There everywhere, you can't escape them, and you certainly can't use them with just one hand. Large, big and tablet-sized smartphones are all the rage -- in the States that is. Apple's chosen a different path, and as a result has nailed their form factor and screen size design for a world wide audience.
Many in the U.S. seem to follow the ideal of Texas -- Bigger is better. Bigger TV's, bigger SUV's, and bigger smartphone screens, many of which are flat out absurd. When a "phone" (smart or not) can't fit into most most any pocket, that's probably the line where it isn't a phone at all. Could the experiment with 5-inch screens being called "phones" be coming to an end? The latest reports show Apple garnering 53% of the US smart phone market share, with Android devices in retreat, with most of these Android-based devices are deploying larger than 4" screens. Is the experiment with giant Velcro wallets and fat-screen smartphones over?
The U.S. may be catching on to what a majority of world has already figured out. Bigger isn't always better. Apple currently owes 70% of it's iPhone sales to international markets, and much of that growth is coming in Asia. Acting in a politically incorrect fashion is hardly in Apple's playbook, but there should be little doubt that Apple carefully considered Asian hand sizes and decided bigger (and wider) isn't better. One-hand operation can be critical at times, and any iPhone (including the iPhone 5) still fits that bill. If Apple spent thousands of hours getting their latest EarPods right (which are indeed comfortable and sound great), who would believe Apple didn't consider the hundreds of millions of hand sizes in Asian for the iPhone 5?
The US may be somewhat obsessed with the notion that bigger is better (compensation for some?...), but Apple's bringing the right sized iPhones to market that fit the best use case for most everyone, everywhere. If Apple is indeed growing it's lead over large screen Android devices in the U.S., then perhaps even those in Texas will be sporting svelt little iPhones in their holsters more often than not.
1 Comment
Peter ~ January 15, 2013 12:32