We’ve seen rumors of Apple’s claimed interest in launching new, larger iPhones throughout the recent months, and it’s clear that those rumors aren’t going to go away any time soon after Bloomberg today got in on the speculation action.
Citing a source that didn’t want to be named for obvious reasons, Bloomberg is today reporting that Apple will launch not one new, larger iPhone, but two.
The source has reportedly told Bloomberg that the iPhone maker is set to bring a 4.7-inch device to market late next year, with an even larger 5.5-inch device also on the cards for those that have Hulk-sized hands and pockets the size of manila envelopes. You know, the kind that you can fit a MacBook Air into.
Just to put those two sizes into perspective, the iPhone 5 comes equipped with a 4-inch display. The 4.7-inch iPhone would be a considerable bump in screen real estate anyway, but that 5.5-inch option would rival the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 which features a display that is a rather huge 5.7-inches across its diagonal. Quite the departure from the iPhone 4S’s 3.5-inch screen, isn’t it?
Alongside the new, larger screens, Bloomberg’s anonymous source claims that the devices will also feature curved screens as well as a new, pressure sensitive touch layer in later versions.
Two models planned for release in the second half of next year will feature larger displays with glass that curves downward at the edges, said the person, declining to be identified as the details aren’t public. Sensors that can distinguish heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models, the person said.
We have absolutely no doubt that Apple is at least testing iPhones of differing screen sizes, but there is a big difference between testing and getting ready to bring to market. While we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a larger iPhone launch this time next year, we’re somewhat skeptical about the idea of two new iPhones being brought to market with two different screen sizes. We suspect iOS app developers wouldn’t be overly enamored with the idea, either.
Fragmentation, fragmentation, fragmentation.
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