How big is too big when it comes to smartphones? The current trend in newly released smartphones is growing toward the smaller of tablet-sized smart devices. Why is that? One reason is expanding technology. The micro tech advances are allowing more pixels per square inch, and that means that smartphones will likely replace tablets at some point. The graphics are becoming so crystal clear that those who love streaming video no longer need a tablet. That is just one reason; here are a few more.

Market Share Has Too Much Overlap

Image via Flickr by seanmcmenemy

Who doesn't have a smartphone these days? Not many people are without a version of a smartphone. Sure, some of you are still in love with the flip phone, but eventually the assimilation wins. If the newer smartphones such as the LG smartphone have screens large enough that consumers can enjoy movies, TV, and video, then why spend the extra $200-700 on a tablet? 

People use their smartphones for communicating, web browsing, and entertainment. People use tablets for entertainment, communicating via email, and web browsing. People use laptops for work, communicating, and web browsing. The odd man out here is the tablet. There is not a differentiation task that the other two cannot do. You can call your clients, friends, or family on your smartphone. You can run a mobile company from a laptop. You can Skype from a tablet, but that is not quite the same. You can do some administrative tasks from a tablet, but that too is not the same. 

The overlap between devices has grown so much that the end of tablets might occur sooner than later. That is one reason that screens on smart devices are growing larger. They will help steal market share from tablets. 

Planned Replacement and Repair

Larger phones are cumbersome. The larger the cellphone, the harder it is to fit comfortably in most people's palms. It becomes harder to fit a large cellphone into pockets. It becomes harder to retrieve a larger cellphone from one's pocket. Each of those issues raises the risk of dropping or damaging the phone. Who wins when you drop your cellphone? It is the manufacturer. Either you must pay to have it repaired, or your insurance plan will pay to have it replaced. Who wins when you buy an insurance plan? Planned replacement and product design are intentional. 

If you have a smartphone that you love, and you drop it, do you blame the phone? Not normally. You blame yourself for dropping the phone. That is part of the design. There is nothing wrong with the phone. You love it. It does everything that you want it to. It has formed a symbiotic relationship with you. You are dependent on it. When you drop it and break it, you replace it with another. That drives up sales of the phone. Who wins? The manufacturer wins. Larger phones are clumsy to hold and use. That is no coincidence. 

Consumer Trends and Big Smartphones

Despite the growing size of some smartphones, these phones fit comfortably into the hands of some consumers. What this means is that there is a market for larger screened phones. If consumers would stop lining up for days outside of stores so that they could be among the first people to buy the newest and latest phone, than maybe big phones would go the way of the dinosaurs. How likely is that to happen? Not likely at all.

High tech is a sickness that we willingly embrace. Its symptoms begin with a fever that burns like desire. It clouds our brains; and in our delusion, we buy more tech, download more apps, and plot to take over the world. Is that a reference to Pinky and The Brain? It could well be. Look at the size of your hand. There is no weird device that makes your hand grow larger. There are no magic pills that will make your fingers grow longer. We will have to be satisfied with the size of our hands and the phones that we use.