Updated 12:40 PM to reflect a new Samsung statement that 5 million notes were sold, not just shipped.
Sometimes I'm wrong. It happens to everyone. And it looks like I must be wrong about the appeal of Samsung's Galaxy Note, the 5.3-inch "phablet," because Samsung announced today that it has sold 5 million Galaxy Note phones around the world.
"The 5M figure is global channel/retail sales of Galaxy Note, rather than shipments," a Samsung rep told PCMag.com in an email.
The success of the Galaxy Note throws ergonomics out the window. It tells us that it actually doesn't matter if a handheld is comfortable to hold, as long as it does something unique and interesting. With its 5.3-inch screen, the Galaxy Note is awkward to hold; you have to fidget it around in your palm to use it. But the big screen is very good for playing videos, and Web pages are easy on the eyes when they're blown up to that size. I've heard that the Galaxy Note is doing well with older users who prefer larger text sizes.
Of course, I've also said touch screens deny our physical selves. I don't think you can throw millions of years of evolution out the window. We have evolved as creatures with hands, designed to manipulate tools that fit into those hands. We've also evolved as beings with five senses, and the fact that touch-screen keyboards deny one of those senses - there is no way to feel the damn keys - has always irked me.
The Galaxy Note is imitating a physical object, a pocket notepad, but it does so poorly. Its S Pen is pressure-sensitive, but it skids along the screen rather than biting into paper; feeling the bite of pen on paper is how a lot of us are able to take notes without looking at what we're writing.
There's definitely room for pressure-sensitive, artists' and writers' tablets in the market. I have much higher hopes for Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1, which puts the pressure-sensitive S Pen technology into a tablet the size of a sketchpad. Engadget's recent Galaxy Note 10.1 preview has me a bit worried, but I'm hoping Samsung will work out any software bugs before launch.
I'm also worried that the Galaxy Note's success will encourage more manufacturers to build giant beast-phones like the HTC Titan and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. With their 4.7-inch screens, these phones aren't as silly as the Galaxy Note, but they can still be awkward to use in one hand, as I found when surveying PCMag editors' thumb sizes (see slideshow below).
Research firm Strategy Analytics said recently that smartphone owners want devices with screens between 4 and 4.5 inches, and I agree. Those screen sizes offer a great balance between portability and viewability, and I think one of the reasons so many Android phones have been big hits at the 4-inch and 4.3-inch screen sizes is that they're not only relatively easy to build, they're natural to hold.
But it's safe to say this news about 5 million Galaxy Notes is rocking my world. Why do you think millions of people have jumped on the phablet bandwagon? I'd love to know your opinions.
For more, see Samsung 'Not Doing Very Well' in Tablets, But Eyeing New Options.