"""
...but if Apple doesn’t offer a larger display option soon then I believe it will lose some users not because of cross shopping, but out of frustration.
"""
I don't get this huge screen trend for phones. That's not a smart move from an ergonomics perspective. Almost person person that has a phone with a big screen has to use both hands to comfortably use the phone, one to touch and the other to hold.
One would argue that more pixels == more content. But that's not an issue with iPhone 5 even though was with previous models. I mean, not an issue if you don't have ads taking up your precious pixels. And that is easily solvable by paying for your content and apps which has other benefits too.
Anyway, I feel the iPhone 5 screen size is perfect. And I still have one hand free to do whatever I want. I think more pixels are not more useful than a hand. People who think that too won't get phones with cumbersome screens, unless they have huge hands.
Almost everything looks better on my wife's bigger Galaxy Note 2 screen compared to my Galaxy S2 screen. I can see more TODOs in my toodledo.com task manager (my primary usage), you can read more without scrolling in your browser, YouTube videos are a pleasure; it's like you're traveling with a mini-home-theater that can fit in your pocket, and using the stylus to make handwritten notes is actually practical.
I hardly notice the issue of having to use two hands to hold the phone. On the other hand, if you have to look at your phone while walking, which is uncomfortable when using a smaller screen and dangerous (bumping into people; maybe even uncivil towards others, come to think of it), the larger text on a larger screen makes it more comfortable and you get done taking a glance at what you want more quickly.
In the US, unlike here in Hong Kong, there seems to be a stigma attached to holding a large screen phone, almost as if people are extremely worried about looking uncool. In Hong Kong, the recognition of the practical advantages of the larger screen and the shift away from Apple to Android phones was overnight; the pace at which everyone adopted the Galaxy Note 2 (and other Android phones) after the iPhone 5 was fairly dramatic. I wish there were some statistics on this.
Apple users always emphasize how things "feel". When I come back to my iPhone after having used an Android phone for a few days, I feel cramped. I feel like I'm constantly scrolling and zooming. I'd love a bigger screen. The thing is, "I feel the iPhone 5 screen size is perfect"... for YOU. Lots of people said the iPhone 4 screen size was perfect and Apple would never change that. Lots of people are buying the Galaxy Note devices too (especially in Asia).
I think certain kinds of content just look better on a big screen ex: videos and images. Also, if you have a limited budget you are not buying both a phone and a tablet (for the bigger screen to consume content). Instead you could buy a phablet to do both. So trade off one handed use for your phone against the cost of a tablet and not having access to the tablet at times. That's the tradeoff from the consumer's standpoint. From Apple's standpoint, they would have to design a phablet that works wells and can be economically produced. So for example, if they want the same quality screen as the iPhone, would the screen have really low yield rates and would thus be uneconomical to produce? Are there issue with building a larger aluminium frame? Do they have higher priorities or different products that they want to create?
I don't get this huge screen trend for phones. That's not a smart move from an ergonomics perspective. Almost person person that has a phone with a big screen has to use both hands to comfortably use the phone, one to touch and the other to hold.
One would argue that more pixels == more content. But that's not an issue with iPhone 5 even though was with previous models. I mean, not an issue if you don't have ads taking up your precious pixels. And that is easily solvable by paying for your content and apps which has other benefits too.
Anyway, I feel the iPhone 5 screen size is perfect. And I still have one hand free to do whatever I want. I think more pixels are not more useful than a hand. People who think that too won't get phones with cumbersome screens, unless they have huge hands.