New Images Show White Back Panel on Next-Generation iPhone

[cvaldes]

Certainly, but many of the patents that do surface have become produced in their products years later.

Are we going to discuss this in circles? Is that what you want?

Okay, maybe this particular patent will end up being part of an Apple product sometime before humans become extinct. Are you happy?

Look, there is no evidence of a touchscreen back sensor in any of the leaked prototype teardowns. It's not coming out next week.

If you're theorizing that it might be part of some device in the future at some point that no one can predict, that's fine, but it's not a particularly relevant discussion for the next-generation iPhone (i.e., the topic of this MacRumors forum thread).

 

[3282868]

Are we going to discuss this in circles? Is that what you want?

Okay, maybe this particular patent will end up being part of an Apple product sometime before humans become extinct. Are you happy?

Look, there is no evidence of a touchscreen back sensor in any of the leaked prototype teardowns. It's not coming out next week.

If you're theorizing that it might be part of some device in the future at some point that no one can predict, that's fine, but it's not a particularly relevant discussion for the next-generation iPhone.

Not at all, someone mentioned it and I simply commented with a patent that floated around, that's all. No need to get worked up.

 

[ChrisGonzales90]

Guys I get its a patent. But I just dont get the real need though. Your hands would interfere with it.

 

[JoEw]

When I say something like "its very un-Apple" I am talking about recent design trends with Apple and the consistency with those recent designs.

Regarding the seam I am not talking about the overall shape, I am talking about the hideous seam at the bottom. Show me another recently designed Apple device that has that large of a gap.

iPod nano 3rd generation to ipod nano 4th generation

 

[tigress666]

Man, I'm the odd one that preferred the Nana 3rd generation shape. I just found it fit easily in pockets plus if I actually were to use it to watch video, just seems awkward to watch it in a way that it's not symetrical). I am getting a 5th gen soon so maybe I'll eat my words (I like it for other reasons but I still wish it had the 3rd generation shape).

As for touch screen in back? Why would you want that? Seriously... I could just see it being really annoying when you kept accidentally giving it input to do stuff that you didn't mean. I mean you'd have to make sure to hold it so nothing in your hand was touching the back unless you meant to put an input and that would be awkward and I bet you'd fail sometimes and find you accidentally told it to do something.

I mean, I could be wrong (without seeing how it was implemented or actually playing wiht one that had it, you never can truly tell). But I just can't imagine a way they could implement it that would make it so it would read inputs well but manage to know when you didn't mean it.

 

[ChrisGonzales90]

Not to mention all future iPods may become like the touch. Click wheel will be done with and the iPhone OS will be expanded.

 

[B Gallagher]

Not to mention all future iPods may become like the touch. Click wheel will be done with and the iPhone OS will be expanded.

Sounds good in theory, but if we take the 4th generation nano above as an example, and cut off the bottom half, leaving the screen for multi-touch, you're going to need some pretty damn small fingers. Increase the screen size too much and you're just heading towards and iPod Touch. But it wouldn't surprised me if Apple found some kind of middle ground.

 

[Castiel]

I've never thought about getting a White iPhone, until now.

 

[Becordial]

I've liked the business like look of the new iphone since we first saw what it looked liked, but the white one... it's offputting.

I've tried white and black ones of the old models and the lack of matching front and back was always a bit weird but this one in white looks wrong. I cant tell if it's because their cheap parts, wrapped in plastic or just very polarising but like others I really need to see it first hand.

 

[Tanguyvd]

Just waiting for the nitwits to start wailing about screws or seams. Or how white is a terrible color (as if they aren't going to have a choice). Or the sharp edges. Or the lack of OLED. Or the lack of a Mac Pro refresh...

Fake. doesn't use cheap plastic like that. doesn't believe in having seams in their products - collects dirt, aesthetically displeasing to the I's.

One More Thing: the new iPhone should be UNIBODY carved and laser cut aluminum!

iPod nano 3rd generation to ipod nano 4th generation

and for the record, my iPod G3 still rocks big time!!!

 

[Thex1138]

Six Months in a Leaky....

FoxxConnnnnn......

 

[rdlink]

Why is Steve Jobs not off at this very moment using valuable law enforcement resources to execute searches and indict people?

What an assinine statement. If someone stole your property, and tried to extort something from you with it would you not file a complaint with the police? Nice to know you would be so forgiving to your fellow man if they did something illegal that cost you hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

 

[rdlink]

I would love it if Jobs revealed something completely different than all of these leaks.

Sorry, IMO just a butt ugly phone, compared to the current models.

 

[brodie]

Seams explanation

I don't know if this has been posited before as an explanation for the seams, but it looks to me that they separate the metal sides and base of the phone rather than make space for something to fill. I remember seeing an Apple patent application for a Heart Rate Monitor, and it would follow that this is the implementation of it.

I can't think of many off the top of my head, but i'm sure there's a great deal more applications that could be had from the places you touch on your casing and the conductivity of your hand or hands, they are essentially adding three more 'clever' buttons.

Just an iDea.

 

[NickK1066]

Why did they stick the plastic back on? All the bubbles..

Chances are they're using a 2D barcode from a different manufacturer either to divert attention or to make it look real.

Looks a little odd around the camera too.

 

[MacinDoc]

I have the feeling my wife will be all over the white one...

 

[McGiord]

What is it, what you guys call SEAMS ?

Those slots?

Why?

Apple Dictionary:
seam |sēm|
noun
1 a line along which two pieces of fabric are sewn together in a garment or other article.
• a line where the edges of two pieces of wood, wallpaper, or another material touch each other.
• a long thin indentation or scar : a sun-scorched face fissured with delicate seams.
2 an underground layer, as of ore or coal.


I also wonder why there are still in recent "leaks"?

 

[08380728]

So the back isn't ceramic at all as was previously claimed? It certainly doesn't look like ceramic. Shame because the iPhone 3G has very poor reception in locations where other phones have good reception. My phone alerts me 10 million times a day it has no carrier signal and it drives me F#Çin crazy :-((

 

[Tanguyvd]

Black cars in Japan are historically associated with the yakuza (mafia).

Just sayin'.

White is considered a "clean" color in Japan, and there's no aesthetic value more important there than cleanliness.

trend of 2009 --> everything white (cars, bikes, iphone)
trend of 2010 / 2010 --> everything matte black (check the http://www.autokanaal.be/nieuws/aid924131/matzwart-nieuwe-trend-dankzij-carwrapping.aspx)

does it means we can expect a black iPhone 5G with a matted touch screen in June '11... cool!

I have the feeling my wife will be all over the white one...

lol, try "Find My iPhone" at your location.... "The Great White North"

 

[Drag'nGT]

I'll have to hold the white one before I can say for sure that I want one. I get why Apple is going with the white front but it's a little 'meh' from the pics. It would feel like a really new phone to me if it was white by comparison to getting another black iPhone. We'll see.

If they are limited edition and don't have the rumored issues of the last gen then I'll really want one. Sometimes I'm a sucker for a limited run design/color.

 

[Kissaragi]

I wish Apple and other companies would give an option to buy products made in the US. Have a side by side assembly line and charge more money for the American made products. I would gladly pay considerably more for a product made here in the states. I would hope a test like this would show that others would as well and would ultimately lead to phasing out the overseas assembly. Hey it may be a pipe dream... but I wish it was this easy.

Mike

would be an interesting experiment to try. Would never work in the UK, but US patriotism might be enough to get it to work there.

 

[chimpboy74]

As for touch screen in back? Why would you want that? Seriously... I could just see it being really annoying when you kept accidentally giving it input to do stuff that you didn't mean. I mean you'd have to make sure to hold it so nothing in your hand was touching the back unless you meant to put an input and that would be awkward and I bet you'd fail sometimes and find you accidentally told it to do something.

I mean, I could be wrong (without seeing how it was implemented or actually playing wiht one that had it, you never can truly tell). But I just can't imagine a way they could implement it that would make it so it would read inputs well but manage to know when you didn't mean it.

maybe it will be basic gestures when on a call only. E.g swipe finger up to raise call volume etc. I am forever having to take the phone away from my ear to adjust volume as I can never seem to get it without looking with my fat fingers

 

[TrickyTree1984]

What an assinine statement. If someone stole your property, and tried to extort something from you with it would you not file a complaint with the police? Nice to know you would be so forgiving to your fellow man if they did something illegal that cost you hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Except it will make apple money, not cost them money

 

[Ben-]

omg it has SEAMS

I always thought the seam was for prototypes to make them quicker to take apart for testing but it seems more and more like it's the production model. I wonder what function the seam has? I know there is no way they're leaving it there just because. Apple wouldn't do that because it somewhat ruins the "flow" of the design. Any guesses?

I believe someone has mentioned the possibility that the seams exists for the sake of having a removable battery cover. If thats the case I think thats a much better design decision than have a seam along the back side of the phone.

 

[cvaldes]

I believe someone has mentioned the possibility that the seams exists for the sake of having a removable battery cover. If thats the case I think thats a much better design decision than have a seam along the back side of the phone.

That's nice. There are weirdos here all the time make some incredibly ludicrous technical claims. Even some very earnest-sounding technical folks.

We had someone here say that the ship date of the OS X 10.6.3 update wouldn't be released without software components reliant on an entirely new, completely untested and unproven compiler release (LLVM).

Guess what? He was absolutely wrong.

Let's face it: Apple is not letting Joe Consumer change the iPhone's battery. They have never allowed it with the iPod nor the iPhone. They have eliminated user-changeable batteries on the MacBooks. Apple is moving away from user-changeable batteries, not toward it. There is little reason to believe that they would allow this in the next-gen iPhone.