
IPhone 4G: Proof  - samratjp
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/18/iphone-4g-proof/
======
whalesalad
I don't buy it. Apple has always been more about less complexity, less parts,
more unibody. The "leaked" photos show a chassis with multiple
components/pieces (the line/break in the metal next to the headphone jack).
Apple has always been about an internal battery, and the battery inside of the
screenshots is clearly coated in consumer friendly material, as though it were
removable. If you've ever opened an iPhone the battery inside is about as
unfriendly as it gets. Everything about the design, with the exception of the
flat and glossy face, is uncharacteristic of of Apple.

EDIT: ihodes has an insightful comment below with a link to Gruber's comments
on the matter, which make a lot more sense. (link:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1275921>)

~~~
zweben
Consumer-friendly material? As opposed to what? Something that electrocutes
you? The iPhone 3GS battery is not really consumer-unfriendly, it's just hard
to access.

iPhone 3GS battery: <http://s1.guide-
images.ifixit.com/igi/sRE6GIaYuMouSGsY.huge>

~~~
whalesalad
Yes you're right. But.. you probably wouldn't find any of the batteries on the
shelf in an AT&T store looking like that
(<http://www.google.com/help/hc/images/android/battery.jpg>)

I was implying that the battery in the leaked photos looks like it's the kind
you can remove from your phone. Coated in plastic, with a barcode, serial
number, etc... the _opposite_ of what you would find inside a traditional
iPhone. That's part of what leads me to believe that these are fake, because I
don't see Apple moving towards a device with a removable battery any time
soon.

TL;DR you linked to an internal battery, which is not what you see in the
photos of the leaked iPhone 4G. What you see is something more on the lines of
what you might buy for your Nexus One (or other device with a removable
battery).

But, alas, if this is just an internal testing machine for Apple purposes
only, I suppose something with a removable battery might make sense.

~~~
joezydeco
When you're building a prototype device, you usually tag everything and
anything so you can track various problems. You might put 4-5 different
batteries from different vendors in there to see which one performs better, or
if one explodes you can track it back to the vendor and lot #.

So if this a prototype phone then yeah, you're probably gonna see labels and
tags on it that you don't see on a production device. I'm not taking a side
yet on if these photos are real, but in the CE world you see something like
this a lot.

------
mortenjorck
I normally like to think I have better things to do than to go all Zapruder on
a purported Apple leak, but hey, lazy Sunday...

I propose to disprove that the image Engadget claims as proof actually depicts
a slab-shaped iPhone. _It is simply an optical artifact caused by the slow
shutter speed of the camera used._ I took a photo of an iPod Touch (using an
iPhone, naturally) that shows the same smearing effect, visually extruding the
iPod's chrome bezel into a slab (this one's too thick, but you get the idea):

<http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6633/extrudeblur.jpg>

As you can see from the other edges in the Engadget photo, the vertical motion
blur follows the same direction and length as the purported 4G iPhone.

~~~
dandelany
I propose to disprove your disproval, as the motion blur is actually at a
slightly different angle than the angle of the slab/bevel. Also, the motion
blur shows some unevenness - it slopes downward at the end of the blur - while
the iphone slab is straight.

<http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7155/iphone4g.jpg>

------
jrockway
How long until Apple compares the fingerprints on the device to its employment
records to decide who to fire and sue?

~~~
kevintwohy
I wouldn't want to be the guy holding onto this internet-connected GPS device
with a backdoor just for Apple. Lock your door, man.

~~~
extension
Seeing as it mysteriously stopped booting, I'm guessing they bricked it
remotely when it went missing. Who knows if they can still track it.

If I found one of those, I would pull the battery out right away, or if that
wasn't accessible, I'd go into the subway.

Although, it probably has a dead man's switch anyway.

------
dkokelley
Even though these might only be development prototypes (Read: Not the final
design), this photo: (<http://www.engadget.com/photos/iphone-4-hd-hands-
on/#2903374>) could be incriminating to the photographer.

Other notes: Housing near the top of the device, but no obvious user-facing
camera housing (there are lots of other sensors that current iPhones have
there). Mic hole near the headphone input?
(<http://www.engadget.com/photos/iphone-4-hd-hands-on/#2903372>) Stereo
speakers?

~~~
jsz0
The hole near the headphone jack could be a secondary noise cancelation input
like the N1 has although in that particular picture it almost looks like a
notification light. A few people have commented on the lack of a SIM tray --
could be a CDMA model.

------
iamcalledrob
Why the obsession with MicroSIM cards?

Nobody uses them, and I can't see any real benefit over the already-tiny SIM
cards.

If this is true, it's going to really annoy international users.

~~~
PanMan
While I agree the microsim switch is annoying, the chips in sims and microsims
are the same; just less plastic in the micro version. If apple starts using
microsims for new iPhones, I'm fairly sure cutting toolkits will become
common. Only makes switching back more difficult.

~~~
Hoff
The micro-=SIM format adds a bigger phonebook and better protections against
spoofing.

There are Micro-SIM adapters coming on line (or available?); sleds for the 3FF
ETSI SIM format to allow them to be used with the Mini-SIM UICC format.

The Mini-SIM was itself a shrink of the original SIM cards.

------
mrcharles
Anyone ever notice that the first generation of apple hardware is all curves
and flowing? And then as they improve the formula, they always end up squaring
up the corners. The most notable exception seems to be the 1st gen iPod.

Can't say I mind, really.

~~~
ihodes
That's probably not the body it'll ship in. No way it has seams like that!

Gruber on the matter: <http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/04/18/engadget-
iphone>

~~~
mrcharles
That's too bad. I like that look. Ah well.

------
adolph
Gizmodo weighed in with a lot more info and pictures. It is looking like the
real deal, although they didn't include any pictures of Apple branded chips,
etc. that might really seal the deal.

<http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone>

------
fmeyer
I'm pretty sure they are fake, this squared case is beyond compare with 3G's
smoothly rounded design.

~~~
ja2ke
Unlike the current iPhones, iPad's sides are hard edged as well. The "crease"
from the border of the iPad to the back of it is a very hard, un-smoothed
edge, as is the crease on the front (see the far right
[http://www.miproconsulting.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2010/...](http://www.miproconsulting.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2010/03/apple-ipad.jpg) it's only bulbous because they need
space for the guts -- the actual point where the back meets the border bezel
is a hard edge).

Despite the way they got stereotyped with the bondi-blue iMac (ten years
ago!), Apple tends to not actually like super bubbly or round industrial
design, as evidenced in the shapes of all of their displays, notebooks, Apple
TV, Time Capsule, and the current iMac family. Bringing their phones in line
with the "its a metal border with four rounded corners, containing inset glass
on the usable faces" would be 100% in tune with the rest of their current
aesthetic. iPhone is currently the weird exception, especially with the
plastic backs they have right now.

Also see: [http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/04/18/apple-ceramic-
pa...](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/04/18/apple-ceramic-patent)

~~~
allertonm
Unlike an iPhone, the iPad is not designed to be carried in a pants pocket.

~~~
ja2ke
Didn't stop at least the front half of almost every iPod ever, or the hard
ridged edges on the sides of the Magic Mouse, etc. I would personally probably
prefer the next iPhone to continue the trend of rounded-off edges, too. I just
wouldn't put it past Apple to not do that.

