A new iPhone 6 concept shows a beautifully rendered iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch display, no home button and an iPad mini inspired design
There has been no shortage of rumors that the iPhone 6 will have a big screen ranging from 4.7-inchesto over 5 inches. But why is Apple doing this? They just changed the display size from 3.5-inches to 4-inches and another screen size increase could present a headache for developers, casemakers and the whole ecosystem.
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The answer, from Apple’s own research/presentation, shows they have to. There is no growth in the 4-inch phone market for devices that cost more than $300. In fact, that market is shrinking overall.
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Why?
Below is the slide that shows how Apple ended up in this predicament. It isn’t just consumers wanting big screens for less. Carriers also have it out for Apple, according to the internal slides released (via Re/code) during the current Apple v. Samsung patent trial. Citing the iPhones high market share, subsidy premium, ‘Unfriendly’ policies and lack of alignment, Apple believes the carriers have a strong interest in capping iPhone sales. Finally, according to Apple, competitors are improving their hardware and ecosystems and spending ‘obscene’ amounts of money to gain traction at carriers. That is Samsung more than anyone else.
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So what can Apple do?
Apple can sell a 4-inch iPhone for under $300, either forgoing their historically huge margins and/or making a cheap device. Neither of which are very likely. You can currently buy an iPhone 5c at Virgin without a plan for just over $300 but those are likely still subsidized because they are locked to Virgin. It is hard to find a 4-inch iPhone for under $500 on the open market.
The much more likely scenario is that Apple sells a bigger iPhone 6 for its current market price and margins addressing the growing market. At the same time, its current lineup could drop in price and come close to hitting that magic sub-$300 price point.
In short, Apple must make a bigger iPhone.
COMMENTARY: A new iPhone 6 concept shows a beautifully rendered iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch display, no home button and an iPad mini inspired design.
The iPhone 6 concept shows us what an iPhone 6 prototype tumored back in December might look like. According to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek, Apple is working on a large screen iPhone 6 with no home button and a quad-core processor.
Steve Hemmerstoffer of nowhereelse.fr teamed up with talented designer to design the iPhone 6, and a larger iPhone 6 that could take on phablets and smartphones with increasingly large screens.
This iPhone 6 concept isn’t quite as large as the Galaxy Note 2, but would compete nicely with the rumored 4.99-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy S4, the 4.8-inch display on the HTC One and the 5-inch display on the Sony Xperia Z.
In a photo heavy post, Hemmerstoffer shares two new iPhone 6 concepts which show another look at how Apple could deliver a large screen smartphone without dramatically increasing the size of the iPhone. The idea is simple, and their solution to controlling an iPhone with no home button is also simple; incorporate the trackpad design from the Macbook to deliver a clickable touch screen.
The solution certainly looks more elegant than the side-mounted home button we saw on an iPhone 6 concept with a massive display earlier this month. By removing the home button, the iPhone 6 is actually smaller than the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch display is nearly the same size as the iPhone 5.
A new iPhone 6 concept shows a beautifully rendered iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch display, no home button and an iPad mini inspired design. (Click Image To Enlarge)
This design would solve many of the complaints of large smartphones, allowing Apple to offer an iPhone with a bigger screen, without burdening users with a phone that is too large to carry or too large to hold, at least in the eyes of users accustomed to 3.5-inch and 4-inch screens.
Another shot of the iPhone 6 concept. (Click Image To Enlarge)
The idea to replace the home button with a click pad is interesting, especially with the idea that users can use it higher up on the screen. This would offer a larger touch target, but could prove troublesome for gamers who mash down on a games’ on-screen buttons.
In this iPhone 6 concept we see an overall look like the iPad mini and the new iPod touch. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch display feature anodized aluminum backs with 4-inch and 4.8-inch clickable displays.
We expect the iPhone 5S release before the iPhone 6 arrives, and current rumors point to an iPhone 5S release in June or late summer, though nothing is set in stone.
Other rumors suggest Apple is planning an iPhone 5S and an iPhone 6, both set for a release in 2013. This wouldn’t be the first time Apple announced two iPhones in one year (Verizon iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S), but it would mark the first time the company announced 2 completely new iPhone models in one year.
Be sure to check out the rest of the iPhone 6 concept renderings.
Courtesy of an article dated April 6, 2014 appearing in 9to5Mac.com and an article dated March 4, 2014 appearing in GottaBeMobile.com
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