How does everyone feel about the rumored new larger iPhone 6?

[chas_m]

I was the owner of an S4 too. Did you experience any of these...

1. Siri could detect your voice while in noisier environments?

I had a little more problem with this on the iPhone 4 than my later iPhone 5s, which has noise cancelling. But I am a loud, clear, radio-type speaker by nature so this has never been a big issue for me.

2. S4 lags behind the iPhone in terms of miliseconds when pressing on Apps to open them

I've played with an S4 and yes, I've seen this on a lot of Android models. Even the Note 3 (which is otherwise pretty zippy) just has this weird (but brief) lag between pressing the home button and the action. My (brief) toying with the HTC One M8 suggests that *finally* the lag may be a thing of the past. Haven't seen a Galaxy S5 in person yet so could't speak to that, but I hear it doesn't have the problem either.

3. The sensitivity iPhone is much greater

A little too sensitive, in fact. I've hesitated over the screen trying to decide what to press only to find that my hovering finger chose for me (I should probably stop shuffling my feet on the carpet!).

4. iPhone Apps are more neatly categorized and easier to access

I do find that Android seems to have the Windows-esque tendency to need a step or two more than iOS does in some cases, but organization and management is a user thing so I can't say I find that statement to be broadly true.

 

[chas_m]

Will these do? Grin

If you turn the iPhone 8 on it's side it would view Letter Box movies great! Grin

I do strongly suspect that one model of whatever the next iPhone is will, in fact, mostly be longer (and possibly just a little bit wider, for a total of 4.7 inches). Perhaps as imagined here:

iPhone 6 Size Compared to Galaxy S5 and Other Android Phones - Mac Rumors

If I hadn't just gotten a 5s over xmas, I'd definitely go for what's seen in that rendering.

The reasons I think this is likely:

1. No need for developers to redesign apps, just update them (un-updated apps would just float in the middle portion of the screen like the un-updated iPhone 4 apps do on the 5s)

2. Retains the PPI, so no need to re-do all your artwork assets in an app (again, very dev-friendly)

3. True 16.9 ratio, ideal for video.

4. Keeps the 'do everything with one hand' thing viable.

Now I know they can't keep doing that forever, but I also think this trend of bigger screens has about tapped out. Phones have a definite limit on how big they can get and still fit *usefully* in a pocket, and I think we've hit it. The people who buy 6-inch plus screens are not a mainstream market -- they are the few who can't afford a tablet but want what a tablet offers, don't mind looking RIDICULOUS when they put this mini-tablet up to their head, and/or are compensating for some other inadequacy in their lives.

 

[knightjp]

Having not held the actual device in my hand, its difficult to gauge whether I will like it or not. For the moment, I'm not in favor of anything bigger than the current iPhone. If the current size is scraped in favor of something that is the size of the Nexus, I will not be pleased. I still feel that it would take a whole lot of getting used to for me. At the moment, I find the Nexus 5 too big for my use.
Probably for those who constantly stream media on their phones, a larger screen would be better. I don't mind Apple catering to that; just so long as they will make a device the current size for those of us who don't.

 

[CanuckBoater]

Wouldn't make a difference.

I like the tactile typing on my Blackberry.

 

[vansmith]

1. No need for developers to redesign apps, just update them (un-updated apps would just float in the middle portion of the screen like the un-updated iPhone 4 apps do on the 5s)

2. Retains the PPI, so no need to re-do all your artwork assets in an app (again, very dev-friendly)

Both of these can be solved by having resolution independent assets or included assets for different DPIs. Apps I've worked on have been scaled for different sizes (as best I can as a novice) and it works with little added work).

don't mind looking RIDICULOUS when they put this mini-tablet up to their head, and/or are compensating for some other inadequacy in their lives.

That's quite the claim to make. Looking ridiculous is a subjective call (having owned a larger phone, those with smaller phones look odd to me which I suppose is the converse of what you said) and the inadequacy thing is a stretch (it's very possible that people just want a phone larger than the relatively diminutive iPhone).

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Both of these can be solved by having resolution independent assets or included assets for different DPIs. Apps I've worked on have been scaled for different sizes (as best I can as a novice) and it works with little added work).

What I think he means is something akin to how iPhone-only apps are displayed on an iPad. They don't "quite" fill the screen even when pixel-doubled. I'm guessing for a larger iPhone, Apple will maintain the pixel density of the 5S, leading to a higher resolution due to the larger screen (because keeping it the same wouldn't be "Retina" class) and allow older apps to "float" as he is saying until developers update the assets. By doing so, they will look and be sized EXACTLY as they are now. Assuming Apple will continue selling the 4" model simultaneously, then the big question is if they will increase the pixel density on the 4" to match the resolution on the "other" size iPhone, or leave it be and support 2 resolutions for the iPhone indefinitely. I'm betting they will do the latter for 2-3 years, then the former and phase out support for the current resolution.