14 DAY TRIAL // Marco Arment, the guy behind the popular offline reading app Instapaper, is making a great case for Apple’s rumored iPhone “Plus.” Using a few simple Photoshop renditions, Arment shows why a five-inch screen makes sense, even for Apple.
Recently referred to as iPhone “Math” in what is probably the dumbest Apple rumor to surface in years, this allegedly bigger iPhone would sport a 4.94-inch screen (let’s all agree on “5-inch” to spare the energy).
The problem most pundits see with this theory is that Apple would not only force manufacturers to completely re-think their assembly lines, but would also give developers headaches, as they’d be required to re-write their apps.
Marco says “not so.”
“The recently rumored, larger-screened ‘iPhone Math,’ or more likely ‘iPhone Plus,’ is plausible as an additional model (not a replacement) alongside the 4” iPhone,” Arment believes, adding that “there’s a good chance that it would have a 4.94”, 16:9 screen.”
The Instapaper developer continues, noting that “Its 640 × 1136, 264 DPI screen would measure 4.94” diagonally, and it would look roughly like this next to an iPhone 5,” pointing to the first image displayed above (click to enlarge).
Arment explains that “by keeping the pixel dimensions the same as the iPhone 5, no app changes would be necessary.”
He also notes that one-handed use would probably score low marks, but “two-handed use would actually be easier because the touch targets would all be larger, and UIKit’s standard metrics and controls still work well at that physical size.”
The developer further builds a solid case for the 5-inch iPhone with a rendition of the phone alongside existing iDevices, to show what it would look in Apple’s lineup.
He also places the image next to images of rival handsets, appropriately noting that “The iPhone has lost a significant number of sales by buyers either wanting a larger screen or being drawn to how much better the large screens look in stores.”
Give Arment’s blog entry a glance and come back here to share your thoughts with us. His theory certainly sounds plausible. Let’s hope Arment hasn’t overlooked any important aspects that might prevent this attractive theory from becoming reality.