Next-Generation iPhone Parts Caught on Video?

[Cod3rror]

The lack of a camera hole leads me to believe this is an old iPhone 4 prototype.

Doubt it, we've seen early prototypes of iPhone 4, the ones without screws on the bottom.

I doubt they'd leave out the camera hole, even in the earliest prototypes, camera is just such a fundamental part of the design, you don't leave it out.

I love symmetric seams, and no seam on top.

 

[ThisIsNotMe]

you do realise we were looking at the BACK of the phone when he did the teardown. The fact that there was no hole for the rear camera is IRRELEVANT because the hole that we see on the iPhone 4 is on the front side of the phone. The rear camera would just sit on the metal plate bit where there is no hole. Im willing to bet the new camera is smaller, so there is no need for the hole for it to 'sit in'.

Maybe Apple is further along on their "screen camera" patent than first thought.

 

[Pez555]

Maybe Apple is further along on their "screen camera" patent than first thought.

who knows.

but its irrelevant whether there is a hole in the metal chassis or not.

 

[Geckotek]

My thoughts:

1. If it is real, we'll probably see (a) YouTube take down notices shortly (whether they'll comply, who knows), and (b) a 'polite' letter from Apple attorney's to Global (they are in Texas) trying to prevent them from doing more, and (c) a letter wanting the parts back like the prototype last year.

Not true, an almost identical iPhone 4 leak by SmartPhoneMedic is still up on YouTube at this moment.

 

[ivladster]

Can't care less about iPhone and if they fixed crap antenna (and other) issues...

Here are the REAL news instead - live as well:

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/05/live-from-the-nvidia-ces-event/

And how exactly are you boycotting it? You know if you post something on apple sites it's not called boycotting.

 

[Roofy.]

Noone noticed that the metal bands are different shades of silver?

 

[Drag'nGT]

<---- called it as soon as the i4 issues showed up. Just move the seems to the top, done.

 

[reticulate]

You're completely ignoring 85M CDMA users in China that would also like a CDMA iPhone. And no, 3G won't end in 2 years. The 3G networks will most likely be up as long as a decade accoring to the carriers.

I should probably clarify.

I don't think Apple will do a CDMA-only device. It makes far more sense to have a dual-mode 'world phone' from a manufacturing and sales perspective (I say 'world phone' much like 'world car' - such as the Toyota Corolla or the BMW 3 - a single identical model that's sold in many different countries). While there is plenty of people using CDMA, it isn't interoperable with UTMS/GSM and has appreciably less carriers in the developed world. That's an important point if you're trying to build a single premium device that can be sold in as many countries as possible. Dual-mode fixes that problem.

As to 3G ending 'in two years', I mean the high-capacity smartphone network of choice is going to be shifting over to LTE/WiMax. 3G is going to be around for a while, but in the smartphone segment I can see manufacturers and carriers wanting users on the higher-bandwidth, faster connection. Same goes for mobile broadband in general. Apple aren't going to jump on that particular bandwagon until the networks are mature and widespread enough anyway.

(And this isn't to say I have any problem with CDMA, though I do think SIM-based devices are far more consumer friendly from a carrier portability perspective.)

 

[handywipes]

WTF fake

Noone noticed that the metal bands are different shades of silver?

Yeah super different quality. and the flex cable that long from one so short? not apple at all.

 

[Louie123]

Yeah...

I think this company is just trying to drum up business.. lol

 

[louis Fashion]

Big Red

Incoming storm of Verizon rumors.

I mean, I feel pretty confident the Verizon iPhone is on the horizon, but I like most other people are getting tired of hearing about everyone speculating on when it's coming, and I for one will just enjoy it when it actually arrives.

I refuse to buy a Verizon Phone until they offer it in Red.......

 

[Thex1138]

Maybe...

The parts he's showing off are for an Android clone...

Like they just showed off at CES the Lenovo ideaPad... an iPad form factor... hovering over the laptop that uses the MBP form factor...

 

[Piggie]

Hang on a moment.

If as Apple was publicly saying the problem did not exist and it was exactly the same in this respect, signal loss when held, as all other phones.

Why are they changing the position of the antenna breaks in the band?

Why not keep them in the same place if, as they say, it was nothing to do with this?

 

[applefanDrew]

Hang on a moment.

If as Apple was publicly saying the problem did not exist and it was exactly the same in this respect, signal loss when held, as all other phones.

Why are they changing the position of the antenna breaks in the band?

Why not keep them in the same place if, as they say, it was nothing to do with this?

B/c the way to continue to grow and evolve your technology is to change. Saying this design is better Is not saying the last was bad.

 

[Kwill]

It's a believable prototype. Adjusting the seams and bridging the bottom section with a metal strip is a logical solution to the so-called death grip. Also, the white iPhone had opacity issues that could be the result of light leaks through the larger holes not existing on the "iPhone 5?" prototype. Overall, it appears subtle refinements are being tested.

The real question is how Apple intends to boost speed again using 3G for the third time.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

By virtue of the simple fact that the mute button has moved by over 1 cm and the volume buttons also appear to have moved oh so very slightly spells death for all existing cases and bumpers. I doubt very much that Apple would do that if they were staying with the same design.

Thinking about how Apple behaves, I don't think they are going to create different iPhone exteriors for different carriers, especially ones that have such subtle differences to cause extreme marketplace confusion with cases. That doesn't make sense from a design, manufacturing or branding standpoint. I believe that whatever iPhones we see this year will all share the same look. It makes the most sense for Apple to release a new iPhone 5 that would run on both Verizon and AT&T. One phone design, multiple carriers, massive production runs to maximize margin. That sounds more like Apple.

 

[farmboy]

Hang on a moment.

If as Apple was publicly saying the problem did not exist and it was exactly the same in this respect, signal loss when held, as all other phones.

Why are they changing the position of the antenna breaks in the band?

Why not keep them in the same place if, as they say, it was nothing to do with this?

Apple did not say the problem did not exist.

They change things because they always change things (Mac Pros excepted, apparently)--that's what they do.

 

[applefan69]

now everyones downplaying the attenna thing by saying things like "ahh i learned how to hold mine" -.-


isnt that what we all chastised steve for saying in the first place?

 

[viewfly]

Looks like this is the white iPhone 4 or the Verizon iPhone 4 (with dual-mode CDMA/GSM) or this is the iPhone 5. Or both. Or neither.

Regardless, I don't see how moving the antenna break point from next to the headphone jack down to the area above the mute switch and adding another break point on the top right side of the phone can make any difference with the "death grip" issue:

The "death grip" issue occurs most significantly when one bridges the UMTS/GSM antenna and the Bluetooth/WiFi/GPS antenna. Cell-phone manufacturers are, for regulatory and SAR reasons, not allowed to place the bulk of the cellphone antenna at the top of the phone (part closest to the brain), and so unless Apple has shortened the antennas and left a gap along the bottom (which doesn't make much sense), I can't see how this would change the death grip issue at all. Plus, one of the iPhone 4 "gaps" is cosmetic anyway, so who knows.

Therefore, could it make sense that this new phone has three antennas, rather than two? The extra break point might be there to separate the CDMA antenna from the UMTS/GSM antenna and the Bluetooth/WiFi/GPS antenna. The bottom section and the right section of the phone could be for GSM, the left section for CDMA, and the top section for Bluetooth/WiFi/GPS. Since the CDMA and GSM antennas will never be on at the same time, there would be no death grip issue when bridging the two with your hand, and since you could never really bridge the gap on the top right corner of the phone, there would be no death grip issue from GSM/WiFi? The only thing of which I am not sure is whether the signal attenuation occurs because you're bridging two active antennas or whether you're just bridging two antennas together (i.e. does bridging an inactive antenna with an active one cause signal degradation or not, or is it marginal).

Just my thoughts on that. Maybe it makes sense. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable about antenna hardware could chime in.

I don't know if this a real phone or not...BUT the location of the iPhone antenna breaks could make sense to me.

First, the iP4 already has the GSM/UTMS antenna at the top (see your photo), as do other brand phones (that was clear when Apple showed the death grip with other phones). Some were on the bottom, some on the top.

Secondly, moving that hot spot seam to just above the mute switch really places it out of reach of almost everyone. It seems to me from the video that the top band is the Wi-Fi antenna and the U from above the mute switch, around the bottom and along the right side to the top is the GSM/UTMS antenna.

So this may be the solution...placing the 'detuning' spot in an unlikely place for one to touch it. They may have done other things internally as well.

Assuming this is real..

P.S. IMO Bridging the two antenna is not the cause...it is just touching that seam. For example, place your thumb and forefinger of one hand above and below the gap, i.e. bridging the two antennas...no loss of signal...as compared to placing a finger on the gap directly. Secondly, bridging the gap by the earphone jack has no effect either...yet it is bridging the same antennas.

 

[viewfly]

not that i'll buy it, but LG just announced the thinnest cell phone ever

SJ must be foaming at the mouth

Ha! that LG phone is 0.01 inch thinner! 1/10,000 of an inch thinner than the IPhone 4.

That is about how much foam SJ might produce on this one.

 

[Yamcha]

I'm watching CES 2011 live, so far I'm not impressed, I think iPhone still remains the best smartphone around.. I don't know why they release so many different phones, all it does is make it even more confusing choosing what phone to get =P..

So far I like Windows Phone 7 & iPhone.. From the Tablet market I was pretty impressed with the Blackberry playbook..

Although it is good that we are seeing dual core tablets and smartphones..

 

[black743]

At this point I don't think some of you will believe a Verizon iPhone even if Steve Jobs does announce it.

And if the buttons are slightly moved on the sides, that would tie into some of the case design rumors we've seen recently wouldn't it?

 

[troop231]

now everyones downplaying the attenna thing by saying things like "ahh i learned how to hold mine" -.-


isnt that what we all chastised steve for saying in the first place?

They're just joking dude..

 

[Thex1138]

Clone Wars

Shameless SlamSlung

Looks like the boozers at Samsung are sucking up too much Apple juice lately... Samsung TV Remote.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/samsungs-rmc30d-universal-touch-control-tv-remote-touts-three-i/

Per Engadget image...

 

[orangebluedevil]

I don't know if this a real phone or not...BUT the location of the iPhone antenna breaks could make sense to me.

First, the iP4 already has the GSM/UTMS antenna at the top (see your photo), as do other brand phones (that was clear when Apple showed the death grip with other phones). Some were on the bottom, some on the top.

Secondly, moving that hot spot seam to just above the mute switch really places it out of reach of almost everyone. It seems to me from the video that the top band is the Wi-Fi antenna and the U from above the mute switch, around the bottom and along the right side to the top is the GSM/UTMS antenna.

So this may be the solution...placing the 'detuning' spot in an unlikely place for one to touch it. They may have done other things internally as well.

Assuming this is real..

P.S. IMO Bridging the two antenna is not the cause...it is just touching that seam. For example, place your thumb and forefinger of one hand above and below the gap, i.e. bridging the two antennas...no loss of signal...as compared to placing a finger on the gap directly. Secondly, bridging the gap by the earphone jack has no effect either...yet it is bridging the same antennas.

Hmm, you are right. Verrrry interesting. I think you just nailed it.

The ribbon they showed for the i5 that is longer is so that the contact points between the ribbon and external antenna band are separated by the max distance possible. In contrast, the i4 ribbon was short, meaning that the contact points were both in the bottom left corner of the i4. This is why bridging the gap in only that corner kills the signal on the i4 - because the ribbon connects directly under your skin to the antenna band.

Thus, for the i5 you distance the contact points (of the ribbon to the antenna band) as much as possible, as shown by the longer ribbon. Just for insurance, you put 1 piece of antenna band in between the two that is not part of either antenna and thus its impossible to directly bridge the gap between the two contact points (of the ribbon and antenna band).

Tada?