Apple logo
Apple is reportedly evaluating a plan to offer iPhones with screens ranging from 4.8 inches to as big as 6 inches.
A 6-inch iPhone – which would be two
inches bigger than Apple’s current iPhone 5 model – would fall into
the so-called ‘phablet’ category, being the same size as the Acer Liquid
S2 and fitting in-between Samsung’s 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 and its
6.3-inch Galaxy Mega.
Devices of that size are not expected to
appear among the ones that Apple is unveiling next Tuesday. However, a
report in The Wall Street Journal indicates that Apple could be
considering an entire family of screen sizes for upcoming iPhone
releases.
This would match the approach that Apple
has taken with the iPad and iPod lineups, which consist of multiple
products in varying sizes. The iPhone is currently the only Apple
product family that does not offer a choice of screen sizes on the
newest model.
This is just the latest in a series of
reports to suggest that Apple is experimenting with larger iPhone
displays. In July the WSJ suggested the tech giant has been testing
iPhone screens ranging up to 5.7 inches, while a similar report from
Reuters in June claimed the company was working on both a 4.7-inch and
5.7-inch screen.
The rumours suggest that Apple is
shifting its smartphone strategy in response to increased competition
from its South Korean rival Samsung, which has released numerous
products in different sizes and prices in order to cater to a broad
swath of customers – particularly in India and China.
A recent report by market research firm
IDC revealed that ‘phablets’ (smartphones with screen sizes of 5 to just
under 7 inches) overtook shipments of both laptops and tablets in Asia
in the second quarter of 2013. The growth of phablets was primarily due
to adoption in emerging markets, according to IDC.
0 comments:
Post a Comment