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Opening
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An interesting on the new Maccast Google+ community when Mark posted a link to a Business Insider piece claiming that 2013 would be the year of the Megaphone (and I mean big ass phone, not the handheld loudspeaker device).
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To date I have been firmly in the Apple will never do a 5-inch plus iPhone (but I also believed they wouldn't make a smaller iPad, so what do I know?)
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Let's take a look at why Apple may (or may not) make a larger phone this year.
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Those analyst guys say so
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Jeffries analyst Peter Misek says Apple will have an iPhone 5S in June with a "SuperHD" screen and that Apple has a 4.8" IGZO iPhone 6 prototype model.
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Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White says Apple will expand both the colors and screen sizes on future iPhones
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"We expect 2013 to be the Year of the Phablet," said Neil Mawston, UK-based executive director of Strategy Analytics'
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Barclays predicts demand for devices with 5-inch or larger screens will increase nine fold over the next three years.
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They predict Apple will release at least a 4.5-inch iPhone this year
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Thing is analysts are wrong at least as much, and probably more, than they are right.
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It's not a phone. Exactly!
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There does seem to be demand for a large phone/tablet hybrid device.
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Samsung reported sales of 10 million of it's 5.3-inch Galaxy Note device back in August and launched the Galaxy Note II with 5.5-inch display in September with channel sales reaching 5 million by the end of the year.
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I think a reason for the trend is a growing percentage of the market that is consuming content on their device, but not really making phone calls
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I think the rising popularity of the iPad mini and other 7" tablets are another example of that trend.
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The advantage of a large phone is the always on connectivity along with the convienience of only carrying one device
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Demand is lead by the Asian-Pacific market.
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1080p HD video is often cited as a driver of demand, I have a hard time with this one. Video playback yes, but 1080p on that small a display is a joke.
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Closing
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Thanks to Ken Ray (Mac OS Ken and Mission Log)
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