Thread: iPhone 2015 :D
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2014-09-20, 17:29

Going back to my wishes for an ongoing, current-spec 4" iPhone, I can't believe I never thought of a particular scenario some may deal with (and one that strikes home for me). 12 years ago, my sister had a stroke. She's fine now, married to a great guy, she's a stay-home mom (the only one I know, in fact), two healthy, smart kinds, etc. But she never fully regained usage of her left hand. She can place it (using her right hand) into a scenario to hold or brace something, if needed. But there's no true dexterity, strength or movement. It just kinda hangs there, for lack of a better word. She sometimes has to wear a stretcher(?) glove/brace thing to keep it from just withering (atrophy? I don't know the terminology) into a permanent closed/claw-like grip. But for ever a decade, she's done everything with her right hand...her remaining good hand (cooks, cleans, drives, types, takes care of herself, etc.). And she does really well. If you see her, you'd never know she had such a major medical issue. Early on, she walked with a limp, her face drooped a little and her speech was slurred...all that's gone now, thank goodness. The only remaining trace of what happened is her "dead" left hand.

She's 4-5" shorter than I am, and so her hands are certainly smaller than mine. At some point, Apple's (as things stand now) possible decision to not carry the 4" model forward (and just use the model as a "last year's offering") will be unfortunate. A 5.5" iPhone for her is definitely out, but just seeing how she uses her iPhone 5 (a "barely there" thumb-span, simply due to her being a smaller woman), I have serious doubts about her ability to get around well on the 4.7".

Granted, this is a very specific case. But through stroke, amputation, injury, nerve damage, birth defect, etc., there are people out there who only have a single fully-functioning hand...but they've been able to fully use and enjoy an iPhone for all these years. It's a shame that the dropping of the 4" (I know the 4" exists in the 5s and 5c...I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about two years from now if they decide to quite updating them, etc.) could have a true, real-world impact on users. I'm been talking about the loss of full one-handed use on the iPhone 6 models primarily from a "what I'm used to/what I prefer" standpoint...but in a pinch, I know I can always bring my other hand into the picture, if needed. My sister - and others - simply don't have that option.

As inclusive and big on diversity as Apple is - and with some many accessibility-related features built into iOS to help customers with certain handicaps or afflictions - it would be a shame that something like a hardware change would knock longtime, loyal users out of the running.

I fully believe - and can't be convinced otherwise - that the new iPhone 6 sizes should've been additions, and not replacements. In my opinion, more than ever, I believe Apple kinda goofed on this. It's like they said "everyone's squawking about bigger iPhones...okay, here!" and just completely threw out the perfectly-sized, used-by-gazillions 4" model. And if they don't rethink it for 2015/6s, that could result in some true frustration or disappointment for many on their next go-around. At some point, some people's time with an iPhone may be ticking down...there could be a time, 3-4 years from now, where there may not be a viable size for many users if the 4" is completely gone from the lineup. Apple shouldn't let that happen. There's no good reason to. Every app in the universe is designed for that size/resolution...the new 6 models are the weirdo anomalies, requiring developer effort and tweaking!

I sincerely hope that Apple puts the 4" model back into the mix of ongoing, future development. Five years from now, I'd love to see my sister - or anyone else - still being able to comfortably, and fully, use her 4" iPhone 8 (or whatever it's called).

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2014-09-20 at 17:44.
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