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Apple Hiding A Successful New iPhone In Plain Sight

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Something has been troubling me since my review of the sixth generation iPod Touch last week (which you can read here). It's the smaller form factor. I'm really enjoying having a mobile device that fits comfortably in my hand, that is easy to use with just a single thumb over the whole screen, and doesn't require any gym-work to be able to lift it.

There are times when I want my smartphone to be a phone and the iPod Touch has reminded me of that. Of course it only connects over Wi-Fi, but the use of FaceTime and iMessage allows for phone-like communications and with it running iOS 8 it is clear to see what a 'small' iPhone 6 would be like.

This summer I've also purchased two iPhone 5S handsets for my daughters - and the primary decision on which handset to buy was the physical size of the screens on offer, rather than the latest specifications or the newest handset. That said, if the iPhone 6 had been available in a 4-inch screened format, that would have been my first choice for the family... and the first choice for myself as well.

There has been a tendency for smartphones to grow in physical size over the years. There was an inevitability that Apple was going to test the phablet market out at some point, which was where the iPhone 6 Plus came in. What it didn't explain was the increased size that gave us the 4.7 inch screened iPhone 6. It's still a nice size in my hand, and I can just about use it one-handed... but it was nice to have iOS 8 back on a four-inch screen but with a modern chipset (even if the A8 chip was under-clocked to 1.1 GHz).

It's not just the size of the screen that has improved the iPhone experience in the small form factor of the iPod Touch, it is the updated hardware. The aforementioned A8 chipset gives the iPod Touch performance on a par with the current iPhone range, while the M8 motion co-processor allows Apple Health and other fitness trackers to use the hardware. The 1 GB of RAM also allows the full range of modern games and applications to be used.

There's every chance that the iPod Touch is a precursor to a smaller-screened smartphone to be announced in September. The iPhone 5C has continued to be a popular device, even with the limitations of the A6 chip and the hobbled storage option of 8 GB. It is due a refresh, and if you want to look at economies of scale and providing a mid-range iPhone with last year's components, then an iPhone 6C with an A8/M8 combination that mimics the new iPod Touch is a racing certainty.

The launch of the iPhone 5C was during a period where many analysts were looking at Apple and hoping for a 'budget' iPhone. Instead they got a mid-range handset with year-old parts that retained the high margins many have come to expect from Apple. Over time the 5C itself was cut down, partly to make the iPhone 5S more attractive, but also I suspect to give carriers an entry-level iPhone with a cost that was almost entirely covered by the subsidy - being able to say 'Free iPhone!' was a powerful marketing tool (even if you needed to sign up for a 24 month contract).

iPhone 6 in action (image: Ewan Spence)

Right now the iPhone 5C is still available with that tiny sliver of storage that makes it impractical to use as a smartphone. Knock off the storage required for iOS itself and you have around 5 GB of space for your music, your files, your pictures, your HD video, your applications, and everything else. That runs out quickly. Apple's business model of offering limited functionality to boost people up to the next tier strikes again.

While I confidently expect Apple to release an iPhone 6C, my fear is that it will be pitched as the 'basics' model with a limited amount of storage and specifications that are dulled just a little bit more than the original iPhone 6. If the iPhone 6S does jump up to offer 32, 64, or 128GB of storage, the 6C could be doomed to suffer with just 16 GB.

From my time with the iPod Touch, that's not what I want. I want the smaller screen and form factor, I want the convenience of a physically light model. I want a discreet smartphone. I want buckets of storage. If you already have a smartphone, the iPod Touch is a moot purchase, but the vast majority of online reviews actually love the product.

And this is the lesson the iPod Touch can teach the iPhone team.

People want the option of a small-screened smartphone. There should not be a performance penalty just because someone would rather a phone fits in their hand rather than a monster phablet that looks like a comedy prop from the nineties.  What is wrong with restricting power and flexibility to the larger devices? Why not hand the smaller devices the same capability and specifications?

I doubt the iPhone 6C will match the iPhone 6S specifications, but at the very least I hope it matches the iPhone 6 both in hardware used, but also in storage options. The iPod Touch pushed up to 128GB, I can only hope that a four-inch iPhone 6C will do the same. If it does, expect it to be one of the most popular iPhones of all time.

(Now read my full review of the sixth generation of the iPod Touch).

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