Since last summer, iPhone users have been calling for a larger, edge-to-edge screen for the iPhone 5. New rumors are suggesting that it might be on its way. But will a 4-inch screen dramatically improve the iPhone experience?
iPhone gawkers have been rubbernecking the 2011 class of Android smartphones — some of which sport big slabs ‘o touch screens — and have been jonesing for a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen for the upcoming iPhone 5. Rumors today abound that they just might get it: 9to5Mac, along with a hoarde of other tech media outlets, have shed light onto app maker SpeechTrans’ recent mock-ups of new Nuance-powered apps that feature the app’s GUI on both framed iPhone 4 screens as well as a smooth, edge-to-edge screen that could be consistent with the iPhone 5.
Pop over to our new iPhone 5 News Ticker site for a peek into three great stories on the new photos and rumor. Read more below for a different perspective on this new piece of news:
The iPhone 5 Edge-to-Edge Screen Question Goes Existential
In an effort to think out of the box, push the envelope, and use some other cliché to mull over the prospect of an edge-to-edge screen, I’ve challenged myself (and now, by extension, you, fellow iPhone 5′er), to ponder this deep and awe-inspiring question: why do we want a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen for the iPhone 5, and will it significantly improve the interactive experience with our favorite smartphone?
At present, we have a 3.5-inch screen to work with, framed by a thin bezel. The best-case scenario we can hope for on the iPhone 5 is an indulgent, 4-inch screen that seemingly goes to the very edge of the chassis, then disappears off the edge. The addition of an extra .5 inch (measured diagonally across the screen) is not completely superfluous, and by removing the bezel and utilizing more surface area of the chassis, the iPhone 5 can sport a bigger screen without growing significantly in overall size and area, which is a good thing.
But all in all, is the desire for a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone 5 all about aesthetics?
There is no doubt that the edge-to-edge screen looks cool, and very much fits into Apple’s tradition of simple, minimalist designs. I’ve seen some mock-ups that depict the iPhone 5 with an edge-to-edge screen both top and bottom and left to right, making the entire surface a touch surface. It would indeed look beautiful yet spartan — a device that taps into the mysterious spectre of the black monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s classic science fiction tableau 2001: A Space Odyssey.
(Ok — I’m getting a wee bit esoteric here, but I think you get the point.)
I now come from a multi-platform, multi-touch screen family, wherein we have the dual screened Kyrocera Echo (Droid) and an iPad 2 to go along with our iPhone. To be sure, the user experience between the iPhone and iPad 2 is significant — we’re talking about almost 6 inches of difference here. But between the iPhone and the Echo — which sports a dual-screened design that actually folds out into a kind of mini tablet, really isn’t as game-changing as you may think. It sucks battery life, and really doesn’t offer that much more workability than simply using the phone in its horizontal view. The Echo does allow you to multi-task by using the separate screens simultaneously with two different apps (great for doing e-mail and Internet at once), but when used together as one large screen, it isn’t all that great.
This isn’t to say that a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen would or should be seen as a “fail” by any means — even if a larger screen turns out to be less utilitarian than we all imagined, there is always something to be said for aesthetics, and how something looks and feels as enhancing your experience and interaction with it. For my part, I am still in search of the defining feature of the iPhone 5 — the pièce de résistance — that will come to define it as unique and marketing-leading. I’m not so sure that the 4-inch screen will do the trick.
What do you think? Am I just bull goose looney for not thinking that a 4-inch edge-to-edge screen will be a mind-blowing feature for the iPhone 5? Let us know how you think the larger screen could make a world of difference for the iPhone experience, or if I’m onto something here in my thinking.
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