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Apple’s iPhone 6 To Do List Shows 7 Potential Upgrades

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The iPhone 6 features a larger display according to the latest rumors and a new series of slides and data from the Apple vs Samsung court trail add to the speculation of a new iPhone with a bigger display and a more durable design.

Samsung and Apple are fighting it out in the courts over allegations that Samsung stole Apple designs to launch the Galaxy line of smartphones. While the iPhone 5s vs Galaxy S5 fight wages on in stores this month the two companies are arguing their case in courts, which led to the reveal of several slides and documents that show Apple is well aware of the need for an iPhone 6 with a bigger display.

The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s share a 4-inch display with an 1136 x 640 resolution which was the average size of a smartphone released in 2012, but just two years later the average smartphone screen size is nearly 5-inches and comes with a higher resolution.

A new series of slides shared by Re/Code shows an Apple internal document with data on larger screens. The slides show that Apple is aware of slowing iPhone growth that is tied to consumer demand for larger screens and cheaper smartphones. Also at play is the “drastically improved” hardware and ecosystem for Android smartphones.

The Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8 both offer a better overall user experience than the 2012 models from these companies and there is a bigger selection of apps and accessories for Android than in 2011 and 2012 as well, rounding out the customer experience.

A courtroom battle reveals Apple is well aware of the need for a larger screen.

A courtroom battle reveals Apple is well aware of the need for a larger screen.

In the Apple planning slides from April 2, 2013 Apple shows, “consumers want what we don’t have.” This is a smartphone with a larger screen or a smartphone that is less than $300. In this case the price is not clarified, but most likely means an off contract price.

Smartphone screen sizes are trending upward over the last few years.

Smartphone screen sizes are trending upward over the last few years.

The chart above shows the growth in average smartphone screen size over the last several years, illustrating the consumer preference for a larger smartphone. 

Apple’s iPhone 6 To Do List

Another iPhone document from the trial, shared by Jay Yarow, outlines seven things iPhone 5 owners would change. This list of changes came from early iPhone buyers.

  1. Longer battery life
  2. Improve built-in Maps
  3. Bigger screen
  4. Unhappy with switch to lighting
  5. Ability to customize the look and function of the phone
  6. Improve Siri functionality
  7. More durable/less fragile

This list reads like a to do list for the iPhone 6 that rumors suggest Apple is already working on for a 2014 release. Here’s a quick look at how these features could appear based on current rumors.

Longer iPhone Battery Life on iPhone 6

We are still waiting for specific iPhone 6 battery life details, but a new type of RAM that Apple could put into an iPhone and an iPad point to better battery life. If Apple makes the iPhone 6 larger we could also see a bigger battery slipped inside the phone.

Better Apple Maps

Apple pushed a better Apple Maps to users with iOS 7 last fall, and with an iOS 8 release consumers could see a better Apple Maps experience once again. Apple kicked Google Maps out with the iPhone 5 and continues to work towards an improved set of data and user experience.

iPhone 6 with a Bigger Screen

Consumers wanted a larger iPhone display as far back as 2012.

Consumers wanted a larger iPhone display as far back as 2012.

The most repeated iPhone 6 rumor is that Apple is planning a new iPhone with a bigger screen. The iPhone 6 display rumors don’t stop at one device either. We continue to hear about an iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch display and another iPhone 6 with a larger 5.5-inch or 5.7-inch display. These are not confirmed, but with multiple analysts and supply chain sources in agreement, it is one of the most likely iPhone 6 rumors to come true.

Rumors suggest Apple invested a billion dollars on new companies to deliver a better screen on the iPhone 6.

Lightning Cable

After nearly two years the displeasure for Lightning is slowly fading away as users adopt the new cable and buy new accessories with less anger. The reversible design is a favorite feature for many users.

Still, there are a number of iPhone owners that want a more durable iPhone Lightning cable. Check out the Lightning cable reviews to see more complaints.

Customize Look and Function of iPhone

The iPhone design and the iOS 7 software don’t offer a lot of customization to users. One of the prime reasons people jailbreak is to install an iOS 7 theme that changes the look of the iPhone, but it is not something everyone is willing to do.

Here are the best iOS 7 themes around. Find these iOS 7 Winterboard themes on Cydia and via downloads.

Users told Apple they would like to customize the iPhone.

Apple responded in part with a third iPhone 5s color in 2013 and multiple iPhone 5c color options as well. For the iPhone 6 we are hearing rumors of enhanced color options that could include iPhone 5c-like options on a larger iPhone 6.

We also see this desire for customization appear from time to time in the form of free iPhone apps like LockScreen for iOS 7 jumping to the top of the free app charts.

The HTC One M8 includes a theme option to pick a new color theme for the smartphone, but it is not clear if Apple is willing to offer something similar in iOS 8.

Better Siri with iOS 8 and iPhone 6

Apple confirmed the purchase of a voice recognition company that brings new tech and new talent to Apple which could deliver a better Siri experience for millions of users.

Apple could use a new purchase to deliver a better Siri in iOS 8 this year.

Apple could use a new purchase to deliver a better Siri in iOS 8 this year.

Apple bought Novauris in 2013, which includes technology that can detect a phrase instead of just a word, which could lead to an overall improvement in Siri. This new technology could arrive with iOS 8, though there is no guarantee.

More Durable Design

Apple already responded to the durable design complaint in part with the iPhone 5s. The black iPhone 5 model showed scratches very easily, but the new space gray iPhone 5s model is more resistant to scratches on the aluminum frame.

While there is not much in the way of waterproof iPhone 6 rumors, Apple secured a patent for a moisture barrier in the iPhone 6 display.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is water-resistant, which means it can survive up to 30 minutes in a meter of water. This could be part of a trend to delivering a smartphone that can survive the day-today accidents that would normally render an iPhone useless.

What’s Missing from the iPhone 6 To Do List?

This list does not include an iPhone 6 with more storage. This is something Gotta Be Mobile publisher Xavier Lanier wants with an iPhone 6 release. Apple sells the iPhone 5s with a  16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage, which is enough for a large number of users.

Power users on the other hand often complain about limited storage, even on the 64GB model, with growing app sizes, larger HD movie files and large photo libraries.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Sammy

    04/07/2014 at 7:02 pm

    what day in april is this coming out this is a def buy for me?!?!?!

  2. Rb

    04/11/2014 at 11:26 am

    They HAVE to increase battery life in these new iPhone’s. I don’t care if the iPhone 6 is the same size of the iPhone 4 to make up for the battery size within, it has to happen! The same Supposed 10 hour battery life being introduced year after year in the iPhone is just unacceptable! Apple has the money to either research or hell, even create new and drastically improved battery tech. Look at both the SGS5, and M8 with the Snapdragon 801, and both of those devises can just about last a whole day (from 6am till 10pm or so) with very heavy usage, while my iPhone 5 has to be charged at least twice a day. I really hate to say it, but if Apple doesn’t get its shit together with the iPhone 6’s battery life, I will be forced to jump ship, while crying, to an Android device which really sucks because I’ve taken the plunge to Android a few times in my smartphone owning life, and I ALWAYS come back to drink more Kool-Aid in the end.

  3. Floyd

    05/01/2014 at 10:16 pm

    @RB
    What kind of intensive apps do you run to have to normally recharge multiple times a day? I’ve using the 4S for two years and the only times I’ve had to recharge more than once a day is when I use GPS or play large games for at least two hours. You might want to close your apps when you aren’t using them. I’ve used a Galaxy S4 with GPS for a 2.5 hour trip I normally take and the battery life was comparable to my 4S.

  4. Jamie

    05/18/2014 at 12:10 pm

    You are right on Floyd. My 5s has a very good battery life.

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