Any reason why Apple would call their next phone iPhone 5 instead of iPhone 6?

zamardii

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Note: I know some of you will think I am over-thinking this, but I have been thinking about this since I got a iPhone 4S on Sprint coming from a HTC Evo 4G just two weeks ago. But I think I have a logical argument here given Apple's history in naming their phones.

I recently re-watched the Apple keynote when Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone 4 and he said that it was the 4TH generation iPhone. Let's look at that...

iPhone (1st gen)
iPhone 3G (2nd gen)
iPhone 3GS (3rd gen)
iPhone 4 (4th gen)

If you notice there was no iPhone 2 because obviously I suppose they wanted to show that the next iPhone had 3G connectivity. They couldn't call it iPhone 2 or 2G because that would make no sense. And, since they called the iPhone 4 the iPhone 4, that would be assumed because it is the 4th generation iPhone (and not because it has 4G connectivity or whatever).

So all I am saying is that if we go by this logic, then we would have to assume that the iPhone 4S was the 5th generation iPhone and if Apple makes a big jump again in design like they did from the iPhone 3G/3GS to the iPhone 4, then wouldn't it make sense to call the next iPhone the iPhone 6?

I don't think there's any way around the logic. Apple likes even listing their products, and people even refer to iPods by the generation iPod it is so you can differentiate which one it is. So it wouldn't make any sense to name the 6th generation iPhone the iPhone 5. I think that would confuse a lot of people.
 
following number logic almost universally breaks down...

take Ati for example:

radeon 7000 = dx7
radeon 8000 = dx8
radeon 9000 = dx9 (except 9250)
radeon x1000 = dx9 ?
radeon hd 2000 = dx10

and yes, this is the way ATi originally intended it to be. not coincidence.
 
uh, the 4s is the 5th gen, so I'm thinking they will either call it the 6 or some other name. Probably 4g if it has that capability.
 
If it gets 4G, then it should be 4GS. But if it gets a new design, iPhone 5. Then 5S?
 
I'm seeing it more like this:

iPhone (1st gen)
iPhone 3G (2nd gen)
iPhone 3GS (2nd gen v2)
iPhone 4 (3rd gen)
iPhone 4s (3rd gen v2)
iPhone 5 = 4th gen.
 
I'm seeing it more like this:

iPhone (1st gen)
iPhone 3G (2nd gen)
iPhone 3GS (2nd gen v2)
iPhone 4 (3rd gen)
iPhone 4s (3rd gen v2)
iPhone 5 = 4th gen.

No. If you watch the Apple keynote when they revealed the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs calls the iPhone 4 the fourth generation iPhone. Meaning the 3GS was the 3rd gen and the 4S should be the 5th gen by that logic.
 
Note: I know some of you will think I am over-thinking this, but I have been thinking about this since I got a iPhone 4S on Sprint coming from a HTC Evo 4G just two weeks ago. But I think I have a logical argument here given Apple's history in naming their phones.

I recently re-watched the Apple keynote when Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone 4 and he said that it was the 4TH generation iPhone. Let's look at that...

iPhone (1st gen)
iPhone 3G (2nd gen)
iPhone 3GS (3rd gen)
iPhone 4 (4th gen)

If you notice there was no iPhone 2 because obviously I suppose they wanted to show that the next iPhone had 3G connectivity. They couldn't call it iPhone 2 or 2G because that would make no sense. And, since they called the iPhone 4 the iPhone 4, that would be assumed because it is the 4th generation iPhone (and not because it has 4G connectivity or whatever).

So all I am saying is that if we go by this logic, then we would have to assume that the iPhone 4S was the 5th generation iPhone and if Apple makes a big jump again in design like they did from the iPhone 3G/3GS to the iPhone 4, then wouldn't it make sense to call the next iPhone the iPhone 6?

I don't think there's any way around the logic. Apple likes even listing their products, and people even refer to iPods by the generation iPod it is so you can differentiate which one it is. So it wouldn't make any sense to name the 6th generation iPhone the iPhone 5. I think that would confuse a lot of people.

No. If you watch the Apple keynote when they revealed the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs calls the iPhone 4 the fourth generation iPhone. Meaning the 3GS was the 3rd gen and the 4S should be the 5th gen by that logic.

Yes, you are over-thinking this...
 
Apple look at it more like this:

iPhone (1st gen)
iPhone 3G (1st gen, V2)
iPhone 3GS (2nd gen)
iPhone 4 (3rd gen)
iPhone 4S (4th gen)

Reason being, the "2G" and the 3G were pretty much the same phone internally, same hardware inside, aside from the 3G capability of the latter.

However, logically, 5 does come after 4, so no prizes for guessing what the next one will be called...
 
I for one hope they drop the model numbers from the branding and just make it simple like the iMac.

They already have internal model numbers like iPhone4,1 (as with the 4S), and could differentiate them by year in support documents, but it should be like the original. There was just "iPhone". Brand model numbers are so Samsungy. iPhone 4S2 Epic 4G Touch. Bleh.

They probably wouldn't be able to do that without dropping the 3GS, 4, and 4S all at the same time, though. Otherwise, every Phone Mart customer is gonna be like "hmm, iPhone or iPhone 3GS, one is $200 the other is free...I want the one with the bigger GSes"

The only way I can see them tagging on the number 5 is to match the internal model number of the phone, which will probably be iPhone5,1
 
I for one hope they drop the model numbers from the branding and just make it simple like the iMac.

They already have internal model numbers like iPhone4,1 (as with the 4S), and could differentiate them by year in support documents, but it should be like the original. There was just "iPhone". Brand model numbers are so Samsungy. iPhone 4S2 Epic 4G Touch. Bleh.

They probably wouldn't be able to do that without dropping the 3GS, 4, and 4S all at the same time, though. Otherwise, every Phone Mart customer is gonna be like "hmm, iPhone or iPhone 3GS, one is $200 the other is free...I want the one with the bigger GSes"

The only way I can see them tagging on the number 5 is to match the internal model number of the phone, which will probably be iPhone5,1

No way.

The iMac, like all Macs, is a product that is more dependent on the software changes than the hardware. Yes, the iMac comes out with different display sizes, different physical designs, but the biggest changes in user experience still depend on the software more than the hardware. We focus more on the updates to our OSs to make a difference to our experience; if we buy a new Mac, we get new hardware, but the way in which the computer functions is exactly the same.

With a computer, we also are more aware of the hardware inside. Even those that don't know a huge amount about computers will still be able to tell you that there is a Core 2 Duo chip inside their computer, and they will still know when they cannot upgrade to the latest version of OS X based on the generation of their processor (Apple will phase out the Core 2 Duo next, for example).

With a phone, the changes in the hardware are what differentiate the products, not the software. The average consumer also isn't particularly aware of the components inside their phone.

Also, people update their phones more regularly than their computers. Within three years, someone who isn't particularly technical, who gone through three iPhone models in the last three years, will not appreciate all three of the phones being called the iPhone.

Finally, phones are more of a talking point than computers. Would you rather say "I have an iPhone 4S", or "I have the iPhone that came out in September/October time, you know, the one with the better camera and different black strips on the side"?
 
This is some epic over analyzing for a product whose success is guaranteed and depends not at all on its name :)
 
I suspect that they'll go to calling it simply "iPhone" - kind of like how the iPods are just called iPods. MAYBE they'll call it the iPhone 4G if it has LTE.
 
Phones unlike iPods need to have a naming association as a way to market to new customers that they are getting a new product. The iPhone with a naming system is excellent for consumers because there is only 1 product line and higher numbers means a more technically advanced phone.

When looking at Android, I honestly can't tell you which one is supposed to be faster or leading spec wise when looking at phones of the same manufacturer (due to the fact that there is NO naming convention. Every singe phone has a new name, HTC is especially guilty of this, Motorola not as much since they just name them all "Droid".) Of course if I spent about 20 minutes researching it, I could find out, but most consumers don't bother with that sort of thing. The iPhone naming system allows consumers to pick up "the latest and greatest" without having to know much else about the product.

It gives in marketing terms the greatest amount of satisfaction. Dropping the ability for common people to distinguish which is the top end would be a marketing mistake. So if they decide to drop the numbering system, then I would expect them to adopt another system.
 
anyone remember the beginning of Tron Legacy where they say "it's our new software, the most advanced secure OS in teh world" someone asks "what's different?" the man in charge says "we put a 12 on the box"

sad fact is they could call it the iTurd and people would line up to buy it -- 6 months later they will release the iTurdS

While I understand why they name things the way they do...sadly there are droves of people out there that can't tell you the difference between the 4 and 4S except that "The S must mean it's better" or that 4 is better than 3.

The fact I Have to research and read about all the different android phones is fun to me - maybe because I care about the details of what I buy.

By and large the average iphone user doesn't care what's under the hood, they just care that having the latest and greatest that will make them feel like the tech savvy person I already know I am.
 
Finally, phones are more of a talking point than computers. Would you rather say "I have an iPhone 4S", or "I have the iPhone that came out in September/October time, you know, the one with the better camera and different black strips on the side"?

As if most people ever actually called the phone by the real model name in the first place. I hear this kind of stuff more often than not:

"Hey I'm looking to buy an iPhone 3 or 3S"

"No, I don't have the 3G, it's just the 3"

"Do you have the Siri phone?"

"My iPhone 4G stopped working"

"I want to trade in my iTouch for an iPhone 4GS but I don't know, maybe I should get the Galaxy 2S"

Model number marketing needs to die in a fire and go to hell. People get them wrong anyway. It's starting to remind me of the mid-90s Apple. Macintosh Performa 5300CD DE *shudder*
 
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