Tim Cook Comments on 5-Inch Phone Market, Reiterates Commitment to Quality Over Size

iphone_5_black_frontThere have been numerous rumors claiming that Apple is working on an iPhone with a larger screen to compete with phones from competitors like Samsung, but Tim Cook's comments during today's Q2 financial results call indicate that the company is not quite ready to make a phone with a 5-inch screen.

My view continues to be that iPhone 5 has the best display in the industry. We always strive to create the very best display. Some customers value large screen size. Others value other factors such as resolution, color quality, white balance, reflectivity, power consumption, compatibility of apps, and portability. Our competitors have made some significant tradeoffs in many of these areas to ship a larger display. We would not ship a larger display iPhone while these tradeoffs exist.

It appears that Apple will not be releasing an iPhone with a larger screen until the company's manufacturing partners can supply it with a 5-inch screen that meets its demanding criteria.

The above quote is from a rough transcript of the earnings call

Top Rated Comments

Razeus Avatar
139 months ago
So be it. HTC One, here I come. I'm looking for bigger screen, not narrower.
Score: 80 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eric/ Avatar
139 months ago
Definitely ok with this. I don't really care for a 5 inch screen. It's not a feature. I don't want a giant phone I can't hold in one hand. Trying to keep inching in every single size imaginable just because Samsung and LG do it would be a mistake. What's next? Build a 6 inch iPhone?

If you want a bigger screen, go buy a tablet. Oh wait, you probably already have one. And a 10 inch tablet. And a laptop. And a desktop.
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ssimpson205 Avatar
139 months ago
Are you kidding me?

Delusional. But what else would you expect from a guy who has destroyed 5 times more investor value in one year than Bernie Madoff stole in a lifetime?

If Apple thinks they can wish away the changing reality of the market, they (and their stockholders) are going to be in for very rude awakening. There is absoutely *nothing* I can do with my phone on a 4" screen that I can't do better on a 5" screen. 4.7" is the bare minimum these days - Apple is still trying to compete with phones that were obsolete two years ago.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TennisandMusic Avatar
139 months ago
I don't care if Tim says they think 4 inches is the right size for a phone, but he straight up lied about the trade offs. I wish they wouldn't do this. How can they keep saying this stuff when the evidence completely flies in the face of such a statement? It's bizarre.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wiesenlooser Avatar
139 months ago
The HTC ONE's display is magnificient and bests the iPhone 5's in every category.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
139 months ago
Seems like a throw away comment. The 'competitors' havent really had to sacrifice quality for a larger screen. He's effectively saying that the iPad and iPad Mini screen's are of poor quality there, as they are larger than the iPhone screen.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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