iPhone 6 Thoughts

The thing that struck me as most interesting about the iPhone 6 is that it’s the first time since the launch of the iPhone where I haven’t been 100% sure without reservation that I want the new iPhone. I am very comfortable with the size of the iPhone 5/5S, and I am hesitant to move up. All reports point to the 6 feeling much better in the hand than the 5, and even talked about how the 5 felt uncomfortable when stretching the thumb to the corner of the screen. I didn’t have any real issue with the size of the 5, but I can understand how it might have been a problem for those with smaller hands. While I’m optimistic that the 6 will not feel significantly larger in the hand than the 5, the 5 was approaching my limit of what size a smartphone should be.
I am dismayed that Apple did not create any 4” option moving forward. I think that maybe my expectations are simply too high. Or are they? Apple already has the shell, the hardware, the know-how, and the machinery to make a 4” iPhone 6. It’s called the 5th-generation iPod touch. The Retina HD display used for the 4.7” panel can surely be scaled down to a 4” size. This reduction would similarly reduce the necessity of a larger battery to accommodate the screen. The camera protruding would also not be an issue as it has protruded on the iPod touch since the 5th generation’s inception. Assuming the A8/associated hardware is the same size as the A7 (and that’s probably a big assumption), that would fit as is. The main issues I see occurring is that the enlarged battery in the 4.7” model makes up for a power-hungry A8 processor, and it wouldn’t play in a 4” form factor. Alas, the phone I want isn’t to be.
The two most important deciding factors for the 6 vs. 5S given the minor boost in CPU (I believe that this is the smallest incremental increase since pre-A5 days) are the hand feel/size, and the camera.

My hesitance about the size of the iPhone 6 should make it obvious that the 6 Plus is almost entirely out of the question. I freely admit that I haven’t even considered a ‘phablet’ as a reasonable alternative to a typical smartphone, but I’ve never really experienced an issue with the size of the keyboard or screen on the 5. I’ve never thought to myself “Wow, I wish this screen was bigger”, and even as I own an iPad mini, I’ve never thought “Phew, I’m glad the screen is this big.”