High-Quality Video and Photos Reveal What Apple's Plastic iPhone Will Look Like

[thedeejay]

In first with the 'It looks cheap. I won't buy it' post.

Personally I think it looks good.

I suppose it really depends on how it feels in the hand...

That's what she... Never mind

But you're right. It does depend on the feel of the phone on hand. I spoke too soon for the iPad mini and I fell in love. I should first see then decide this time.

 

[newyorksole]

Maybe this phone wont have a retina display, and theyll call the 5s, 5s with retina display

they need to stop with the non retinas on iOS devices.

 

[Tiger8]

I am a believer in the lower cost iPhone but...

This case is fake. Final phone will probably look like that, we heard many rumors about it, but what's to prevent them from making up an 'Apple' case as a marketing ploy for that basic bear (lol at the name) phone?

 

[mdelvecchio]

Exactly...looks cheap to me. Like a toy.

god the apple "toy" comments are so tired. people have been saying that since the original Mac release. and in every case they were not "toys". please come up with something new.

 

[chadley_chad]

Um, the BMW reference wasn't to tout anything other than it's an expensive car w/ lots of plastic, so your "I don't like BMW," etc., is rather out of place and off point.

But since you own a Mercedes, and like the plastic inside, I'm unsure why you are moaning the prospect that Apple might "cheapen" it's phone by making a model, once again, out of it. Plastic is not the sole domain of the Walmarts of the world. It's even in very high end products.

As for your horse, of course he's busy... he's trying to figure out how to pull the cart hitched to him backwards or push it w/o it toppling over. Duh.

Laughable ... I remember a time recently when you were calling my S4 for having a plastic back ... But of course Apple now having one is completely acceptable, isn't it! Bah

 

[mdelvecchio]

I've been buying apple kit (lots of it) for over 16 years and I've witnessed the rise and now (IMO) fall of Apple. Luckily Apples marketing hype no longer works on me; and I can see a number of competitor brands being a much better buy ... But best of all, because I'm not an Apple lamb, I can buy based on spec and price, regardless of the manufacturer .... I'm not 'blinded' or seduced by the Apple logo (which theses days, come on, means what exactly?) Apple have lost their way!

-1 for saying "kit"..barf.

as for the rest of your diatribe -- as a unique and beautiful snowflake, you should consider a speaking tour. you know, to enlighten others and teach them to free themselves in the glorious fashion you have. please consider it. they need you.

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I think you will find you are incorrect re the antenna - it works as per described by the person you have incorrectly replied to. Learn your products, check your facts!!!!

there is no bare metal antenna on the iPhone 5 -- the antenna arrays are behind the glass windows.

take your own advice.

 

[topomango]

another incredible new product from Cook ...
This guy has completely lost my respect. Of course the shares are so down. He lives in denial. No innovation whatsoever. The same of the same, just with the words 'mini' and 'midi' here and there, with the same user experience to create 'fantastic new products' (...and developed in California, sad). Apple now is indeed run by marketing people and salesmen. Poor Steve...

 

[mdelvecchio]

another incredible new product from Cook ...
This guy has completely lost my respect. Of course the shares are so down. He lives in denial. No innovation whatsoever. The same of the same, just with the words 'mini' and 'midi' here and there, with the same user experience to create 'fantastic new products' (...and developed in California, sad). Apple now is indeed run by marketing people and salesmen. Poor Steve...

get real. apple is the most profitable company in tech. they own the profits in both mobile and pc. he's not sweating it because he's doing great.

 

[SILen(e]

another incredible new product from Cook ...
This guy has completely lost my respect. Of course the shares are so down. He lives in denial. No innovation whatsoever. The same of the same, just with the words 'mini' and 'midi' here and there, with the same user experience to create 'fantastic new products' (...and developed in California, sad). Apple now is indeed run by marketing people and salesmen. Poor Steve...

Define "innovation".

 

[falconeight]

That's odd because as far as I'm concerned (along with MILLIONS of other people around the world who aren't seduced or blinded by an Apple logo (ergo sheep!), I have no problem with the plastics used by Samsung, I don't find them cheap and I don't find the phone as a whole to feel anything but quality. Of course it's not made of metals like the iPhone, but then again it doesn't scratch before it even comes out the box (!!) or look like a mish mash of design. The S4 has a GLORIOUS screen, is feature packed and I'll live with a pastic back to ensure it remains thin, light and allows me to easily remove and replace, add SD memory, wireless charging etc. if you'd rather have a scratched aluminium back then enjoy!

I'd also direct you to any of the new Nokia mobiles (windows), Sony, HTC ... I could go on ... MANY phones that no, aren't made of aluminium, but sure feel as good if not better than an iPhone, and all are a better usage experience.

How about you either get an apple logo etched on your arm, or open your mind and explore the possibilities from other manufacturers as I and many others have. I still buy Apple kit, but where ts not the best, I vote with my wallet, and for mobiles, sorry Apple, you ain't getting it anymore until you do better.

Anyone else want to harp on about a plastic back????

The I sheep argument.....classic.

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Android is an OS. Android doesn't make any phones. Cheap or otherwise.

And "cheap" is really subjective. And also not always relevant. Personally I care more about how my phone works and if it's a well made phone. Whether that's plastic or metal matters little as I put my phone in a case. As long as it's not easily broken because of the build quality.

I love all tech. The best tool for the job in my opinion. The pissing contest over whose phone is better is silly. The best phone is the phone you enjoy using and does what you want it to.

Hey hey hey - chocolate is SO much better than vanilla. And mint chip blows both of those crap flavors away

That's great, they still make cheap phones. Whether you put it in a case or not.

 

[samcraig]

The I sheep argument.....classic.

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That's great, they still make cheap phones. Whether you put it in a case or not.

Android doesn't make any phones. It's an OS. If you're going to "insult" - know what/who you're insulting. It's like saying iOS makes cheap phones. Or Symbian makes cheap phones.

And clearly you didn't understand the thrust of my post. The higher end Android and iPhone phones aren't cheap. They are made from different materials - yes. But "cheap" is in the eye of the beholder. And as I said - at the end of the day - I care a lot less about if my phone is plastic or metal or glass than how it performs and if it does what I want. But yes - there are plenty of people who treat their phones as a status symbol. I treat my phone as a phone.

 

[topper24hours]

I very very much doubt this.

So 1 new model, will outsell the entire catalog of all android/windows phones combined.

Ummm, no.

Umm, reading comprehension? The original poster said it would outsell every other smartphone model. NOT every other smartphone COMBINED. Umm, duh.

 

[falconeight]

Android doesn't make any phones. It's an OS. If you're going to "insult" - know what/who you're insulting. It's like saying iOS makes cheap phones. Or Symbian makes cheap phones.

And clearly you didn't understand the thrust of my post. The higher end Android and iPhone phones aren't cheap. They are made from different materials - yes. But "cheap" is in the eye of the beholder. And as I said - at the end of the day - I care a lot less about if my phone is plastic or metal or glass than how it performs and if it does what I want. But yes - there are plenty of people who treat their phones as a status symbol. I treat my phone as a phone.

Ok Ok samsung, motorola, huwai, sony, lg, and any other oem other than htc(makes non upgradeable unsupported phone) make cheap plastic throw away phones that lose value faster than a KIA. They are cheaply made and made be produced quickly and cheaply. Inside a terrible owner experience. Look at the Galaxy S3 it was made at the same time as the I5. check prices on both of those phones.

Plastic doesn't have to be cheap. HTC and Nokia make great premium feeling plastic phones.

 

[smulji]

So many people on here think this plastic case (if it is real) is the defining feature (along with the internals using not current tech) and that's what's going to differentiate it from the current iPhone and justify a lower price. And evidently in their minds consumers think along these lines too? That's like saying, "I bought a Bentley for myself because it's got a hand carved wooden dash, and for my children I bought them a BMW and Mercedes because of the extensive use of plastic in their build materials - you know, cheaper and more durable."

They will not release a new iPhone only differentiated by build materials - imagine the people who pay more money for the higher priced iPhone that does the exact same thing the cheaper one does.

If this iPhone exists and it costs less than the current one and has plastic and colour options and doesn't use the fastest chips out there (but is still functional because they won't sell an unusable product), it will have different functionality to differentiate it from the current iPhone, exactly like the Nano is differentiated from the Touch, exactly like the Pro is differentiated from the iMac, and on and on. This discussion focusing solely on cost and build materials is ridiculous - two products doing the exact same thing but at different prices? Never going to happen.

I've read your posts and you make some very good points. One theory that hasn't been brought up (or at least I haven't read it yet), is what if this so-called plastic iPhone & iPhone 5S are one and the same? I wouldn't put it past Apple to do that.

 

[charlituna]

I say, good move Apple.

If it happens. I'm not 100% on this proof. Too much of this is renders off the rumors which could be legit or could be not and just intending to make the rumors look correct and drum up hits. We saw it before with the teardrop phone rumors. As the saying goes 'fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me'

I see it equally possible that this is fake and they will just drop the price of the iPhone 5. Or this is somewhat real and it's merely a new casing around the iPhone 5 perhaps to allow them to drop the price even a bit more than the traditional $100 and really split up the two offerings. Or perhaps this was a prototype that was rejected ages ago when they decided to go with the iPhone 5.

Or maybe they are making a 'budget' phone but not totally in the sense that folks think. It isn't a cheap phone for the poor third world so they can feel better about themselves that they have gotten some charity with this special iPhone made for them. But rather a scaled down on features phone with a super sturdy casing designed for those that don't use everything in the iPhone, kids etc. a phone that is more a feature phone with some smart bits than a full on smart phone. Might also be good for those with the iPad who really just need a phone that makes calls, can sync to iCloud etc. and because its been scaled down the parts and thus the finished product will be less expensive.

 

[charlituna]

I'm trying to think why Apple would keep the 4S and excepting for 30 pin holdouts, there isn't any reason. So that means that this iPhone might become the 0$ on contract phone, probably with only 16GB of memory.

If it is real then yes this is likely. The 'new' iPhone might even be 32 and 64 only which isn't so much of an issue if the 32 is the $199 model (or less). Folks always seem to need more space these days and since Apple appears loathe to do the whole SD card thing this is a solution.

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Steve wouldn't have allowed this.

1. This could have been a Steve idea. Tech moves slowly enough that we might be seeing his ideas for another 8-10 years

2. He's dead so what he would allow is moot anyway. And with his own blessing before he died.

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Hmm...

Where's the slot for the SIM Tray?

There isn't one. Carriers that want to support this iPhone will have to support the use of a fully digital sim.

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Why do people post comments like if this was an Apple announcement, it's a prototype made by some website with the sole purpose to start selling this device but with Android installed, this is an ad that MacRumors got paid for to publish it.

Doubt they got paid, which makes it even sneakier

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Plenty if people already put cheap plastic cases on their iPhones, so the plastic case going to be coveredc anyways

Not at all. Now folks won't have to spend more money to get a case. It comes with

 

[elev8d]

Doesn't matter much to me

Whether they are making a 4S replacement doesn't concern me much. I am still really hoping that they surprise us with an iPhone with 4.8" screen, even though it's highly unlikely.

 

[diddl14]

Very smart: design a cheap new Android phone (see 'one more thing' at the end) and than spread a bunch of rumours on the design of a future iPhone.

Pretty sure they will be selling a bunch of their android phones..

What I don't get is why MacRumors doesn't take a more critical stand at this?
Apple will NEVER make an Android phone. Are you new at this? Are you seriously that uninformed on the Apple iOS system?

Apple will NEVER make an Android phone. Are you new at this? Are you seriously that uninformed on the Apple iOS system?

Seems that my post could be misinterpreted... (and thus result in utter chock)

I was not referring to Apple but to "Techdy" the maker of the video and main source of the new budget iPhone rumor. Techdy is in the business selling Android phones that look like iPhones.

My claim is that they are abusing the Apple "rumor-community" to advertise their "Basic Bear" Android phone by presenting it as a clone of a yet to be released new iPhone.

I have no clue if Apple will come up with a budget phone but personally do have a hard time believing that these leaked shells are designed by Apple's industrial design team. It just looks way to cheap and inconsistent.

Makes more sense now?

 

[samcraig]

Ok Ok samsung, motorola, huwai, sony, lg, and any other oem other than htc(makes non upgradeable unsupported phone) make cheap plastic throw away phones that lose value faster than a KIA. They are cheaply made and made be produced quickly and cheaply. Inside a terrible owner experience. Look at the Galaxy S3 it was made at the same time as the I5. check prices on both of those phones.

Plastic doesn't have to be cheap. HTC and Nokia make great premium feeling plastic phones.

Cheaply made and made to be produced quickly and cheaply. Yes. I am sure the iPhone takes so very long in comparison.

Regardless - I stand by my personal preference of functionality over how fast a phone can be put together or whether it's plastic or metal.

 

[joachimnb]

They need to come up with something like this, but it could be fake, of course.

But Apple just do not get it. What people want from Apple is a rounded metal (like iPod Touch or iPad mini style) back as the Pro product, and also a cheaper plastic model in the same rounded style, which is not last years model.

Also, people want different sizes in screen. Just like with notebooks, desktops, tablets and further, there is not one universal right size. And the thing about the ability to hold it in one hand is so lame. One does not simply type fast without two hands anyway. And most
40+ people holds the phone in the palm and types so slow with the pointer finger anyways. You can do the same and even better on a 5" screen, which also has bigger letters to push on the keyboard.

But I do not care if they produce it anymore. It is way too late and I will probably try S4 Android anyway. I will rather put my money in a company that makes logical choices in their product line faster (bigger screens for example).

 

[diddl14]

Very smart: design a cheap new Android phone (see 'one more thing' at the end) and than spread a bunch of rumours on the design of a future iPhone.

Pretty sure they will be selling a bunch of their android phones..

What I don't get is why MacRumors doesn't take a more critical stand at this?

Maybe MR is just not as confused as your mind seems to be when you talk your android crap

I'm was referring to the video posted by Techdy, an Android phone developer that offers cloned iPhone designs running Android and apparently gets free advertisements on MR.

(but thank you for sharing your view on android. As iOS developer I tend to agree...)

 

[donutbagel]

Apple should fix that for you, even out of warranty. At least they were still doing so last time I checked.

I don't know if they'll have much sympathy for a guy whose MacBook's Apple logo glows orange

 

[WilliamLondon]

One theory that hasn't been brought up (or at least I haven't read it yet), is what if this so-called plastic iPhone & iPhone 5S are one and the same? I wouldn't put it past Apple to do that.

Yeah, I've seen a few suggest it might be the same, I always assumed that the 5S would be the same case as the 5 (as they've done with the 3G/3GS and 4/4S), but only for historical reasons - no reason they need to always do that when upgrading to the 'S' version of the phone - shake things up a bit is always fun. Someone also just posted something similar that it might be a way to warrant a price reduction for the iPhone line and that this isn't a new model in the family, but a way to justify changing the price. That's an interesting idea too.

I'm not of the group that thinks of plastic as cheap, and I certainly don't think Apple would produce something that looks or feels cheap, that's something I can't imagine. I think that if this were my product to market, wearing my marketing cap I'd promote durability and variety of colours and by the time I was through with my campaign you'd assume this version to be the more expensive one vs. the version that offers no colour options and is fragile. When did durability become a bad thing? Strange.

Exciting times ahead, can't wait to see if this is real and what they end up releasing this year!

 

[charlituna]

How is the title misleading?

Because its a rumor, not News.

News would be Apple announcing this phone and releasing these photos themselves.

 

[ASUgrad1999]

What made me a fan of the iPhone was not the design of the phone but the reliability of the hardware and software and the support network at Apple Stores. In fact, the design of the iPhone 4/4s and 5 have really been lacking in terms of usability and comfort. I'd gladly sacrifice thinness for a phone with rounded edges. Too bad this phone will have reduced specs compared to the 5/5s that I'll probably end up staying with my 5.