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Apparent Next-Generation iPhone Gets a Thorough Hands-On

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scouser75 said:
OK! IF IF IF IF this is the next I phone.......

No doubt it will be better than the existing iPhone in terms of power, memory etc. BUT:

a) It's lost the suave and stylish look of the existing iPhone! They should have tried to better the look of it.
people said that about the 3g get over it
b) It's FAT! OK! I know, it's probably cuz of the greater innards. But they could have tried to make it a little more slimmer.
you must be blind cause its thiner than the 3gs
c) The screen. Oh the screen! Why couldn't they make it just a little bit larger?
then all apps wouldnt work with it
I will be buying it, no doubt, but very disappointed.
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Perfect.

This is a much better design.

And the reality is, the functionality is finally EXACTLY what i've been waiting for.

I hated the curved back of the 3G and 3GS.

Thank you for the return to aluminum.

And the front facing camera.

Now tell me the truth about the processor.
 
As I sit here looking at my blackberry bold 9000, all I can think of is how similar it looks to this "next" iPhone. God I hope this is all wrong, or just a very rough draft of the real version coming to stores.

On the other hand, the features will have to blow me away to want one. So I guess it'll save me some cash.
 
Here is my take on this as a designer:

I feel this iteration is a step backwards for a number of reasons. The design as a whole is much less familiar as an iPhone and an Apple product. The classic silver bezel is gone as are the simplistic lines that grace all of Apple's industrial designs. By removing the curved backing, Apple has taken away ergonomic considerations, something they were careful to champion when the first iPhone and even the iPad were released.

Taking this a step further, the transition between the glass front and the aluminum center housing is awkward. Evidence by the close up images provided by Gizmodo, the materials are not flush and come together more like tectonic plates than a finely tuned industrial design. There are also smaller design inconsistencies, including the volume buttons, which no longer have their contexts defined. What this means is that the previous volume rocker made it clear that the top was volume up and the bottom volume down. These new buttons, perhaps to Apple's benefit, are no longer as strictly defined.

Overall, the 3G/3GS seem much more well executed and resolved. I will be disappointed if this turns out to be the real deal, but I am extremely doubtful.
 
Mark Booth said:
I think it was "lost" intentionally. I bet it's not the final design but one of the directions being considered for the final design. Steve and company simply wanted to see what everyone's reaction would be.

I bet Steve is laughing his ass off right now. :)

And talk about free publicity! You'd think someone found the missing link with all the news agencies that are picking this up! :)

Mark
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Do you really think apple is making tooling for multiple final designs a couple months before release, or even changing tooling a couple months before release? Thats all set in stone- they aren't making a couple 100 of these, its a couple hundred thousand, maybe a million by launch... right now your on finishing touches, not choosing a design.

This design is 90% set in stone- the seems will be likely to disappear but are handy to have for these test phones that need to get opened and played with more often.
 
j-traxx said:
i cant even imagine how the person who lost this feels. what a securityfail. If you thought that the security measures with apple prototypes are overbearing now, just wait till after this fiasco. wow. someone is an idiot. "Lemme go take one of the most exclusive prototypes in the world and get trashed at the bar to celebrate my job as hardware beta tester!!!!"

wakes up next morning..... where's my iphone.... *logs onto engadget and see's his fail...... all vital organs get remote de-activated by apple*
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It has been said here a million times, but this is almost certainly a purposeful leak.

They've not only leaked images, but a whole fascinating story behind it so that we can all feel like we're getting an inside scoop. Personally, I think this is a very well-executed viral campaign to get people talking about the iPhone again after so much positive coverage of other smart phones in the media.

The iPhone form factor was old hat. And while I'm ambivalent about the new design (personally, I don't think it goes far enough), it's enough of a change that we in the geek blogosphere are talking endlessly about it.

I remember back in the mid-90's, when viral marketing was just getting off the ground, these beautiful young women would come into bars in New York City, order a drink, and light up an American Spirit cigarette. Then they'd finish the drink and take off, leaving their pack of American Spirits on the bar. "Who was that woman, and what was she smoking?" the men would usually ask.

This iPhone ploy is more or less the same thing.
 
People are complaining about the look of the phone but I like it! Reminds me of the older Bang and Olufsen designs which I think are timeless in their sleek simplicity. Either way I'll be getting whatever they come out with since my contract will be up.
 
OK guys! It does look a little slimmer. My stupid haste led me to post without looking at all the pics :rolleyes: :oops:

But I still think the 3GS looks far better and stylish.

And I also think that this is some kinda publicity stunt. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY any of Apple's guys or gals are gonna lose one of these things. NO WAY! And most definitely not in a bar :lol:

I was going to say Apple would definitely alter the design a lot more after all these years but after seeing the latest incarnation of the MBP and the like maybe they're sticking to the same ol' same ol'!

PUBLICITY STUNT, GUYS!!!
 
mabaker said:
Ugly as ish but still thinner than the 3GS.

I was betting they will make it as thin as the PodTouch while keeping the nice form factor. Now that thing is borderline disastrously designed.
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From a praticality standpoint... as in to actually use and make calls and not just drool over... why on earth would you want that???
 
This whole affair is so funny. Oh what I would give to know what Steveo is thinking about all this right now - and whether it was a purposeful leak or not!
 
i don't see how you can possibly think the 3g looks better in those comparison pictures. it looks much cleaner and much more like the macbooks
 
scouser75 said:
OK guys! It does look a little slimmer. My stupid haste led me to post without looking at all the pics :rolleyes: :oops:

But I still think the 3GS looks far better and stylish.

And I also think that this is some kinda publicity stunt. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY any of Apple's guys or gals are gonna lose one of these things. NO WAY! And most definitely not in a bar :lol:

I was going to say Apple would definitely alter the design a lot more after all these years but after seeing the latest incarnation of the MBP and the like maybe they're sticking to the same ol' same ol'!

PUBLICITY STUNT, GUYS!!!
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Not a publicity stunt. It was stolen. See Gruber.
 
BruiserBear said:
I don't believe this "bar" story for a second. This has to be Apple wanting to get the info out there earlier than normal to counter the gaining momentum of their competitors, who are putting out new phones on a very regular basis.

I have to say this update seems like a small one. I feel almost no pull to upgrade from my 3GS.
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Well that indicates that you believe that a few external features are what define the iPhone.
There's no indication whatsoever (assuming this is real) of what the actual performance or functional improvements are.
Personally, I'm from the school that asks why there are no photos of the processor. That's going to be the crux of the upgrade... performance.
No proof of an A4 (or A -anything) processor.
If this is real, that would be easy enough to photo and print.
 
Scottological said:
I was a relay operator in the early 90's, and I've been amazed at how the technology developed since has helped the deaf community. SMS alone is a remarkable breakthrough.

I think an app that translates ASL into text would be difficult without a live interpreter on the other end. Translation programs have enough trouble as it is just interpreting text to text. Bringing in three dimensions would totally throw it off. Still, I'm sure it will come eventually.
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I am not looking for an app that will translate ASL to text. I am interested in using my iPhone as my "personal interpreter." If there is a front facing camera, I could use a relay operator from convo-relay, for example, and not limited to making phone calls only. I could use the same operator as my personal interpreter from wherever I am (doctor visit, ordering food at a restaurant, talking to my hearing neighbor, etc.)
 
1. from the video it looks a tad better. it is actually going back to the original flat profile. but it looks more bland and definitely not a strong "apple profile" on it.

2. how the h*ll is there even a remote chance for them to get their hands on this thing. that alone disqualifies the legitimacy on this thing.

I say - good try - but nooooo.

I say - nice innards - bring it!
 
W/out even seeing how it performs, but based off the way it looks, it has nothing on the EVO. I will be selling my 3GS now w/out fear of a Apple 1-up. Thanks for this leak!!!
 
Augure said:
How 60% (still a majority) is far from 50%, and how, when 50% of people say "it's ugly as ish" about the most important upcoming Apple product, is there nothing wrong ?
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No, because that is how it is for EVERY APPLE RELEASE. Look at the comments about the previous iPhone ("ew, plastic!" "ew chrome!" "it looks like a cheap toy!" "it doesn't have x, y, and z? no way i'm buying it.") and then look at the sales. You don't even have to look at the iPhone - look at the Macbook release ("ew, plastic!" "wtf kind of name is Macbook - that is so un-Apple!" "this design is a step backwards!") or any other product.

So, go through the original threads of these product releases (and I've been here for them all) and tell me how many people complain. Then go look up sales numbers for those products.

More Apple fans = more complaining, but it also = more buyers.

A bunch of people complaining on the internet don't mean a damn thing, sorry.
 
My guess is this 'leak' is to get feedback on this design as it is fairly major departure from the form of the current design. I'll bet it was engineered by Apple. I agree that this design is most likely function over form... if there is indeed a user-replaceable battery you would have to square off the edges like this. I'm not a fan of the looks of it personally. It's not a sexy as either of the previous designs IMO. I'll still buy it though, but only if they go Verizon THIS summer not next. Otherwise it's Nexus One for me.
 
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