Yeah, nobody wanted this “minor” upgrade (that is, if you even believed that portion of the tech blogsphere which focused on the unchanged form factor). I wonder if that crow is tasting any good? As mentioned in a previous post, I believe the 4S will outsell the 4 (and by a good margin) even when taking into account the current $99 (with 2 year contract) low end entry point for a 4.
The comparison will of course be against the Samsung Galaxy S2 which will sell a lot as well due to its larger screen size. But thats the thing; the iPhone is following a somewhat (not written in stone) cyclical release pattern in terms of major form factor changes which means 2012 will likely see that major change (so if the 4S sells in the numbers I expect them to sell, the 5 will go through the roof). What will be interesting is how Apple plans to tackle a potential larger screen size since one of the main consistencies has been towards smaller/thinner (that is the hardware engineering challenge Apple strives for to outdo and obsolete what they’ve previously done). Given Apple’s Retina Display, I have doubts they will match the S2 screen size since it will be challenging enough to get yields for 4+” displays which meet Apple’s definition of a Retina Display.
Personally, I don’t always agree with this obsession of form over function because there is only so far one can go before it starting weighing on the overall practicality and usability; I’m one of those who believes a slight increase in the size (specifically the width as opposed to the length) would make the device the perfect size especially when shooting photos/videos in landscape. Going too thin also has the same effect where there is just less edge surface to hold it without your fingers getting in the way of the lens when shooting photos/videos. I know neither of these have much of an impact when it is used as a phone but these other important features should factor in to the overall usability where that functionality is not sacrificed just for the sake of form. Of course, there is only so large these touchscreen smartphones can go too (no one wants to be holding a 5+” inch brick to their ear) as there is a fine line when it comes to how portability is perceived based on how it is marketed.
Apple isn’t always perfect in this regards but out of most companies, they tend to think of these sort of things and come out with solutions which tends to do a pretty decent job at meeting a wide range of objectives. And this is why the iOS platform is such a juggernaut. Apple doesn’t just go with hardware specs because they look good on paper and then market it based on those specs.
