Hands On with a Physical Mockup of the iPhone 5

[MacRumors]

Over the weekend, GSM Israel posted a video of a physical mock-up of the iPhone 5 found at the IFA 2012 consumer electronics show in Berlin. The physical mockup was created by a case manufacturer to test early case designs on the upcoming iPhone.

The Verge has since tracked down the same mockup and was able to take high quality photos and video of the device which show it well compared to the iPhone 4S.

The video does a good job showing off the size and heft of the device as compared to the current iPhone 4S. As noted in the video, this is a non-functional mockup. It's only used as dummy shell for case manufacturers. According to the case manufacturer, they are "very confident" about the new design and have started production of cases in volume in anticipation of the new iPhone.

The rumors for the design of the new iPhone have been very consistent. Apple is widely expected to announce the new iPhone on September 12th.

Article Link: Hands On with a Physical Mockup of the iPhone 5

 

[daechi]

It's the same phone but longer. These guys are geniuses...

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Bear in mind that it's only a dummy, with no working innards.

 

[intervenient]

Can someone PLEASE explain the purpose of that ugly two tone?

 

[slu]

I said it before and I'll say it again, I want a bigger screen not a taller screen. But I am very invested in the iOS ecosystem. I'm not sure it is enough to keep me though.

 

[bwhli]

Honestly not a fan of the two tone design. It makes the placement of the camera weird.

 

[SteveAbootman]

Sept 3rd - Still not a fan of the two-tone back.

Sept 12th - Will buy the new iPhone regardless

Oct 12th - Will have a case over the iPhone and will have completely forgotten about the two-tone back.

 

[MultiMediaWill]

Now lets get a battery and boot her up!

 

[Tankmaze]

Can someone PLEASE explain the purpose of that ugly two tone?

Antennas.

 

[applefanDrew]

Can someone PLEASE explain the purpose of that ugly two tone?

It's needed so that all the antennae work. Especially the cell antennae on top and bottom.

 

[Theclamshell]

As long as twelvesouth makes a bookbook for it I will be happy!

 

[verniesgarden]

Can someone PLEASE explain the purpose of that ugly two tone?

remember the first iPhone? same 2 tone, so if they go with "the new iPhone" perhaps a styling homage to the first generation.

my issue is how close the camera ring is to the bottom of the black glass on the back, doesn't look right to me.

 

[fins831]

Damn you Tommy Two Tone...

lol

 

[mentholiptus]

Am I the first to mention Tim saying they were going to double down on secrecy?

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

The white dummy version is shown here. Again, the fit and finish as well as colors aren't accurate as they're only dummies.

 

[MacSince1990]

It's needed so that all the antennae work. Especially the cell antennae on top and bottom.

Right. Because color matters. This news story gives us new information how?

 

[SeaFox]

Am I the first to mention Tim saying they were going to double down on secrecy?

With a non-working prototype made by a third party?
Yes, this is entirely Cook's fault.

 

[PlayRadioPlay]

The two tone design is only acceptable if they get rid of those idiotic antenna bands.

Are they seriously keeping those?? Give me a break. There are countless other phones on the market that don't need out-of-place, off-color stripes on all sides of the device to function properly.

This phone is looking less and less attractive to me, and I've never owned a smartphone other than the iPhone.

 

[Stetrain]

Can someone PLEASE explain the purpose of that ugly two tone?

Metal back is good for strength and structure, but antennas can't transmit and receive through metal very well. Therefore you need to have the non-metal windows to allow radio signals through.

 

[Mr Fusion]

It's needed so that all the antennae work. Especially the cell antennae on top and bottom.

That translates into "Poor engineering resulted in aesthetic design sacrifices." Doesn't sound like the Apple I know.

 

[Stetrain]

The two tone design is only acceptable if they get rid of those idiotic antenna bands.

Are they seriously keeping those??

But they're still required for the antennas to function. Just like the 4S this design will probably use the top and bottom U-shaped bands as antennas.

I haven't heard of any real life issues with the 4S's antenna design, so I don't see why they would move away from that.

That translates into "Poor engineering resulted in aesthetic design sacrifices." Doesn't sound like the Apple I know.

So what would you have them do? They tried all glass on the back. People complain that it's scratch prone and easy to crack. They tried an all plastic back and it felt cheap by comparison and had cracking issues. They can't yet mass produce radio-transparent metals, but that's obviously why they bought the rights to LiquidMetal's tech. An all-metal back would be a great design, but it just wouldn't work.

Design includes how it works.

 

[Ent]

If this doesn't impress on the 12th, hello galaxy s 3

 

[ekwipt]

slow day at the office for whoever made the video and macrumours i guess?

 

[sfrancis928]

I said it before and I'll say it again, I want a bigger screen not a taller screen. But I am very invested in the iOS ecosystem. I'm not sure it is enough to keep me though.

The screen is taller, therefore it is bigger...

 

[master5hake]

Two Tone

I think the black two tone looks good. They mixed and matched the black glass with the silver body on this mock up, thats why its looks so awkward