Apple Planning 4-6-Inch iPhone, Again [Rumor]

Samsung's fun-sized Galaxy Note. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

If it’s not a smaller iPad, it’s a bigger iPhone, and today’s rumor sees the iPhone approaching the absurd size of Samsung’s phablet, the Galaxy Note. The Korean Maeil Business Newspaper cites unnamed sources who claim that Apple is already placing orders to its suppliers for 4.6-inch retina screens.

Being placed in the same country as two of Apple’s major suppliers — LG and Samsung — makes this rumor at least credibly sourced, but what about that giant screen? Pundits often say that Apple “needs” to put a bigger screen on the iPhone because Android phones are doing it. I see it the other way: Android phones are bigger precisely to differentiate them from the iPhone. It’s one of the “speeds and feeds” that Steve Jobs scoffed at, a bullet point on a spec sheet.

Trouble is, iPhone buyers don’t read spec sheets. They buy a phone which takes great photos, is easy to use and has all the apps they could ever want.

On the other hand, I do see the odd Galaxy Note in the wild, and when I tried one out I liked the big screen combined with a stylus. But I also hated everything else about it.

I think Apple will likely stick to the current size, if for no other reason than that all the apps in the App Store are designed for an iPhone-sized screen. One thing’s certain, though: this isn’t the last giant iPhone/tiny iPad rumor we’ll hear.

• Via Reuters

Comment »