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Apple Lost Another 4th Generation iPhone? New Photos of Prototype iPhone

Adam Young said:
As mentioned earlier (when the 'Gizmodo' phone was taken apart) the borders around the LCD panel are slightly larger, in all directions (like 1 mm). As you may notice when comparing a 3G/S iPhone to this one, the spacing above and beneath the speaker grill is also slightly larger. The phone itself has approximately the same dimensions however. This leads to my assumption the LCD panel is a 3.4" one. The only reason for using a smaller panel is that production facilities in China already pump out these parts in volume. Common pixel count for the 3.4" size is currently 720x480. Apple would be crazy not to use this option, and save a boat load of money at the same time (word in the street is the part is 30% cheaper than the 3GS LCD). The Meizu display is a low-quality (specced at 16k colors) one, but I see no problems for Apple having a high-quality (65k or 262k colors) part produced with further identical specs. Apart from that, the 'competition' uses displays up to 960x480. Sticking with 480x320 for the 4th generation will look like a step back...
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Those screens would be a massive step back, considering the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS all use 16M color screens.
 
If this is a stupid idea, just say so.

What if this is the Verizon iteration of the phone and not the AT&T version? I'm just finding it hard to believe Apple is having such a hard time keeping the wraps on something they are so good at. Remember- we really didn't know what the iPad looked like up until a week before its announcement.

Not that I'm complaining. I like the design. It's different than the current version.

Thoughts?
 
Is it just me or is this the same unit that was leaked originally? even before the whole engadget fiasco. To refresh everyones memory, These pictures (http://twitpic.com/14ge1m) hit the net few days before engadget got a hold of their iphone. If you look closer at the pictures, this unit is also missing screws by the connector.

67949338-b55c70e9987c95c18e7b6e0c0ed9d1ce.4beb493d-full.jpg


also, engadget did this writeup. Read up.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/18/iphone-4g-proof/
 
....not keen on the design, despite selling my 3GS in advance of getting this generation - got no choice now i suppose!

wheres the OLED screen at?!
 
Tones2 said:
Well, it's not JUST the fact that the prototype has only 16 GB. I was already doubtful since it's almost impossible to find 64 GB flash modules and the ones that DO exist are outrageously priced - well over $200+ retail. I knew that there was no way that Apple is going to put a $200+ flash module in their iPhone, so I was hoping that the new phone would have TWO flash slots like the Touch, but it doesn't look like it has. So I can pretty much guarantee no 64 GB phone in June. If 64 GB flash prices come down during the year, we may see one before year end, but Apple has not put out any increased capacity models at interim dates in the last few years, so even that's doubtful. But I hope I'm WRONG! :)
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I think you are. Remember, what you are looking at are finished products made to plug into your computer and work. There are some costs that are added onto them, such as R&D/engineering, design, packaging, transportation costs, etc. That's not what Apple buys. Apple buys raw chips to be installed on their PCB's, and basically will only pay chip prices and transportation costs. Plus, those could be so expensive because another company, such as Apple, is buying up a lot of them, creating a low supply to other companies.
 
jonhcox said:
If this is a stupid idea, just say so.

What if this is the Verizon iteration of the phone and not the AT&T version? I'm just finding it hard to believe Apple is having such a hard time keeping the wraps on something they are so good at. Remember- we really didn't know what the iPad looked like up until a week before its announcement.

Not that I'm complaining. I like the design. It's different than the current version.

Thoughts?
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1) there is no verizon version of the phone. there are also no unicorns.
2) verizon does not use SIMs. So why would there be a sim slot?
 
When is someone going to get a god damned decent camera and take a picture of the screen to solve this resolution issue once and for all?!
 
MojoTed said:
Reasons why this version of the iphone is newer than the one that was published in Gizmodo:

1. The Screws have now been removed from the bottom of the case and can now be found when you remove the sim card tray. There are a few reasons for this. The main reason is so that the phone looks more like it's big brother...the Ipad. The other reasons have to do with aesthetics as well. One of the reasons that Apple is trying to hide the screws and make the pin connector more hidden (hard to explain...hidden is not the right word) than the previous models is because of dust/lint. Because people put their phones in their pocket, quite a bit of dust/lint gets stuck in the nook and crannies of the phone. Thus Apple is trying to find ways to hide the screws which is evident with this version and the new Ipad. With the new Ipad, the pin connector is slightly narrower and a little more hidden (hard to explain...hidden is not the right word). This can also be seen in this version of the iphone.
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Really? Then what about the pics from February? They don't have the screws either.
http://twitpic.com/14ge1m

My take was:
It looks like an earlier model than the one Gizmodo had. The lack of the screws on the bottom shows that it is a design & style exercise, and not aesthetically complete production model.
 
It would be interesting if this is the pre-production model and the one that Gizmodo has is the newer one.
 
LoganT said:
It would be interesting if this is the pre-production model and the one that Gizmodo has is the newer one.
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That's what I think.

vizkiz said:
I think the 80GB model was a 64GB model with 16GB of storage for diagnostic information.

Here's my take on the new found "prototype" iPhone:
This looks like an earlier model than the one Gizmodo had. The lack of the screws on the bottom shows that it is a design & style exercise, and not aesthetically complete production model. It appears to be very similar to the leaked images on twitpic from February: http://twitpic.com/14ge1m

This new "leak" would be a prototype that would have never been meant to see the light of day, which is why the chips would not be hidden. They wouldn't be worried about it getting lost, so there is no reason to cover them up. The one that Gizmodo had was meant to be used and tested in the real world, therefore, it is possible that it get lost, misplaced or stolen. By covering up the chips, it gives them a little bit of secrecy if someone, such as Gizmodo, were to find it and do a teardown.

I think the more recent leak is actually later than the twitpic photos, but earlier than the Gizmodo model. The twitpic photos could be the one that the Chinese worker committed suicide over last year. This newer one was probably made before Toshiba had announced 64GB flash memory chips, therefore Apple may have thought that they would again be using 16/32GB units. Since Toshiba's announcement, Apple is likely to have recently made a contract with them for the new chips. It still does not cross out the possibility that the new phone will be 16/32/64GB capacities, with no old models remaining for sale as new retail units.
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Phycoduck said:
What is this Tag for?


It looks like a PCB ribbon which connects to the back of the case.
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remember those patents for touch/gesture support on the rear of a device? maybe we can scroll from the rear cover... this has been my thoughts since a glass rear was first shown, and this reinforces it.
 
cmaier said:
So? That's for the GSM. No way Apple is going to be making phones that support both.
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Apple will do whatever is good for AAPL. ;)

What is your reasoning that they would not do a "world phone" for Vzw? If they made a Vzw phone, why would it not be CDMA + GSM?
 
16GB is more than enough for a phone. How much music can you listen to in a day? Not more than 2GB usually. I plan on getting the least-expensive model. Unless they take out the front facing camera or other features and make them 32GB or 64GB exclusives.
 
trajen said:
16GB is more than enough for a phone. How much music can you listen to in a day? Not more than 2GB usually. I plan on getting the least-expensive model. Unless they take out the front facing camera or other features and make them 32GB or 64GB exclusives.
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The reason I'm getting an iphone is so I can conveniently keep the majority of my music with me without having to carry two devices (an ipod and a cellphone). Having a 16GB model kind of defeats that purpose for me.
 
OZMP said:
remember those patents for touch/gesture support on the rear of a device? maybe we can scroll from the rear cover... this has been my thoughts since a glass rear was first shown, and this reinforces it.
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Except they also have a patent for a rear cover made out of radio-transparent ceramic, which is also said to be very strong. Glass would break if dropped, this ceramic is supposed to be extremely strong.
 
davidChief said:
I'm 100% sure the screen resolution of the prototype is greater than 480x320. I took a screenshot of the YouTube video just after 1:45 and tried to get text that small looking that sharp on a screen 320 pixels wide in Photoshop. It just isn't possible. There aren't enough pixels on a 480x320 screen to get text that sharp.

I think you might just be able to achieve text that sharp at 720x480 but my guess is that the screen is 960x640. On a 960x640 image in Photoshop I am able to get text looking very similar.
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I am assuming that it will be 960x640 so as to allow existing apps to run at double resolution. I guess they could run a 1.5x modifier, but 2x is in use on the iPad is it not?

iPad is 16,32,64gb capacity, A4 processor. So could share between models. I know the iPad is larger, but so is its battery, and they could be pushing MobileMe more to keep devices in sync, and having all the same content on both devices could be a bigger thing now, so similar capacity is a good idea IMO.

Could keep the 3GS in the line-up, the MBP/MB range still has the old white MB as the entry level.


Just my thoughts.
 
vizkiz said:
Except they also have a patent for a rear cover made out of radio-transparent ceramic, which is also said to be very strong. Glass would break if dropped, this ceramic is supposed to be extremely strong.
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I believe their patent application was for an extruded seamless flat ceramic tube with the electronic boards slotted inside it... not for just a separate front or back case.

Doesn't mean the new iPhone isn't using zirconia or alumina. Just not that particular patent, since the case seems to be in two parts.

Cheers.
 
kdarling said:
I believe their patent application was for an extruded seamless flat ceramic tube with the electronic boards slotted inside it... not for just a separate front or back case.

Doesn't mean the new iPhone isn't using zirconia or alumina. Just not that particular patent, since the case seems to be in two parts.

Cheers.
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It appears it was a few different items. Looks like claim 1 covers what I said and claim 5 is what you're talking about.

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...28".PGNR.&OS=DN/20060268528&RS=DN/20060268528

USPTO said:
1. A portable computing device capable of wireless communications, the portable computing device comprising: an enclosure that surrounds and protects the internal operational components of the portable computing device, the enclosure including a structural wall formed from a ceramic material that permits wireless communications therethrough.

2. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the portable computing device is capable of radio frequency communications and wherein the structural wall formed from a ceramic material is radio-transparent.

3. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the ceramic material is zirconia.

4. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the ceramic material is alumina.

5. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the enclosure includes a tube like main body that is extruded in its entirety with the ceramic material.

6. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the portable computing device is a handheld computing device.

7. The portable computing device as recited in claim 6 wherein the handheld computing device is a cell phone.

8. The portable computing device as recited in claim 6 wherein the handheld computing device is a media player.

9. A portable computing device, comprising: an enclosure that surrounds and protects the internal operational components of the portable computing device, the enclosure including a structural wall formed from a ceramic material.

10. The portable computing device as recited in claim 9 wherein the ceramic material is zirconia.

11. The portable computing device as recited in claim 9 wherein the enclosure includes multiple structural walls formed the ceramic material.

12. The portable computing device as recited in claim 9 wherein a significant portion of the entire enclosure is formed a ceramic material.

13. The portable computing device as recited in claim 9 wherein the enclosure includes an extruded tube of the ceramic material, and end caps that close the ends of the extruded tube of ceramic material.

14. A handheld computing device, comprising: a seamless tube formed from a ceramic material and extending along a longitudinal axis, the seamless tube having a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, the elongated seamless tube defining an internal lumen which is sized and dimensioned for insertion of operational components of the handheld computing device.

15. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 14 wherein the lumen includes internal rails for guiding the operational components to their desired position within the lumen.

16. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 14 wherein the seamless enclosure has a substantially planar front surface, the planar front surface being configured to present a user interface sub system of the handheld computing device, the open ends being configured to receive the user interface sub system therethrough during assembly of the handheld computing device.

17. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 16 wherein the lumen includes internal rails for guiding the operational components to their desired position within the lumen, and wherein the internal rails being configured to locate the user interface sub system in its desired position relative to the planar front surface of the enclosure during assembly of the handheld device.

18. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 16 wherein the user interface sub system includes a display and a touch pad.

19. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 14 wherein the ceramic material is zirconia.

20. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 14 further comprising end caps at the first and second ends of the seamless tube, the end caps and seamless tube working together to fully surround the internal operational components of the handheld computing device.

21. The handheld computing device as recited in claim 14 wherein the handheld computing device is a music player.

22. A portable computing device capable of wireless communications, the portable computing device comprising: an enclosure that surrounds and protects the internal operational components of the portable computing device, the enclosure including a structural wall formed from a material other than plastic that permits wireless communications therethrough; and an internal antenna disposed inside the enclosure.

23. The portable computing device as recited in claim 22 wherein the portable computing device is capable of radio frequency communications and wherein the structural wall is formed from a ceramic material that is radio-transparent.

24. The portable computing device as recited in claim 23 wherein the ceramic material is zirconia.

25. The portable computing device as recited in claim 22 wherein the structural wall constitutes a substantial portion of the entire enclosure.

26. The portable computing device as recited in claim 22 wherein the structural wall constitutes one or more walls of the entire enclosure.

27. The portable computing device as recited in claim 22 wherein the structural wall constitutes two or more walls of the entire enclosure.

28. The portable computing device as recited in claim 22 wherein the enclosure only includes a main body and a pair of end caps, the structural wall being at least a portion of the main body.

29. The portable computing device as recited in claim 28 wherein the structural wall constitutes the entire main body.
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Gizmodo prototype & Vietnamese prototype

Well we know apple just can't keep their prototypes for them selfs. There's some changes in the design like no screws and rim on the back camera of the Vietnamese iPhone what do u guys think of these changes
 
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