) than as a regular phone. There’s usually kept in a folding cover casing.