Is Apple preparing to release an iPhone phablet?

Samsung seems dead-set on constantly increasing the size of smartphone displays, but will Apple respond? Rumor has it that Apple is, indeed, going to enlarge the iPhone once again this year, but I’m not going to hold my breath. After all, Cupertino isn’t exactly known for its willingness to bow to outside pressures.

Since the iPhone launched six years ago, the rumor mill has been insisting that the screen is going to get larger. Those rumblings were unanimously false all the way up until Apple unveiled the iPhone 5 last September with a larger 4-inch screen. Now, Reuters is reporting that it has four different sources from Asian suppliers promising that Apple is ramping up for a phablet-sized iPhone.

Truth be told, this all sounds like malarkey. Earlier this year, a report came out showing that only about 3% of mobile users had a phablet. In comparison, 72% of users had medium-sized phones. Frankly, it seems unlikely that Apple would want to fragment its products even further just to snag a tiny extra bit of the market. One of the biggest appeals of the iOS platform to many consumers is the simplicity. Having a 3.5-inch display, a 4-inch display, and a third display active at the same time truly muddies the waters. Cupertino bit the bullet, and upped the iPhone’s screen size just nine months ago. It seems incredibly unlikely that it would do that again so soon. This rumor just doesn’t fit Apple’s modus operandi.

That said, a larger version of the iPhone most certainly does exist. In his video appearance at the WWDC keynote earlier this week, SVP of Design Jony Ive went out of his way to explain some of the core aspects of Apple’s design philosophies. His team develops countless iterations of a product, but only sells the best one. While Apple is most assuredly testing a wide range of potential iPhones sizes, that doesn’t mean we’ll see another size increase any time soon.

Obsessing over screen sizes is shortsighted in any case. Usability, price, and aesthetics all make much more of a difference to the average consumer. If Apple spent all of its time chasing the latest moves of its competitors, it wouldn’t be where it is right now. The iPod, iPhone, and iPad wouldn’t even exist. If I had to place a bet right now, I would wager that we’ll see a certain smaller iOS device long before we see a bigger one.