Screen issues ahead for iPhone 5?
The iPhone 4s has the amazing retina display, but Apple apparently remains convinced that it does not need to go beyond the 3.5" screen the compact smartphones are known for when building its iPhone 5. Apple

Though the iPhone 5 release date has not been announced, many Apple users are saying a better screen is a requirement for them to upgrade when the new phone is released.

While other phone companies like Samsung and Motorola are exploring larger and better screens (the Samsung Galaxy Note phablet may take the cake with its 5.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen), Apple is not offering any such option to its users.

The iPhone 4s has the amazing retina display, but Apple apparently remains convinced that it does not need to go beyond the 3.5-inch screen the compact smartphones are known for.

But that may not be such a smart bet, as Apple fans are beginning to grumble about iPhone screens, and make it known that they expect improvements in the iPhone 5.

One strong indicator that Apple had better look into either making the iPhone's screen larger, or offering a larger-screened option, is a poll that Macrumors.com issued, showing that the vast majority of respondents identified larger screen as the No. 1 change they want to see in the iPhone 5.

Of 572 voters, 272 (or 47.55 percent) of them identified the larger screen in that poll, while only 96 people (or 16.78 percent) wanted 4G LTE, and 95 (or 16.61 percent) wanted better battery life, while smaller percentages chose everything from iOS 6 to faster processor.

Though the voting pool in that decidedly non-scientific study is small and narrow, the results speak loud and clear: a bigger screen is a big deal for many Apple users.

And a separate Macrumors.com poll from September 2010 shows that Apple actually likely lost market share when it released the iPhone 4s with the 3.5-inch screen. The poll asked 361 people to answer this question: Since the new iPhone will have a 3.5 screen again, who where is switching over to Android now? Or any other operating system?

Eighty (22.16 percent) of the respondents said they planned to switch to Android, while 31 (8.59 percent) of them said they will go to a different operating system altogether.

The poll's creator, Macrumors.com user Mr. Incredible, goes on to say he sure as hell is switching to Android, explaining his position as follows: Tired of this small screen, and the interface has been boring as hell lately. The HTC One X, Galaxy S3, or Galaxy Journal (Note) is what I plan to get this coming November, if Verizon gets em, hopefully they do.

So though the hype will continue to build for months as the iPhone 5 release date is announced and nears, Apple would do well to listen to its loyal customers and look into upgrading its phone's screens.