Remember that radically different iPhone 5 design that popped up by way of a miniscule, pixelated icon in the latest Photostream beta? The boys over at 9to5Mac have blown it up into a larger mockup, and they reckon it might be the smaller, cheaper iPhone we’ve been hearing scuttlebutt about.
Well, or it might be the iPhone 5 proper, but if so, you’ll need to wear parachute pants to have pockets big enough to hold it: it’s the size of one of those gigantic Android phones you sometimes see people massively perching upon their shoulders like some sort of modern-day ghetto blaster.
What do you think? Which is more likely, or do you think we could get both? Personally, I don’t see Apple making the iPhone 5 physically larger than the iPhone 4 even to get a bigger screen in there. What about you?
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
91 responses to “The Icon Apple Leaked Yesterday Either Means The iPhone 5 Will Be Really Small, Really Big… Or Both [Mockup]”
Probably the larger screened one. as it seems closer to the current dimensions. But That would mean the shots we’ve seen of the antenna casings are wrong, as they all fit with each other
Anyone considered that this could be the iPad 2??
thing is, that same icon appears in iTunes when u connect your iPhone to it, so is it really the new iPhone or just apples way of making the icon?
Larger
Maybe it’s just a new icon
The aspect ratio is entirely wrong for it to be the iPad 2. Based on iPhone 5 case designs coming off chinese websites, etc, this is the confirmed design of the device, so yes, Apple is making it “as big as some of those Android devices”.
i don’t care; just release it.
The only argument against slightly increasing the iPhone’s size is that it will work less well as a held-to-the-ear phone. Is that really a good reason?
Of course, there’s also the PPI issue to sort out, but that’s separate.
The new antenna casings we’re seeing are of the iPhone “4S” or otherwise upgraded iPhone 4 sold at the sub $100 cost under the new iPhone 5.
No way, with that screen ratio. Also, the file is called GSPhotoStreamiPhone.png (created 24th August too)…
ITS UGLY
The thin but wide stylings of Android are highly impractical for most of us. If the iPad2 had a native phone app, I don’t think people would be holding it to their ear.
Apple has a consistent approach of manufacturing devices where, while form follows function, the form is nonetheless elegant. I expect nothing less from the iPhone5. Were Apple to follow the Android crowd with a wide device, part of its valuable market differentiation would be lost in the processs.
I fully expect that the iPhone 5 will have dimensions quite similar to the current model. The differentiators (aside from iOS5 and other Apple magic) may include some curvature and a correspondingly (slightly) larger display. Of course, I could be totally wrong, but only time will tell.
Before everyone starts going crazy, has anyone thought to blow up one of the current icons that shows up in iTunes when you connect a phone to see if the size ratio matches up with the current iPhone. If the current iPhone icon doesn’t match up with the current iPhone, then you’re all wasting your time. If it does, then you have a story.
If it’s scaled according to the Aspect Ratio, Apple can sort out all the rest with software.
No, because the goal of speculation isn’t to find out what the phone looks like by thinking about all of the possibilities, it’s passing the time until the device actually debuts.
I think the goal here is to fuel rabid speculation by jumping on any picayune detail found in the press and making a story out of it. :)
I still think it’s funny that this could easily be an iPod touch, but no one wants to believe it is. No one thinks it could be anything but an iPhone 5 even though it says in the text beside the icon that it could be either.
It’s an icon meant to represent an entire product line, it could even be a blend of all three products.
For anyone interested, here is the actual file:
http://cl.ly/9mgb
Now Brody has it nailed. We need something to discuss besides the weather!
That looks mightly like the Samsung Galaxy Note that was just announced but a bit smaller.
I bet for the smaller version. Not everyone have large hand for those gigantic phone.
This is exactly what I just noticed. Granted I’m using iTunes 10.5 beta 7, I imagine that’s the same icon we’ve always seen. Somebody, somewhere is laughing hysterically that this story’s gotten so much press and analysis.
To support your point…
You’re taking the icon quite literally, John. What happened to the (pretty solid) reports that the iPhone 5 would have an edge to edge screen? That bezel is the same as the iPhone 4. Please realize that on low resolution icons, everything that would normally appear thin needs to be thickened to make the lines obvious. That being said, here is a more realistic rendition of the iPhone 5 (based on the icon). You also had the screen aspect ration wrong.
Wow, so many experts! Like I said, I could be wrong. But it’s still fun to speculate. Thanks, John, for a fun article.
real small or real big????
you’ve GOT to be kidding me…
first of all it looks long and wide— it’s going to be what it looks like! a screen just about the size (if not just a bit smaller) than the better android phones out there…
I can’t believe anyone actually considered “you know….that could be a SMALLER form factor!”
just NO!
lol
not to troll, sorry, it just doesn’t seem like that’s even an option…
I think you missed the point. He is claiming that if it is smaller, the bezel AROUND the phone would be shrunk. The screen size would remain the same, at 3.7″. Perhaps comprehension should predate reaction.
oh ok that makes sense. thanks for clarification
Italian website MaCity (usually very reliable) published a set of picture of what supposedly is a cover for the iPhone 5.
http://www.macitynet.it/immagi…
Well, if that cover is real the answer is “larger”, I suppose :D
Sorry, neither. Based on the aspect ratio (that won’t change) and going nearly edge to edge, the new device will be slightly shorter and slightly wider.
Not sure what you mean by this. The shape of the phone is determined both by the aspect ratio and the size of the screen – a 1″ screen and a 100″ can still have the same aspect ratio, for example. The aspect ratio of the screen on the new iPhoto icon is indeed the same as the aspect ratio of the screen of, say, the iPhone 4 icon in the latest iTunes beta (about 1.515:1). Because of the changed bezels, however, the phone is now ‘pudgier’ than the previous models. So, the question becomes whether Apple sticks with the same 3.5″ screen (phone becomes much shorter and a little narrower), goes for about the current iPhone width (screen size increases to about 3.7″, phone is still shorter than current), or goes for about the current iPhone height (screen size increases to about 4″ while phone becomes noticeably wider than current).
Where’s the invites to the keynote already!!! :D
The home button is fucking ugly.
That would be mighty brazen of Apple to go and sue Samsung for design then go as far as an injunction in Australia then actually design their next flagship smartphone to look exactly like the Galaxy line of Samsung. Because it doesn’t just look like the Note, it looks like the entire line.
Actually, it’s Apple that has the wider aspect. The iPhone looks thin because there’s so much ear and mouth piece by comparison that it gives an elongated appearance. But traditionally, Android uses displays closer to the 16:9 aspect ratio. The render above just allows you to see the true form that the display intrinsically dictates.
And perhaps this ultra-low resolution icon is just that; an iPod touch, but even so, we DO know for a fact that the iPhone 5 will be physically larger than the current iPhone 4, aswell as a tapered back just like the iPad 2. This based on multiple cases and schematics Macrumors had a company draw up based upon those cases to create something VERY close to what the actual iPhone will look like.
That’s not a button, it’s a place you motion gestures.
You’ve got to remember that outside of the aspect ratio, the screen will only become larger, but then you’ve also got everything else outside the screen to decide on; bezel on the left and right of the screen, the space between the earphone and the top of the screen (and the top of the phone) and the space between the bottom of the screen and the phone. Outside of a larger display using the same aspect ratio, Apple could make the phone look entirely different based upon how they want to shape the phone around that new enlarged display.
Well, yes – hence the ‘analysis’ of the iPhone icon included with the latest iPhoto beta. From the icon, Apple is keeping the display aspect ratio the same, very slightly reducing the right and left sides of the bezel, and greatly reducing the top and bottom. Because of this (provided icon is accurate), the phone will either be smaller than current, or have a larger screen.
lmao, of course, Apple straying from their circular home button and copying samsung.
*yawn*
i wonder if there is this much speculation on samsung forums for their upcoming smartphone releases?
Extremely unlikely.
And they have to easily fit in your pocket.
Honestly, this is what we’re looking at:
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/…
That’s the iPhone 5, right there, based upon current cases, so that’s (barring Apple doing something else with the home button) the exact phone we’ll see.
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I wish the iPhone was bigger … it’s the one thing I’d wish changed in newer versions. Small phones were the hot thin back in 2001, but come one, who doesn’t want more screen?