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Apple Testing Three iPhone 5 Prototypes, One With Slide-Out Keyboard?

This is completely laughable. If they were to make an iPhone with a flip out keyboard then they might as well add a track ball and a popup antenna! :)
 
Why are people against options?

"Noooo...I don't want a keyboard on the iPhone!!!! *dies*"

"Nooo...I don't need Blu-ray..."


No one is gonna force you guys. It's not like this model would replace the original, just be another choice for consumers. You guys make zero sense.

More options = win/win
 
Jay42 said:
Everyone here is bashing these rumors as if apple.pro is claiming this product is due to come out. Not the case!

I think very many people here need a better understanding of the R&D phases technology companies such as Apple go through. There are probably several dozen iPhone prototypes of various hardware configurations and form-factors. This is not to say that any of them will come close to seeing the light of day.

Personally, I think Apple would be stupid to release an iPhone with a slideout keyboard, just as others have said. However, I also think they would be stupid to not have any sort of keyboard in development just in case. Remember, when the iPhone first came out in 2007, it was one of the only smartphones without a keyboard and it's main competition was RIM. For a company as large as Apple who has significant future revenue riding on the iPhone product line, they need to develop several models simultaneously just in case. It was uncertain whether enterprise would adopt a smartphone without a keyboard - it would prudent to at least have a prototype model.

Remember when Apple revealed they had been secretly developing a parallel version of OS X built to run on Intel? No doubt the same sort of things are going on in the iPhone division.
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I agree with your points, however I think any of these prototypes would be locked in Ive's design lab.

I could be wrong but I believe these "rumors" are to trace the leaks.
 
Although I doubt it if Apple really wants to take Android out then they might offer more form factors at different price levels. I mean they do offer different form factors of computers right?

If they offered the standard iPhone, an iPhone Nano and an iPhone Slider they pretty much corner the entire market... right?
 
JesterJJZ said:
Why are people against options?
Click to expand...

I think all the complaints were if the iPhone came in one model (as it always has), with a keyboard. Permanently.

I wouldn't be against Apple making a second iPhone, made of plastic, with a plastic low res screen, 12MP camera, slide out keyboard, flash support and runnings Windows mobile either. As long as the current iPhone stays in the same form.
 
I understand this is MacRUMORS, but FFS guys, you treat this stuff like it's straight from the press release department at Apple.

"OH NO, NOW I'M NOT GOING TO BUY IPHONE!"

"F* U APPLE, IM BUYING PALM PRE"

"Bla bla bla UGLY bla bla bla IPHONE NANO..."

etc...

Absolutely useless. At least tell us why you wouldn't enjoy such a feature as RUMORED, constructive criticism, you know?
 
... Seriously?

SuperMatt said:
...utter nonsense such as this used to be on page 2?
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Exactly. Is this site so devoid of real rumors they have to fill the front page with this B.S.? :rolleyes:

I've got some rumors of my own that are on par:
- Next MacBook Pro to include Blu-Ray drives, USB 3.0 ports and a AMOLED Display.
- iPad 2 to get it's own Operating System so it can actually be useful.
- iOS 4.3 delayed to add Adobe Flash support.
- White iPhone "coming soon."
- Steve Jobs is dead.... (maybe...)

I like mine better. ;)
 
Guys, RELAX.

You guys are really setting yourself up to look like fools if this does come out to be true to the tune of the poor souls on Topic 500. Don't say "never" because if it does happen you will have egg on your face. Just relax and enjoy the rumor for what it is.
 
Macaroony said:
My my, what a bad photoshop. They took an iPhone 4 in a back cover case and slapped a mini-keyboard on the back of an iPhone 3G.

Very professional. :eek:
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God, some people are so fracking STUPID. It's a case. That's a bluetooth keyboard. READ THE CAPTIONS.

Anyways, I'll be buying an iPhone 5 when they come to Verizon. It will be my first iPhone. I would get a 4 now, but I'm only 7 months or so into a contract, and someone in my family is due for an upgrade soon. I'm on a Droid 2 right now. I like it a lot, but it's no iPhone. I'd prefer to have a physical keyboard, but it wouldn't be a dealbreaker. Perhaps they could have two models? One with a physical keyboard and one without? Then throw in the "iPhone Nano" for the hipster suckers, and you have an iPhone to meet everyone's desires!
 
Just in
From an industry blog:

"Apple inc. ,formerly called "Apple Computer" (until it sold out), has now gone completely commercial and lets Chinese companies design their products rather than just manufacture them

"This new Slider iPhone is the first product of this collaboration/capitulation. Also in the pipeline is a whole new series of iPods that are said to "fill every niche you can possibly imagine".

An Apple spokesperson we talked to said "We are constantly surprised by what our new partners come up with, and we expect to increase year over year profits five-fold by cutting out intermediate stages of design and costly testing. This new venture represents real progress"

Asked what future products besides the iPods we can expect they replied: "Who knows what they will come up with. Your guess is as good as mine"
 
They probably are testing this, just so Steve can say "you know, we've done studies regarding various input methods, but we found the multitouch interface to be most appropriate for our iOS devices".

I don't think we will ever see this, but it's good media attention. It will make the CNN ticker, just like the small iphone. I was watching CNN during the Egyptian Revolution, and at the bottom of the screen it read: "Apple working on smaller iPhone." As soon as a major news outlet makes the claim about some tach rumor, all the news networks jump on the bandwagon and go with it.
 
chrmjenkins said:
Methinks between this and the iphone nano rumors resurfacing, the false information brigade may be hard at work at Apple to identify leak sources.
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Agree. With the iPhone 4 launch just nine months ago, this has all the makings of a classic "mole hunting" project.

Wouldn't be surprised if Steve and company got all the internal concept phones that didn't make snuff, have some product marketing junior write up some "production plans" and just had it lay around The Loop, a few other semi-confidential spots and also a few "trusted" servers to see what happens.

The JPEG encoding of that image is quite interesting to help lead back to where it was placed. Game on!
 
wordoflife said:
Apple might as well just make it a flip phone.
Click to expand...

I wish. Unfortunately, not a chance.


chrmjenkins said:
Methinks between this and the iphone nano rumors resurfacing, the false information brigade may be hard at work at Apple to identify leak sources.
Click to expand...

Hmm... I think not. This is obviously crap and anyone at Apple would know that. Gadget sites though?... the public?? I think this is a faked leak just like many others.
 
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