Apple is finally surfing the phablet wave, but a growing number of voices are expressing concern the iPhone 6 and Plus be a bit hard to grasp. Literally, the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus has the potential to alienate a sizable portion of Apple's fan base who would struggle to weld the device and fit it into their pockets.
Apple says the iOS 8 will bring with it one-handed support, "Reachability," but both women and men with small hands may balk at attempting to manipulate even the smaller 4.7 inch luxury phone with one hand.
Mashable's Lance Ulanoff got intimate with both the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch versions of the iPhone 6. Ulanoff was comfortable using the 4.7 inch version of the iPhone with one hand, but the 5.5 iPhone Plus was another story.
"When I hold the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in my hand, I can easily reach to the far corner of the screen with my thumb," states Ulanoff. "Not so with the iPhone 6 Plus. I either have to use two hands, find a way to stretch my thumb or, better yet, use Apple's new Reachability feature, which is available in iOS 8 and therefore in both phones, to reach screen elements that might otherwise be out of reach."
Recode's Lauren Goode test drove the iPhone 6 Plus, but the huge phone proved it would shatter her routines it she ever lugged it around daily. Too big to fit in her pockets or hold in her hands, Goode writes that even the Apple Watch wouldn't alleviate the burden of using the iPhone 6 Plus everyday.
"I usually take my test phones on at least one distance run; with this one, I didn't even try," states Goode. "I did carry it during a hike, and it slipped out of my hand and hit the dirt before I hit the two-mile mark. Could something like a sport-focused smart watch supplant my phone while working out? Sure, it's possible. But right now it seems that the Apple Watch will be very much tied to the iPhone."
Most tech enthusiasts aren't praising Apple for bringing phablets to the masses, and rightfully so, but many of them are expressing criticism because the large iPhones, to a degree, alienate large numbers of loyal followers.
Apple has lost at least one customer, says Zeynep Tufekci, assistant professor at University of North Carolina's School of Information and Library Science.
"There is certainly a tendency to bandwagon towards certain designs which disregard some populations, and this feels like an example," Tufekci says.
