the internet seems to have gotten itself excited over an iPhone with a 640×1152 (320 x 576 logical) screen, citing that they could just make it taller and chip away at the “wasted space” above and below the screen.

Does anyone who makes these mockups actually print and try to hold their abominations? The reason the iPhone has so much “wasted space” (and the iPad for that matter) in the bezel isn’t because of any technical limitation they’ve only recently been able to solve. It’s because you need somewhere not-on-the-screen to put your thumbs when you two-hand the thing. So while a wider screen would make the iPhone more “cinematic” in widescreen (who watches full length video on their iPhone?) you’d need to bundle a kickstand/a-frame with it in oder to watch it without your thumb covering it. It’s not going to happen.

Practical points aside, let’s talk about those numbers. 1152. 1152? Do you know where that number was arbitrated from? It’s how much more screen it needed for Apple PR to round to 4″. It’s wider than 16:9 (1137.78 – no it’s not even) and the nice round 1024 for 16:10. Now 1024 isn’t tall enough for the alleged one-more-row of apps on the home screen. If we use the exact same icon size and spacing the bottom most pixel is 1136, exactly the estimated 16:9 dimensions. If we’re going to pull numbers out of our asses, let’s at least go with this one, but I don’t think Apple needs to embiggen a screen to advertise as “Still not 720p!”

In other new-device news…

If Apple were to make a 7.8″ iPad, they would using a larger XGA sized cut of the 3Gs screen. Might we also see a 960×640 cut of an iPad 3 screen for a 4″ iPad Touch as our new $199 iOS device, dropping the 3.5″ Touch to an impulse buying $99? Might all three of these include the half-broken “dual” A5 found in the A5 Apple TV? Remember, Apple had 12″ and 14″ iBooks that were BOTH 1024×768, unlike the PowerBooks where more inches also got you more pixels. I actually miss the days where Apple had lower dpi models I could recommend to my friends with heavier prescriptions.

A “Full” product line from $99 to $499 (and then some) would really hurt whatever Google thinks it has planned for the Nexus Tablet (or whatever it debuts as). Sure with a “proper” 720p or 1080p they’ll be better for watching video but if you think that’s what iOS devices (Apple TV included) are all about you’re sadly mistaken and you have been since 2007.