So essentially, with the new larger screens, we end up copying competitors.

[Bobby Corwen]

Larger screens android phones are not the iPhone. IOS has issues with scaling which do not exist on android, and there are plenty of articles scattered around the web that point to this being why apps feel much better looking on IOS..A 4x of a 4inch retina screen would require a 522 ppi 5 inch LCD on the iPhone6 running ios...Whats the size and ppi count of the HTC one's LCD? Apple does not want to get into AMOLED as Samsung and others have done ( its their decision based on other parameters in displays)..So yes this is one compromise that needs to be mitigated for apple. It may not exist for other OEM's.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/easier-design-apps-ios/

Thx to trecb..

A Programmer Explains Why Android Apps Are Ugly - see section titled "Dealing with screens of every possible size"

Why Are Android Apps Ugly? - see section titled “Writing for multiple phones”

Why do apps from the same company look worse on Android than on iPhone?

Why is the general UI in most android apps ugly?

https://developer.apple.com/library/...007072-CH6-SW1 - see section on App Icons and Launch Images

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_scaling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliasing

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/18771500/



S5 is rumoured to have an AMOLED display and not an LCD. Nexus 5 and HTC one have LCD iirc...The best LCD display around 5 inches in the "research" world is the sharp IGZO LCD's which was shown off in late 2012 and which has around 498 Ppi. I am yet to see this on a mass produced device, although sharp may have them on a "japan-specific" device but definitly there is no LCD that is 500+ ppi (Like the one which would be required for a 4x bump on a 5 inch device)..



They could have done it years ago, but clearly they did the trade off internally and found that the best way forward was a 4 inch device. And look how handsomly this has worked for them with the 5/5s/5c family and its sales.

What do you mean by they did the trade off internally?

They are doing it..and have been working on it for some time (according to rumours)..Apple takes time with most things. Display tech is not something that advances as rapidly as say SOC tech..

So in conclusion are you saying the reason they didn't come out with it sooner is by design choice? Or by tech limitation?

 

[vomhorizon]

So in conclusion are you saying the reason they didn't come out with it sooner is by design choice? Or by tech limitation?

A mix of both. apple has always designed something the way they wanted and then looked to get technology at par to produce something. A 4x bump means 500+ ppi on a 5 inch device. The current Galaxy S5 in AMOLED is 445 ppi in 5.1. A 3x bump may be better or re-doing the entire apps and asking the developers to suck it up. Other side of technical would be to get IOS better shaped for one handed operations on larger screens. We've seen IOS7 move to both a flatter design (easier to absorb bigger form factors) and the swipe features help in tackling large sizes. IOS8 will most likely move further towards a more software based solution to get things done.

Here is an interesting technical article on how apple may wish to go with a larger screen (vis-a-vis ios and apps scaling)

http://www.imore.com/did-you-hear-one-about-iphone-4x-super-retina-display

In the end, what they have in their labs is best known to them. Perhaps the prototypes of 2012 did not provide the easy of one handed use that ios6 on a iPhone 5 prototype (the model that eventually got built) provided? When you are only going to do one phone, and one form factor only, you are bound to disappoint some folks..until we see what the compromises were (how apple's prototypes compared to the eventual 5) we cannot make the call.

 

[rtomyj]

Better?

They can't even do multitasking better.

They can't even work a file system better

They don't even make the best screens

Android has done quite a few things better

Yes they actually do (subjectively). Less system resources are being used.

Are they trying?

They design screens (Retina). I'm sorry but the retina iPads have the best screen on a tablet (again subjective) but you can't deny their true color representation. The iPhone is still great and better than most. PPI is not everything and trying to out do everyone at everything is idiotic. You sound like a child at this point.

Opinion.




Sweg!

 

[thehustleman]

Yes they actually do (subjectively). Less system resources are being used.

Are they trying?

They design screens (Retina). I'm sorry but the retina iPads have the best screen on a tablet (again subjective) but you can't deny their true color representation. The iPhone is still great and better than most. PPI is not everything and trying to out do everyone at everything is idiotic. You sound like a child at this point.

Opinion.




Sweg!

Can't argue with you on the iPad, that's currently the best tablet out.

Phones on the other hand...

 

[rtomyj]

Can't argue with you on the iPad, that's currently the best tablet out.

Phones on the other hand...

Yea it honestly depends on the person... I loved the 4iinch screen on my 5. Now I want something more.

 

[woodynorman]

Last year and this year don't compare. Last year, it was already 95% confirmed that there would be another 4.0 inch iPhone coming out (due to model leaks). In addition, there were some very vague and sketchy leaks stating there would be a 4.8 inch iPhone as well. Those leaks only came very late and were so limited that there were even mistranslated parts in the reports. The majority of people still call that rumor the iPhone Math phone. In fact that was mistranslated, and should have been the "iPhone+". Regardless, that was a prototype of what will likely be the iPhone we get this year (iPhone 6). It is easy to justify that the chances of that phone coming to fruition were closer to 20-40% versus the 80-95% that I would assign for the 4.0 inch screen iPhone which became the iPhone 5s.

This year we have already gotten enough sources to confirm (to the same extent that we confirmed the 5s' existence - before launch) that there will be a 4.8 inch screen iPhone, and a 5.x inch screen iPhone.

Thats fine and all but Apple isn't offering us anything bigger than a 4" iPhone right now. That was my point.

 

[Oletros]

First iOS7 copied the feel of Android in certain ways.

Now iPhone is copying the jumbo screen feel and it kind of comes back full circle, essentially signyfying that the competition was where we were going to be years ahead of us.

No

Isn't Android in itself a "copy" of iOS and pretty much every smartphone on the market now an evolution of the original iPhone from 2007?

And no

----------

Larger screens android phones are not the iPhone. IOS has issues with scaling which do not exist on android, and there are plenty of articles scattered around the web that point to this being why apps feel much better looking on IOS..A 4x of a 4inch retina screen would require a 522 ppi 5 inch LCD on the iPhone6 running ios...Whats the size and ppi count of the HTC one's LCD? Apple does not want to get into AMOLED as Samsung and others have done ( its their decision based on other parameters in displays)..So yes this is one compromise that needs to be mitigated for apple. It may not exist for other OEM's.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/easier-design-apps-ios/

Thx to trecb..

Funny, a link to an Apple "expert" like Christina and reports from 2011. Is that what you have to say that apps feel better on iOS?

 

[sixrom]

Bottom line, it's copying the competition but when Apple does it, it's not. That will be the majority opinion you will find here.

Well said.

In this case it's Apple trying to catch up and become more relevant.

 

[Savor]

Apple underestimated the phablet market and didn't have quite the foresight that Samsung had with it 2.5 years ago when they released the first Galaxy Note. By 2013, several companies followed suit with their own phablets. Samsung had over a one year head start into a fast growing segment of the mobile industry. While Apple continued to lead the tablet market, Samsung was more forward thinking with the phablet market.

 

[Vanilla35]

Thats fine and all but Apple isn't offering us anything bigger than a 4" iPhone right now. That was my point.

Well my point is all about the future. I couldn't care less about now. We already know about now. There's no fun in figuring out a test that someone gave you the answers to

 

[Fireblade]

No



And no

----------




Funny, a link to an Apple "expert" like Christina and reports from 2011. Is that what you have to say that apps feel better on iOS?

Yes

And yes

 

[blackhand1001]

Yes they actually do (subjectively). Less system resources are being used.

Are they trying?

They design screens (Retina). I'm sorry but the retina iPads have the best screen on a tablet (again subjective) but you can't deny their true color representation. The iPhone is still great and better than most. PPI is not everything and trying to out do everyone at everything is idiotic. You sound like a child at this point.

Opinion.




Sweg!

Sorry but the nexus 7 2013's screen is still better than the retina Minis.

 

[nooaah]

Sorry but the nexus 7 2013's screen is still better than the retina Minis.

He's talking about the regular 9.7" Air. And subjectively speaking I agree - its the best I've seen.

 

[sentinelsx]

I don't care if they are copying, and it is not really the first time either anyways.

What i care is they stop it at 4.7 inch max (4.5 would be better).

 

[nooaah]

I don't care if they are copying, and it is not really the first time either anyways.

What i care is they stop it at 4.7 inch max (4.5 would be better).

MotoX dimensions would be ideal, IMO. IF they find a way to push it to 4.7" while being as minimal as possible, super.

Then again, they may just release another 4" phone. I'm kind of hoping that's the case just for the complete meltdown we'd see on these boards haha. Or they could really troll and go back to 3.5".

 

[Technarchy]

MotoX dimensions would be ideal, IMO. IF they find a way to push it to 4.7" while being as minimal as possible, super.

Then again, they may just release another 4" phone. I'm kind of hoping that's the case just for the complete meltdown we'd see on these boards haha. Or they could really troll and go back to 3.5".

Funny thing is Apple is more likely to do another 4" phone over a larger one.

As of right now there is a lot of wishful thinking for a larger device, but people need to remember that Apple does what it wants first, and what you wish for later, if ever.

Context:
3.5" screen lasted for 5 years.
4" screen has been around for less than two. Apple could milk that train for another 2 year cycle very easily.


For me, I prepare for the worst and appreciate being surprised.