Is this the perfect form factor?

[Jakob Adolfsson]

Ever since the iPhone 4 came out Apple has basically kept the same form factor. From what everyone has seen, it looks like the iPhone 5 will be following suit with the exception of making it a touch thinner and almost half an inch longer. I personally love the current shape factor, and making it a little bit thinner/longer should only make it better. Your thoughts?

 

[Dennisgarcia]

I would have to disagree. In my opinion the iPhone 4 and 4S is perfect as is. Atleast to me it is. The form factor, the screen size, just the look of it in general is very appealing in my eyes. I would wish they'd keep the exact same form factor they have now on the 4S but just keep updating it with better camera megapixels and more features. Other wise in my opinion it's perfect for me. But I'm still upgrading to the iphone 5 none the less.

 

[anon(4698833)]

Personally, the 4/4S is the perfect form factor for me (even compared to the older iPhone's, which i never cared for the plastic backing of the 3G and 3GS...or the metal backing of the original). The size, shape and weight of the current model (for me) is perfect, and while I'm certainly not opposed to a slight increase in size, I'm really hoping Apple doesn't follow the Android phone models with the really large screen variants, they are simply too large to me for a cell phone, some of the phones approach tablet proportions!

I like the unorthodox way this new iPhone is POTENTIALLY going to look...slight longer, slightly thinner...but retaining the what we know.

 

[cardfan]

A 16:9 4" iphone is basically a widescreen iphone. It should still be the best screen out there retaining it's 326 PPI. With the rumored "in-cell" tech, this would mean a thinner iphone. But also a clearer, sharper, and more responsive touchscreen. This should definitely feel like a different iphone.

Currently, the iPhone's "on cell" display is layered a bit like a sandwich (or if you're feeling like dessert, think of a trifle). At the very bottom, you've got the back light. Directly above that, the LCD section, which houses the red-, green-, and blue-colored pixels of the display. Then there's a layer of glass.
On top of that is the capacitive touch layer, which is then topped off by a tough layer of Gorilla Glass. The middle layer of glass separates the liquid crystal portion of the display from the touch portion.
In-cell display tech eliminates that middle layer of glass, combining the LCD and touch sections of the display into a single layer.

No phone being shipped will have this if it pans out. Apple Granted Patent for 'In-Cell' Touchscreen Display Concepts - Mac Rumors Oops..looks like LG has one brewing..LG Optimus G revealed: 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, ICS, LTE, 4.7-inch screen with in-cell touch -- Engadget

 

[anon(4698833)]

To tell you the truth, the most exciting thing to me about the phones that are developing right now is the fact that i know, within the next 10 years or so, we're going to have cell phones that slide in your pocket and would be about as noticeable (weight/size wise) in there as having something like a credit card in there.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Personally, the 4/4S is the perfect form factor for me (even compared to the older iPhone's, which i never cared for the plastic backing of the 3G and 3GS...or the metal backing of the original). The size, shape and weight of the current model (for me) is perfect, and while I'm certainly not opposed to a slight increase in size, I'm really hoping Apple doesn't follow the Android phone models with the really large screen variants, they are simply too large to me for a cell phone, some of the phones approach tablet proportions!

I like the unorthodox way this new iPhone is POTENTIALLY going to look...slight longer, slightly thinner...but retaining the what we know.

I agree. The form factor of the current iPhone & its predecessor is great, in my opinion. Like you, I did not care for the plastic back of the 3G/3GS, but I didn't mind the metal back of the original iPhone although it was a tad bit shiny. Hopefully, the next iPhone will have a somewhat ideal balance between thickness, screen size and usability. I suppose we will know soon enough.

 

[ghostface147]

It's growing on me....

 

[baseballbert]

The Nokia designs are pretty cutting edge, and are making the iPhone look dated for sure. Plus, you get more than two colors. WP8 will definitely make a little noise next year. In part due to carriers no longer wanting to pay the ransom per iphone sold, and the fact that OEM's may be a bit hesitant to jump on the Android band wagon.

The new iPhone will sell their millions several times over, but I think there will be more people leaving iOS for something else in the next year. iOS 6 is a me too retread, and the phones are looking stale too n

 

[anon(4698833)]

Yes I do agree the iPhone 4/4S has the perfect form factor.
Heck I even jumped ship to Apple because of the design!
But this does not mean they can continue to milk on this design.
Change is always better.
This means that the design for iPhone 5 must become even more radical. Crazy. Beyond the wildest imagination.
Some of you may disagree with me but take a look at the competitors phones that are being released lately. They have been catching up slowly on the design of their phones as well. Nokia Lumia for eg. I find it freaking awesome.
I'm sure many do too. So.
If you guys were to say Apple should keep that form factor instead of pushing even more boundaries. and Apple does so.
I'm sad to say Apple is going down man. down.

Change is always better? lol...should i go find a list of companies that are now defunct because of this line of thinking? Ford had the idea that change was always better back in the 80's, and decided to do just that, change their image...it took them nearly 25 years to get back into the success they once enjoyed. Change is certainly NOT always better, in fact, change can be the nail that hammers a coffin closed in many cases, and in the consumer electronics world, that coffin can be sealed and buried in the blink of an eye.

Apple has a product that still breaks records when a new variant is released. Every...single...time. And the changes they've made have been relatively small in comparison with the other phone manufacturers. Samsung would give anything to have the kind of sales Apple enjoys year in and year out, and they've thrown every kind of design change they possibly could at the dart board, finding legitimate success with only a few.

In the end...change CAN be good, if properly postured and developed, and looking back at the last 10 years, Apple seems to have a strangle hold on this concept and how to effectively implement it.

 

[Tone.english]

In my opinion the new form factor is better. I think a 4 inch screen is a good sweet spot. I'm a fan of both Android and Apple and I own an HTC One X right now, and iPhone 4 before this. I love the size of my screen but I miss the, it just works of iOS, so seeing an iPhone with a 4 inch screen is just what I was looking for.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Just_Me_D]

Did you all read Hands-on impressions of iPhone 5 dummy unit from the iMore Blog?

 

[Keldog]

The size is pretty nifty, and the weight is nearly perfect. That being said, a larger phone allows more room for all the new technical goodies that we want.

 

[jebulls]

I kind of feel it's going to seem long and skinny! But maybe it won't seem that way in person. I just notice for whatever reason I put my index finger on the top of the phone when I type. Won't be able to do that with the new phone! Having said that 4" seems like a sweet spot. Those 5" android phones are crazy!