Who said it was perfect? I think most agree that about 4 inches is the one-size-fits-all. That means it's best on average, not best for everyone.
It's completely OK to introduce new form factors if there's clear demand.
It's completely OK to introduce new form factors if there's clear demand.
Gruber, for one:
"Apple seems very confident about the precise size and dimensions of the iPhone display: 3.5 inches, with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Not 3 inches. Not 4 inches. [...]
The iPhone 4 feels like a major step toward an idealized iPhone form factor. What defines the iPhone, physically, is the 3.5-inch diagonal screen." [1]
"On These Rumors of a 4.6-Inch iPhone Display [...]
Sure, developers would get on board and support the new size. But why would Apple want to add another vector of fragmentation? For this reason and others, I say it’s bullshit." [2]
"Regarding a Smaller iPhone With the Same Pixel Count [...]
It’s a physical artifact, and the size of the display is what’s important. [...] I really don’t think we’ll see screen sizes other than 3.5 inches" [3]
"Color me skeptical that Apple would introduce another new screen size of any sort." [4]
[1] http://daringfireball.net/2010/06/4
[2] http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/03/22/46-inch-iphone
[3] http://daringfireball.net/linked/2011/02/20/jin-kim-iphone
Truth be told, I welcome this change, Apple blew it with the iPhone 5, this is the bigger phone people want...but the user and pundit community absolutely drives me up a wall.
It would be madness not to correct it.