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Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? This is a serious question, because I keep seeing this being held as a response to customer demand, when actually few as

by personZ 12y ago

Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? This is a serious question, because I keep seeing this being held as a response to customer demand, when actually few asked for a thinner, lighter phone. They wanted a larger phone, for sure, but I think one would reasonably assume structural stability for a $1000 consumer device (often bought under a pay-as-you-go loan courtesy of carrier subsidization) under fairly normal conditions. Further this isn't "sitting on it" -- the issues seem to be coming via seemingly innocuous, but longer term, flexing in front pockets. Aluminum is not all or nothing, and will quite happily give slowly and gradually over hours. Maybe it's all overblown -- these things tend to be on new Apple releases -- but I don't see how some can so quickly resort to blame the customer antics.

DanBC 12y ago
> Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? I've never seen "thinner" nor "lighter". I have seen people asking for better battery life and that would mean fatter phones.
blisterpeanuts 12y ago
It would be an interesting marketing experiment if Apple released an alternative model that was fatter, e.g. the iPhone 6 Plus "Big Mac" Edition. This unit could have a fatter battery, a sturdier chassis, a USB socket or two, and a memory slot. See how much acceptance of a thicker handset there is. Apple's so secretive and protective of their devices that they're clearly reluctant to field test interesting new models, except maybe internally in a controlled environment. But this is precisely what they, and all manufacturers, ought to be doing.
- bananaj 12y ago
  I think this is as thin as phones are going to get. The camera is going to be the limiting factor, the bump that Apple now have proves this. However, I may be wrong and some kind of pop-out lens assembly is the solution to this. In that case, eventually the width of the Lightning port will be the limiting factor (I'm assuming Apple will probably obsolete the headphone jack within 5 years once they work out how to recharge headphones regularly and easily)
joezydeco 12y ago
If size and weight didn't matter, the reviews wouldn't talk about it. Yet here we are. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-iphone-6-plus-vs-htc-one-m8-compared-which-one-should-you-buy http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-ipho...
- personZ 12y ago
  Reviewers talk about whatever the manufacturer holds up as a feature. That has nothing to do with consumer demand. Further of course they "matter" in that you want a device to be comfortable, but your notion that customers of Apple devices demanded thinner or lighter is specious -- I have literally never seen anyone complain about prior iterations going back several generations being too thick or too heavy. It is not something anyone seemed to cry out for, despite your quick blame-the-user assessment.
kissickas 12y ago
Now that you have me thinking about it, the only reason I would ever want my phone to be thin is so it doesn't bulge out of my front pockets. This is why the Razr was so awesome. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why thinner would be better.
- hyperpape 12y ago
  Some people take their phones on a run.
hyperpape 12y ago
How many high-selling phones do you see that have the thickness of an iPhone 4? The trend is towards thinner and lighter. Maybe the phone manufacturers are wrong, but in general we expect our technology to get thinner and lighter. That said, it has reached the point where I'd be ok to have slightly more weight and thickness for sturdiness and battery life. I just think thin and light are things people want.
- personZ 12y ago
  The trend is towards thinner and lighter. The trend is towards a comfortable size, beyond which thinness stopped being a big selling point. The Galaxy S5, for example, is thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 4 is thicker than the Note 3. Contrary to common notions, Apple occasionally chases specs, and the thin and light thing seems to be one of them (just as unobtanium type materials often make a big presence in Apple devices -- material specs -- regardless of suitability for purpose). Apple makes fantastic devices, but just as some other manufacturers chase irrelevant things like octal core processors and truly absurd pixel densities, Apple does the same "not for your benefit, but for our bragging" pursuits.
  - hyperpape 12y ago
    Huh--I think I've been sniped by the larger screens and curves of my coworkers' Android phones. They look thinner than my 5S, but they're about the same thickness--sometimes even more. My assumption was that Apple had been playing a game of leapfrogging vs Android phones on thinness.
RealGeek 12y ago
> Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? Probably the same people who use OtterBox & LifeProof cases on iPhone. Most iPhone users slap on ugly cases to protect their beautiful iPhones. Wouldn't it be much better if Apple builds an iPhone sturdy enough that it doesn't require a case?

by personZ 12y ago

DanBC 12y ago

> Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? I've never seen "thinner" nor "lighter". I have seen people asking for better battery life and that would mean fatter phones.

blisterpeanuts 12y ago

It would be an interesting marketing experiment if Apple released an alternative model that was fatter, e.g. the iPhone 6 Plus "Big Mac" Edition. This unit could have a fatter battery, a sturdier chassis, a USB socket or two, and a memory slot. See how much acceptance of a thicker handset there is. Apple's so secretive and protective of their devices that they're clearly reluctant to field test interesting new models, except maybe internally in a controlled environment. But this is precisely what they, and all manufacturers, ought to be doing.

bananaj 12y ago
I think this is as thin as phones are going to get. The camera is going to be the limiting factor, the bump that Apple now have proves this. However, I may be wrong and some kind of pop-out lens assembly is the solution to this. In that case, eventually the width of the Lightning port will be the limiting factor (I'm assuming Apple will probably obsolete the headphone jack within 5 years once they work out how to recharge headphones regularly and easily)

joezydeco 12y ago

If size and weight didn't matter, the reviews wouldn't talk about it. Yet here we are. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-iphone-6-plus-vs-htc-one-m8-compared-which-one-should-you-buy http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-ipho...

personZ 12y ago
Reviewers talk about whatever the manufacturer holds up as a feature. That has nothing to do with consumer demand. Further of course they "matter" in that you want a device to be comfortable, but your notion that customers of Apple devices demanded thinner or lighter is specious -- I have literally never seen anyone complain about prior iterations going back several generations being too thick or too heavy. It is not something anyone seemed to cry out for, despite your quick blame-the-user assessment.

kissickas 12y ago

Now that you have me thinking about it, the only reason I would ever want my phone to be thin is so it doesn't bulge out of my front pockets. This is why the Razr was so awesome. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why thinner would be better.

hyperpape 12y ago
Some people take their phones on a run.

hyperpape 12y ago

How many high-selling phones do you see that have the thickness of an iPhone 4? The trend is towards thinner and lighter. Maybe the phone manufacturers are wrong, but in general we expect our technology to get thinner and lighter. That said, it has reached the point where I'd be ok to have slightly more weight and thickness for sturdiness and battery life. I just think thin and light are things people want.

personZ 12y ago
The trend is towards thinner and lighter. The trend is towards a comfortable size, beyond which thinness stopped being a big selling point. The Galaxy S5, for example, is thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 4 is thicker than the Note 3. Contrary to common notions, Apple occasionally chases specs, and the thin and light thing seems to be one of them (just as unobtanium type materials often make a big presence in Apple devices -- material specs -- regardless of suitability for purpose). Apple makes fantastic devices, but just as some other manufacturers chase irrelevant things like octal core processors and truly absurd pixel densities, Apple does the same "not for your benefit, but for our bragging" pursuits.
- hyperpape 12y ago
  Huh--I think I've been sniped by the larger screens and curves of my coworkers' Android phones. They look thinner than my 5S, but they're about the same thickness--sometimes even more. My assumption was that Apple had been playing a game of leapfrogging vs Android phones on thinness.

RealGeek 12y ago

> Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? Probably the same people who use OtterBox & LifeProof cases on iPhone. Most iPhone users slap on ugly cases to protect their beautiful iPhones. Wouldn't it be much better if Apple builds an iPhone sturdy enough that it doesn't require a case?