Hello Everyone,
The following article was recently posted by cNet News. I thought you may
find it interesting.
By the way, as suggested in the article, at least 90% of the Android users
with whom I interact on a regular basis (sighted people), have told me
several times that they refuse to purchase an iPhone because the current
screen size is just too small.
As an aside, after reading this article I found that I am so glad that I use
both an iPhone and an Android phone. It's nice to have a proverbial foot in
both worlds.
Okay, here is the article and the link to the article is located at the very
bottom.
Enjoy,
Mark
ARTICLE
iPhone 6: Sorting through fact and fiction around Apple's upcoming
smartphone
Apple will soon release the successor to its popular iPhone 5S. Sarah
Tew/CNET
Apple's iPhone 6 may be one of the worst-kept secrets -- and most highly
anticipated devices -- of the year.
Since introducing the iPhone in 2007, Apple has added a new model every
year, with seven generations (covering eight models) so far. For the past
three years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has unveiled the new design in the fall,
which is why company watchers expect this year's update -- dubbed the iPhone
6 because it follows last year's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C -- to make its
debut in September.
The fact that Apple hosts one big phone event a year, while rivals seem to
launch new devices every month, makes each iPhone launch a big deal. That's
especially true given that the smartphone is Apple's biggest moneymaker,
accounting for more than half of sales and about 70 percent of profit,
according to analysts.
See also
Apple sets Sept. 9 for new iPhone debut, report says
Apple posts solid Q3 profit, but iPhone sales don't wow
WWDC set the stage. Now Apple needs to deliver
CNET's iPhone 6 rumor roundup
Expectations are particularly high for the iPhone 6, which is expected to be
a "major" update to the smartphone. Apple has followed a pattern of
introducing big new designs every other year, with appealing but modest
updates -- like the 5S and 5C -- in between. But Apple investors and
boosters are now ready for revolutionary, rather than evolutionary products,
and Cook has said he'll deliver compelling new products in the second half
of this year.
So what Cook and his team, led by design chief Jony Ive, put into the iPhone
6 matters. The company can't afford to lose defectors to archrival Samsung
or have Apple users wait another year before they upgrade. The iPhone's
worldwide smartphone market share plummeted from a peak of 23 percent in
fourth quarter of 2011 to 12 percent in the second quarter of 2014,
according to market researcher IDC. That puts it in second place behind
Samsung.
Though the South Korean giant has battled Apple over patents in the courts
and is feeling the heat from Chinese vendors including Xiaomi, Huawei, and
Lenovo in fast-growing emerging markets, Samsung still ships more than twice
as many smartphones as Apple each quarter.
It's far from game over for Apple. In the latest quarter, ended June 28,
consumers bought 35.2 million iPhones even though Apple's latest devices --
the 5S, which added a new touch fingerprint security system and faster chip,
and the lower-cost, plastic encased 5C -- were nearly nine months old.
The iPhone 6 just may be one of the largest product launches in Apple's
38-year history. Apple reportedly has asked manufacturing partners to
produce about 70 million to 80 million units of its larger screen iPhones by
December 30, which is about 30 percent to 40 percent more iPhones than it
ordered for its initial run of last year's iPhone 5S and 5C.
Analysts such as RBC Capital Markets' Amit Daryanani say Apple could sell as
many as 80 million models of the iPhone 6 by the end of the year, but the
more likely amount is closer to 65 million -- still more than ever before.
"This will be the primary product that will drive [Apple's] growth in the
quarter, and to be fair, probably for the next two years," says longtime
Apple analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.
Apple declined to comment.
Apple's design hasn't changed much since the iPhone 4 in June 2010 -- with
the screen size increasing only slightly and battery life remaining steady
at about 10 hours.
A few of the device's features -- notably screen size -- haven't kept up
with those offered in devices powered by Android, the mobile operating
system Google gives to handset and tablet makers as an alternative to
Apple's iOS.
The iPhone 6 should introduce enough new features to keep its current
customers happy and maybe even tempt some away from Android. With so many
rumors swirling about what the new model will and won't have, here's what
market watchers see as the most likely.
Bigger screens
It's all but certain that Apple in September will introduce at least one new
iPhone with a larger screen than the current 4-inch design. The bet is that
the iPhone 6 will most likely offer a 4.7-inch display. What's less certain
is whether Apple will also unveil a second, much bigger device that's a
hybrid between a phone and a tablet. Such a "phablet" could include a
5.5-inch screen, but some recent reports say it may not ship until 2015.
The iPhone has sported a 4-inch display for the past two generations,
starting with the iPhone 5 in late 2012. The move to that size marked a big
difference from the 3.5-inch screen used since the first iPhone launched.
Apple initially designed its touch screen so it could be operated with one
hand, and Cook -- and former CEO Steve Jobs -- resisted moving to a larger
display partly for that reason.
Apple likely will introduce new iPhones with screens similar in size to
Samsung's Galaxy S5. CNET
But there's no denying buyers want bigger, as healthy sales of Samsung's
Galaxy devices and the Google Nexus 5 show. And Apple knows that. In an
internal presentation from April 2013, which was part of the evidence in the
latest Apple v. Samsung patent trial this spring, Apple executives wrote
that "consumers want what we don't have." The presentation also noted that
the smartphone market isn't growing as quickly as it used to, and many
consumers are now seeking cheaper, larger-screen phones. (Phil Schiller,
Apple's marketing chief, was asked about the documents while on the stand
and downplayed their importance.)
Launching a bigger iPhone would have significant implications for the mobile
industry. In a market where phone designs and operating systems have become
standardized, larger screens were one way for Android devices to stand out
against the iPhone. Once Apple has bigger devices, Android makers such as
Samsung and LG won't have as much of an advantage.
"There are people out there who are currently using an Android device simply
because the iPhone doesn't offer an option in the screen size they want to
use," JackDaw Research analyst Jan Dawson said. "A phone in the 4.7-inch
range will win many people back from Android -- and many of them from
Samsung."
Samsung, Apple's biggest rival in smartphones, pioneered the phablet
category, and it has counted on the popularity of the devices to attract
more customers. Samsung claimed during the patent-infringement trials
against Apple that one of the main reason people buy Samsung devices is for
their bigger screens. If that's no longer a differentiator, Samsung's sales
could suffer.
Stefano Camera, a 35-year-old from Milan who visited the Apple Store on
Fifth Avenue in New York while on vacation earlier this month, has
considered switching to a Samsung smartphone to get a larger display. But
he'd stick with the iPhone if Apple came out with a bigger screen.
Some recent speculation has discussed the possibility that Apple could
increase the starting price for its bigger screen iPhones to make up for the
higher costs. The iPhone 5S sells at a starting price of $199 in the US,
when purchased along with a two-year contract, and $649 for an unsubsidized
phone. The iPhone 6 could cost $100 more, say some analysts. "I'm just
concerned about the price," Camera said.
Other questions are whether Apple will introduce another 4-inch iPhone to
please buyers who want smaller screens. What happens to the iPhone 5C line
is another unknown. Apple a year ago introduced two new iPhones for the
first time -- the high-end 5S and the lower priced, more colorful 5C. But
the 5C, priced starting at $99 with a two-year contract, didn't sell well,
at least not initially, Cook admitted during Apple's earnings report in
January.
Some users are also concerned about whether they'll be able to operate the
bigger screen iPhones with one hand. Recent leaked photos imply Apple may
enlarge the screen to 4.7 inches but keep the device small enough to easily
hold by reducing the area near the home button at the bottom of the display,
or by employing smaller bezels on the sides of the screen.
A survey by financial analysts at Baird Research shows "significant
interest" in a larger iPhone, but 21 percent of current iPhone owners who
responded to the firm's poll said they would be less or much less interested
in an iPhone with a larger screen.
"Bigger size is a turn off for me," Hilton Weeks, an 18-year-old from
Brooklyn, said outside the Apple Store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Apple
shouldn't try to keep up with Android devices, he said. "It would be the
iPhone S5," he said, playing off the name of Samsung's flagship, the Galaxy
S5.
Analyst predictions vary on what Apple will do in terms of pleasing
customers wanting smaller screens, but most agree that it will keep offering
smaller-screen devices, whether they're new devices or just variations of
the old (just as how the 5C essentially was the iPhone 5 in color plastic
casing).
Better components
There's little doubt Apple will update the iPhone's components. The company
is expected to include a new, Apple-designed processor as it has for all
previous models. If it sticks to its historical nomenclature, the new chip
will be called the A8.
The iPhone 5S's A7 chip -- the first 64-bit mobile processor on the market
-- was a big step forward for Apple and the entire mobile industry. It
enabled the iPhone to run faster apps that can juggle large amounts of data
more efficiently than the 32-bit processors common in most smartphones and
tablets.
Because Apple controls its own operating system and designs its own
processors, it could make sure the two were ready for 64 bit at the same
time. Many Android chipmakers, such as Qualcomm, introduced 64-bit chips
after Apple's A7 processor. But Android won't actually support the
technology until Google releases the Android L operating system later this
year.
The iPhone 6 will include updated components from the iPhone 5S, pictured
here. Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple also could do more with sensors in the iPhone 6. A new motion
co-processor introduced in the iPhone 5S last fall, called the M7, works
alongside the main chip in the deivce to continuously measure motion data
from the phone's accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass without draining
battery life. Apple said the M7 would enable a new generation of health and
fitness apps, but so far, only a handful of apps -- including Nike+ Move,
DayOne, Runtastic, and Strava Run -- take advantage of the chip.
It's likely Apple will update the M7 processor to tap into more sensors or
capabilities for health tracking -- something that's sure to be a key focus
for Apple in the coming months and years. The company showed off its new iOS
8 HealthKit data hub, which will let consumers track health-related data,
during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. HealthKit includes a
corresponding app named Health, which can be used with third-party fitness
devices. Many medical institutions have already signed on as partners.
HealthKit is also expected to play a key role in Apple's much-anticipated
iWatch smartwatch, which could hit the market later this year or early next
year.
Apple also should improve battery life or at least keep the level stable.
And it's likely there will be better, higher-megapixel camera in the iPhone
6 than the camera tech in the iPhone 5S.
Carrie Chen, a 20-year-old Chinese exchange student studying at the
University of California, Berkeley, said she plans to ditch her Samsung
Galaxy S4 for the iPhone 6 to take advantage of what she believes will be a
better camera and better battery life. "I want to change my mobile phone
because the camera is so bad," she said. "And I like that [Apple's iOS
operating system] is more simple."
Another possible addition to the iPhone 6 could be a near field
communications, or NFC, chip. Such technology allows devices to transfer
small amounts of data between each other. Both gadgets must contain NFC
chips and must be closer than an inch to connect. Typically, NFC works by
tapping the two devices together to securely exchange data, such as credit
card information, train tickets, coupons, press releases, and more.
Samsung has been one of the biggest companies pushing the technology in
everything from smartphones to appliances. It released several ads that show
what users can do with NFC (like sharing videos by tapping two Galaxy S3
phones together), and it also has slammed the iPhone for its lack of sharing
capabilities. Still, internal documents and studies from experts in the
recent Apple v. Samsung trials showed NFC isn't one of the main factors
consumers consider when buying a new phone.
Apple has long been rumored to support NFC technology, but it's held off so
far. Schiller a few years ago said Apple's Passbook program -- which stores
tickets, loyalty cards, and other information -- did what customers needed
and worked without existing merchant payment systems.
But Apple is believed to be working on a new mobile payments system,
possibly for debut with the iPhone 6.
Mobile payments is a natural progression for Apple. The company already lets
hundreds of millions of iTunes users -- about 800 million, as of Apple's
earnings in April -- buy music, books, and apps through an iTunes account
linked to their credit cards. Expanding this payment process into a digital
wallet, or some other sort of mobile payment service, could be a feasible
shift for the company.
Cook said in January that Apple was intrigued by the idea of mobile payments
and using Apple's Touch ID feature as part of the implementation.
Ed Anuff, a 46-year-old San Franciscan, tends to buy a new iPhone every year
but skipped the 5S because it was "not that big of an upgrade." A bigger
screen will get him to upgrade, he said, but he'd also like to see mobile
payments and NFC in the new device. "Here in San Francisco, all the parking
meters have NFC payments," Anuff said. "I don't know if Apple would put it
in there, but I would find that [handy]. I never have quarters."
Apple's use of NFC in its mobile devices could also get more retailers on
board with mobile payments and could help the technology take off. But Apple
already uses Bluetooth, which comes standard in devices today, for many
things NFC can do.
Sapphire screens
Another rumored iPhone 6 feature -- and what analysts say is the least
likely -- is the use of sapphire screens. Considered the third-hardest
mineral, sapphire -- or synthetic sapphire in the case of smartphone screens
-- is seen by many as a sort of holy grail for phones because it's difficult
to break and nearly scratch resistant. Proponents of the substance claim
that it is stronger and tougher than Gorilla Glass, which is currently used
for the iPhone screens. Gorilla Glass maker Corning disagrees.
But sapphire is difficult and costly to produce. Analysts predict that Apple
would have to boost the cost of the iPhone if it offered sapphire screens.
And some say sapphire can't be manufactured cheaply and in the quantity
needed to meet iPhone demand. Apple could include it in some models of the
phone, but it may also wait until manufacturing improves.
It also could use a sort of sapphire/glass hybrid, said Gartner analyst Van
Baker. "If they figured out some way to do a hybrid or layering, that would
make sense," Baker said. "It would be much harder than Gorilla Glass but not
as hard as sapphire."
Either way, there's almost certain to be sapphire in at least one area of
the iPhone 6 -- the fingerprint sensor. The iPhone 5S included the harder
glass to protect both the home button (which contains the fingerprint
sensor), as well as the device's camera. Apple likely will implement
sapphire crystal in the same manner in the iPhone 6.
Apple's eventual use of sapphire would make phones that are much more damage
proof. But what's not clear is whether sapphire can help prevent cracked
screens better than Gorilla Glass. Still, sapphire would be something that
would set Apple's devices apart from rivals and give it an even more premium
status.
And it could stay that way for quite some time. Analysts say Apple has
secured the bulk of the world's sapphire for use in mobile devices through
its $578 million investment in manufacturer GT Advanced Technology.
Together, the companies opened a new facility in Mesa, Ariz., to build the
screens.
Apple's iPhone has long been the gold standard for smartphones. We'll find
out soon if that remains the case.
--Ben Fox Rubin contributed to this report.
http://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-6-sorting-through-the-fact-fiction-around-ap
ples-upcoming-smartphone/?tag=nl.e703&s_cid=e703&ttag=e703&ftag=CAD090e536
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