Why there Will or Won't be a Smaller Apple iPhone

Rumors of an iPhone Mini and iPhone Nano have been doing their rounds for a very long time now. We think that it is something that people desire and we had even written about it a while back. However, so far no such devices have seen the light of day, which seems to suggest that Apple is sticking to its "best or nothing" theory for its product line. As consolation, Apple keeps manufacturing the earlier generation model -- currently it is the 3GS, along with their most recent flagship (the iPhone 4). But the iPhone 3GS isn't substantially cheaper, especially in a country like ours where the official pricing (Rs. 35,500) is downright horrible.

Apple seems to have finally turned its attention to the matter, as more and more news of a smaller iPhone keep cropping up these days. So far, we know that it could roughly be either half or two-thirds the size of the original, will be sold without a contract for anything between USD 200 to 300 (Rs. 9,115 to Rs. 13,675), will have some form of voice-based input and an edge-to-edge screen. So, what are the pros and cons if the company actually goes ahead with this?

I, Rohan Naravane, believe that an iPhone Mini is the need of the hour, while my colleague Prasad Naik has a different perspective, which suggests that an iPhone Mini doesn't fit in Apple's product portfolio.

Why Apple Should Make an iPhone Mini

First and foremost because the iPhone's contract free price is out of reach for many among us. This is where Google's Android based phones are using this opportunity to capitalize by giving a similar functionality at a cost that's at least 50 percent lower. For example, hardware-to-hardware, the LG Optimus One P500 isn't any different from the iPhone 3GS, yet sells for almost one third of the latter's official India price. On the software front, Android's UI is fairly intuitive, the support for apps is second to none. I cannot think of a task that can be done on the iPhone but that cannot be done on the Android phone.

India and China are two countires that have witnessed fast growth in cellphone usage. Although the iPhone was well received in China, the Indian response was ironically lukewarm and we wonder why. Before all the inexpensive Androids eat up this market, Apple should have at least one weapon to fight back.

Back in 2007 when the iPhone just came out, there was NOTHING like it and Apple absolutely deserved to charge their customers a premium for it. But today? If you look around, all the other manufacturers and mobile OS makers have devices that are equally cool and equally functional, if not better. Is iPhone 4 a great smartphone? Of course yes, but it does not have the privilege of standing alone at the top like it did four years ago. And with every new iPhone-killer launch, Apple loses more and more potential iPhone consumers.

Is it possible to make an iPhone Mini without a big compromise? Of course. The rumors suggest a phone that's smaller, yet have an edge-to-edge display. After using phones with 3.2 inch displays like the HTC Wildfire, we feel that screen size is quite fair. Despite being 0.3 inches smaller than the iPhone's 3.5-inch display, HTC could accommodate a big enough portrait mode on-screen QWERTY, which did not feel cramped at all. But if it is any smaller, typing could be an issue. But hey, before the iPad launch, people had hoped for Apple to come up with some innovative way to type, but all it did was put a big-ass version of the same iOS keyboard there, and people got used to it.

Having consistency with display resolutions is Apple's forte, as it keeps developers happy by not having to redesign their apps differently. The iPhone 4's quadrupled resolution (960 x 640 pixels) over previous iPhones is still the best display in terms of pixels per inch (PPI) one can buy today. So, that can be passed over to the iPhone 5, while the iPhone 3GS's 480 x 320 pixels can be put into the smaller non-IPS display of the iPhone Mini -- which would at least look crisper than how it looks on a bigger 3.5-inch display.

There's talk of leftover internal components of the iPhone 4 being used in this smaller iteration. Hell yeah, while the iPhone 5 gets a dual-core processor treatment, the current fastest Apple A4 architecture should make the iPhone Mini fly (and very unlike how laggy the iPhone 3G has become post the iOS 4 update). Journalists across the world have lauded the 5 megapixel back-illuminated sensor on the iPhone 4, so possibly that could even be carried onto the iPhone 5.

In that case, the iPhone Mini could have the 3.2 megapixel sensor of the iPhone 3GS, with 720p HD video recording capability like the newest generation iPod Touch. Hey, I would have liked that 5 megapixel camera, but feasibility would trump desire if they actually sell it for USD 200. Rest of the things like 3G, Wi-fi, GPS chips and the accelerometer/gyro will obviously stay.

Lastly, in my opinion an iPhone Mini will do nothing to hurt Apple. Just like how an iPod Touch somewhat acts like a gateway to a person actually considering an iPhone to be his next cellphone, the iPhone Mini too could coax people to upgrade to its big brother in the future. If there isn't an iPhone Mini ever, people obviously look at Android for the answer. And what happens when they want to swap their entry-level Android phone with something better? How many will want to crossover to the iOS side, as opposed to purchasing a Google Phone?

I end by saying that even if it's a little late, the iPhone Mini still has a great potential, especially in a country like India. 

Why Apple won't make an iPhone mini

If I had to make a list of things that can never exist, the iPhone mini would be right on top, along with the iPad mini and unicorns. Why I don't think it is never going to happen? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

Firstly, because Apple never really cared about the budget segment. If the iPhone mini has to exist the sole reason for its existence would be lower price, which would make it accessible to more number of people, and that's something Apple never really cared about. Sure, they are more than happy to boast about the number of sales of their product at every one of their keynotes but they still pride themselves in being a niche player, aiming more for quality than quantity.

That's the reason why there was never a budget Mac. The Mac mini cannot really be called a budget machine considering its price and also the fact that it does not come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor. So why would they break their tradition now and come up with a budget model?

To make a budget product, one has to make compromises on several aspects to meet that price point. Apple is one company that would never compromise on the experience of a product simply to make it cheaper. They would rather not make that product at all. That's the Apple way of doing things. Do it right or don't do it at all.

A smaller iPhone would need a smaller display. That would negatively impact a lot of things, usability of the touchscreen being the most important one. The iOS UI elements have been designed for a particular size. A smaller display would make them smaller and hence unusable. Ever wondered why Apple did not increase the size of the iPhone 4's display? That's because it would change the UI element's size as well. That's why Apple chose to increase the resolution without changing the size of any of the UI elements. They are exactly of the same size, just sharper on the iPhone 4.

A smaller display would have a cramped keypad. Other manufacturers may think that is acceptable, but Apple won't.
A smaller form-factor will also necessitate a smaller battery. Ever seen Apple compromise on battery life? Ever seen battery life go down on a newer generation Apple product? Never. It always goes up.

Lastly, ever wondered what will happen to the iPod touch if Apple launched an iPhone mini? Apple would never cannibalize the sales of their own product. That's exactly why they will never make an iPad mini because they will have a hard time distinguishing it from the iPod touch. Apple is not one of those companies that have 15 different models in their product line up, each with a display that is an inch longer than the one before it.

So trust me when I say this, Apple won't be making an iPhone mini. And if they ever do, they will be going against their own philosophy and killing their own products, which I can tell you they will never do.

So, which side are you on? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.