The Prototype iPhone Dissected, No User Removable Battery

[Stewie86]

Why don't we have dates for this year's WWDC yet?

This time last year we knew the dates. Did this ordeal delay the announcement?

 

[1Zach1]

and old computer

http://www.friedmanarchives.com/Non-Gallery-Images-1/images/JPL Univac 1219 8x12 300 dpi.jpg


and a new one

http://inertz.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/mac_book_air3.JPG

30 years in between those or so yes? Not 1.

 

[powers74]

fake

I'm skeptical...how do we know that Gizmodo did not create this thing?

That's the most preposterous thing I've ever read on MR.

Looks like the inner aluminum case was milled out, making it the first unit body iPhone. I bet this thing will feel like a rock. I can't wait. This'll be my first iPhone!

 

[doubleatheman]

WTF?
So this is the 3GS logic board
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/DTaHMIn3GNdOTNZr.standard
This is the new logic board
[urlhttp://cache-04.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/04/500x_open19_01.jpg[/url]


Really? That tiny little thing holds all the stuff necessary?

The 3gs board did not have anything on the back other than a wi-fi chip.

The new board uses both sides to the full extent.

Excuse my ignorance on board manufacturing, but I think they used more internal "layers" of circuit paths. I was reading an article about motherboard manufacturing a few years ago, and they are now staking like 8 layers of circuitry in the boards.

So If they can stack the circuitry more, and use both sides of the board for max surface area use on a tiny logic board. Also I'm sure a few of the chips have to be amazingly smaller themselves.

Still that new logic board seems impossibly small.

 

[Fast Shadow]

Can't wait until Apple takes possession of Gawker's assets and ****cans the whole brand.

 

[Anuba]

Still that new logic board seems impossibly small.

Yes. So now they can finally make that mythical iPhone Nano. Just shrink the battery and the screen and it's done.

 

[troop231]

seems impossibly small.

I've heard this before lol

 

[goobot]

30 years in between those or so yes? Not 1.

thats why its not as big as a change. also as time goes by tec get developed faster. exp the past thousands of years we used horses. then cars came and get improving and get improving faster. it seems like humans are in a rapid tec upgrade period of time and doesnt seem to be slowing down.

another exp. apples is updating there computers a lot more than in the 1900's and as we got into the late first decade of 2000 its become more frequent

 

[doubleatheman]

I've heard this before lol

http://www.yardwear.net/blog/content/binary/i-pod-nano.jpg

O_O I was still an Apple hater back then!

I remember saying

"Why the hell do I need something so small just so I can loose it, or stare at it wrong and it will bend in half."

Apple seems to know how to make very very sturdy devices when the are super thin. The newest nano is 6.3mm thin, and has almost no flex to it.

 

[rudigern]

Pissing Apple off, yes, FBI shutting giz down overnight, no. The person in the most trouble here is the guy who sold the phone to giz instead of turning it over to the police (since he couldn't figure out how to turn it over to Apple).

Gizmodo will be fine... just with less live blogs.

Mmmm, I've read somewhere in the state law that if an item is left somewhere in a public place like a bar or cash register its considered misplaced and if its not handed to the owner of the place it is considered theft. Gizmodo knowing how the person acquired the phone would be guilty of knowingly receiving stolen property.

Hoping that doesn't happen of course but you cant just hock something you found at the bar, sell it to someone else, pull it apart and give it back to the owner and think its all fine and dandy.

 

[dscottbuch]

I undersand this but then I pay Apple's price. Also, I can't carry a spare. So no, I don't find these two things to be one in the same. I'd like a battery I can swap myself. I don't need to be tied to Apple any more than I already am. Now, if they can somehow give me the iPad battery in an iPhone then **** it, I'm there!

Here you go
$19.95 iPhone Battery Replacement

 

[kockgunner]

Something isn't right.
This is beginning to feel forced. . .

I agree. This whole situation feels weird. It felt too good to be true that the 4G iPhone got leaked. Gizmodo is writing so many articles as if it's no big deal as if they're trying to convince us this isn't a leak. The writing style feels forced too.

 

[brewcitywi]

If I'm found

If I'm ever lost, please don't take me apart and post pictures of my inner workings on the tech sites, please!

 

[cmfilms]

Barbaric. Why won't they just leave that poor iPhone alone?!? I've never been so disgusted. Why is this okay??? What kind of world are we living in?

Whhhyyyy? WWWWHHHYYYYYYYY!!!!!

 

[Thex1138]

It's All about the software... Wait!

It IS though about battery replacement being able to be done IN the Apple store done by the Genius dudes...

They will be able to replace your battery in the store without having to give you a new hand set or refurbished hand set... Look at the design, the ease of access given to the battery with much greater ease and less fiddling with layers of electronics... though still 'off limits' from the user, but now the genius can get to the batter and all...

So there will be fewer returns to the factory and fewer replacement hand sets required for battery issues.

This assumes that this is truly the final design and not simply re-dressed phone guts for field testing...

 

[cocky jeremy]

Bigger battery + A4 = much better battery life.

.. i hope.

 

[realeric]

It's not right.

 

[captmatt]

Email or Certified Letter

Would Apple really ask for it back in an email? I'd expect more of a certified letter approach.

 

[slffl]

GOOD! I don't want the added bulk of a replaceable battery because I will never want to swap it!! The bulk from an addon sled is probably the same that would come from it being built in anyway. If you don't like it then go play with Android.

 

[dodgerbluetx]

No user removable battery on an iPhone is news? Welcome to all previous gens and future gen iPhones.

What's that saying about hindsight?

Wow, can Gizmodo milk and drag this story out anymore? What is next..."oh...breaking news, right before we gave it to Apple we got processor and RAM info which we will begin posting tomorrow in one sentence posts for the next 10 days..."

Because a potential leak of the next generation iPhone is not a big deal? Maybe don't come to an Apple RUMORS site if it puts you out so much?

Gizmodo knew that the phone was Apple's property. Gizmodo should have known that they may have been purchasing STOLEN property. That Apple would definitely not want any information about the phone released yet. And that by posting images of the internal details of the phone that they significantly decreased the value of Apples substantial investment in iPhone engineering.

Really? So the images they posted have revealed, *gasp*, a battery, two cameras, an LCD screen, and some misc cables and components that are not even visible. Oh noes! How will Apple ever recover from such a significant decrease in their iPhone engineering investment!?

Taking pictures is not illegal. But in California, tearing it apart a lost item to take pictures of it is very clearly illegal.

Clearly? Source? I love the use of the phrase "tearing it apart" as if they just ripped the thing apart with a hacksaw and reckless abandon. Most if not all consumer electronics can be taken apart and put back together with zero impact on how the device functions.

Everybody's a legal expert on Macrumors today, huh?

Painfully true.

 

[Thex1138]

Hardware

...and we unfortunately did not get a peak at the chips under the metal shielding but I hazard a guess that they've also stacked the System on a Chip with storage stacked on the SOC like they have in the iPad... So if there are now two layers of RAM on the SoC then it leaves more space for other components and chips on the boards. Recall the 3G had the RAM chip and radio chip, the iPod had the RAM chip and no radio chip so it was used for a second RAM chip...
Now it's likely all consolidated.

 

[troop231]

Would Apple really ask for it back in an email? I'd expect more of a certified letter approach.

And have it take up to a day or two by snail mail?

 

[ventro]

iFixit's response, as seen on 9to5:

Eh… the photos are so bad.

Gizmodo emailed me asking the same thing.

I asked them why they didn’t remove the (very removable) EMI shields.

It’s closer to production than I was expecting. I’d say this thing is very very close.

What sucks for Apple is if they have to cut features for some reason. Of course the prototypes would have all the features they’re considering (flash, camera, etc.). But realities force feature removal at the last minute, like they did with the iPod Touch. I’m sure the iPod Touch prototypes had cameras in them.

A real shame if this is the production design. There are a lot of rough edges to this design.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Yeah but, why would you care? Aren't you going to upgrade every couple of years anyway?

Unless you;re handing it down I guess.

I already know my 3G is destined to be my new outdoor music hub. It's the deal of a lifetime; own an iphone for 2 years, and it becomes a free iPod Touch

Or do what i do.. unlock it and sell it for twice what you paid and let the proud new owner buy your new iPhone, plus some other things. I'm selling my 3GS soon for $394 and i'm guessing the 4G/HD or whatever will only cost me $300. Getting paid to get a new iPhone.. AWESOME!

 

[4nNtt]

We'll at least Apple can say they have flash... They implemented it in hardware! And frankly, I'd be more likely to use Apple's flash then Adobe's. I can almost see that pun used at the Keynote...