This Is Apple's Next iPhone

http://gizmodo.com/5520164/

by kylebragger • 16 years ago

78 72 16 years ago

epochwolf• 16 years ago

I wonder if Apple had an employee "lose" the phone on purpose. This is a great way to stir up some press and give people a preview without being official about it.

I like the new design.

kylebragger• 16 years ago

Yeah, it's an interesting theory... but historically speaking they have always had pretty airtight pre-launch situations, aside from the usual fake photos/screenshots, right?

cmelbye• 16 years ago

The leaked photos of the iPad that Engadget posted the night before the launch were definitely not fake.

frankus• 16 years ago

But Apple doesn't seem to have too much problem "stirring up press" with their product launches.

If anything this might result in "Segway Syndrome" where all the excitement happens long (well, two months or so) before the product is available, and by the time it launches it's yesterday's news.

danieldon• 16 years ago

It's extremely, extremely unlikely that this was done on purpose.

aik• 16 years ago

Why is that? To me it is extremely, extremely unlikely that some important person randomly "forgot" their new prototype in a random bar. Apple has tricky marketing/market research tactics. I wouldn't be surprised. They thrive on hype.

roc5• 16 years ago

I like the new design too, but blurry pics alone would've gotten everyone talking. (worked just fine for the 3G's design, which iirc was leaked months ahead of time.)

I don't see what Apple would hope to gain by blowing the reveal on all the features that came from this leak (battery, size, material, resolution, front-camera, camera sensor size, capacity).

What exactly does this leave Steve to reveal? Let OS4 and these specs stew for two months and anything this side of the pizza-delivering-unicorn will draw yawns in June.

gojomo3• 16 years ago

Not saying this is likely, but: what if this is an older less-featured prototype, or a design/features direction they're not going, or the low-end model of a batch of several new models? Leaking this could create complacency in competitors, or even effectively lower expectations among fanboys (making the ultimate release more surprising). Compare: Apple's misdirection on iPad pricing which helped make actual prices seem lower.

FluidDjango• 16 years ago

If Apple were as creative/exciting in their security processes as in their design processes they'd intentionally release a variety of misleading "prototypes." In fact, mightn't this be a cooler corporate image... to be messing with the bloggers' minds - rather_than/instead_of being so heavy-handed with those who publish leaks.

It'd be a lot more fun to laugh with a corporation than to have to choose between fanboy and hateboy camps, IMHO.

jsz03• 16 years ago

The timing is pretty interesting. Happens less than 24 hours before the embargo on the HTC Incredible is lifted which by all accounts seems to be an excellent device.

martythemaniak• 16 years ago

That screen will most definitely be 960x480. Apple prides itself on keeping the iPhone dev simple, so the simplest thing to do is simply upscale everything 2x. Apps with old bitmap resources will still look ok and in order to take advantage of the new screen, developers will simply have to update their apps with higher-res images.

Edit: Sorry for the brainfart, I did mean 960x640 (current screen x2).

proee• 16 years ago

I wonder if new apps written for 960x480 be backwards compatible then?

roc5• 16 years ago

I'd imagine it's up to the developer to support different resolutions; like with iPad apps.

Perceval• 16 years ago

Apple has been working on resolution independence in its OS for several versions now. Didn't make it into Tiger, Leopard, or Snow Leopard. Maybe we're finally going to see the fruits of resolution independence in iPhone OS first?

adolph2• 16 years ago

Uh? Current: 480x320 Proposed: 960x480

320 / 480 = 0.666666667 480 / 960 = 0.5

EDIT: Gruber says 960 × 640

I bet whoever lost that thing wishes they had signed up for MobileMe...

mbreese2• 16 years ago

From the article, it looks like it was remote wiped before anyone could play with the new OS.

orangecat• 16 years ago

Impressive if true. That would give it a density of 326 pixels per inch, which is higher than everything here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_displays_by_pixel_densi....

mortenjorck3• 16 years ago

I still see that high a resolution as very unlikely (assuming you meant the Gruber number of 640x960).

The iPhone 2G–3GS all have a 163 ppi pixel density, while the iPad has only 132 ppi. Doubling each dimension of the iPhone's 320x480 pixels would result in four times the pixel information across the same area—making for a massive 652 ppi, nearly five times the density of the iPad, and well over twice what is generally considered sufficient for print resolution.

Much more likely is a 480x720 display, which would yield about 360 ppi.

gjm11• 16 years ago

Uh, ppi scales linearly with pixel size; it's "pixels per inch", not "pixels per square inch" or anything of the sort.

So if existing iPhones are 163ppi and this is 2x as many pixels on each axis in the same space, that would be ~326ppi, not 652.

[EDITED to fix off-by-one errors in the resolutions]

BenSchaechter• 16 years ago

Now if only someone could leak Steve Jobs' reaction to this...

zyb09• 16 years ago

He'd probably blame Flash.

bozmac• 16 years ago

Normally, I'd say he'd be pissed as hell but given his recent abnormal behavior, it's hard to tell. I'm more interested in seeing the person who lost this prototype's reaction.

ryandvm3• 16 years ago

If he's honorable, he'll fall on his own sword for the Dear Leader.

there• 16 years ago

while the new design is nice, i'm kind of disappointed that now it won't be a surprise when it's formally unveiled.

flyosity2• 16 years ago

I'd say this is a prototype hardware unit. The sides don't look finished, not with large, visible creases. There's no way they'll go from the smoothness of the MBP & iPad to something far less elegant with large visible gaps.

weaksauce• 16 years ago

Very true. I don't think that Mr. Ive would approve of this design for a final build.

roc5• 16 years ago

wasn't it still a surprise when you clicked the link?

tvon2• 16 years ago

It's more fun to find out what you're getting Christmas day than to be told two months ahead of time.

bmalicoat3• 16 years ago

We all knew this summer's iPhone would be better, faster, cooler so at this point Apple's legal response is more interesting to me, especially since money changed hands for this transaction. Is Gizmodo willing to commit suicide for an exclusive? Based on Apple's response it might help determine if this was deliberate or not as well.

hugh3• 16 years ago

Is Gizmodo willing to commit suicide for an exclusive?

On the other hand, is Apple willing to eat the bad press it would get from crushing Gizmodo?

bmalicoat3• 16 years ago

Good question. Lately, with the whole dev license agreement thing, it seems like they couldn't care less who they upset. But I think that that instance and this one (if Apple do choose to hurt Gizmodo) provide bad press to a relatively small part of potential Apple buyers. It's obvious everyone at Giz either loves or hates Apple so I don't think their readers' opinions would change much.

I do think that Engadget took the high rode by passing this opportunity up. Yea, it seems like a big scoop now but in 3 months it won't mean anything.

carussell• 16 years ago

I suggest that "crushing Gizmodo" wouldn't do a bit of damage to Apple. People already talk heavily about Apple's behavior regarding their non-notebook mobile devices (and respective software). People who don't take part in the scrutiny and worship of the industry don't give a shit. Even most of those in the latter category don't care enough to make a difference, or they massage the idea in their minds until they can see it as justified.

Why would this be any different, especially given that it's in the case of a company that knowingly partook in illegal trade?

mortenjorck3• 16 years ago

If this was not an intentional leak, well... There'll be hell to pay.

This has to be by far the earliest and deepest leak Apple has had in the Steve Jobs II era, if not in its history. New iPods have occasionally been blurrily snapped a week or so before the unveiling; ambiguous new MacBook chassis parts have been leaked from factories weeks before the reveal, even the iPad was caught in a photo of its lockup the night before its unveiling.

But here we have a fairly radical redesign of the flagship iPhone, with the actual prototype hardware in full possession of a gadget blog fully two months before it was to be formally shown to the public.

The mood around One Infinite Loop can't be a pleasant one this morning.

umjames• 16 years ago

Yeah, especially for those who report directly to Jobs. I'm picturing that often comically subtitled Hitler rant video floating around YouTube.

sharan• 16 years ago

I like the larger battery and potential noise cancellation, but my 3GS wins on design.

antidaily• 16 years ago

No way - way too many seams for an Apple product.

mattparcher• 16 years ago

Keep in mind that we still have a few months before the official announcement, if the past three releases are anything to go by. Also, this unit was found in a case to disguise it as a regular 3GS iPhone, and the seams may help it fit better in such a case.

WesleyJohnson• 16 years ago

I quite like this design, much more so than the current and previous iPhones. I think the hard edges and flat surfaces work much better on electronic devices, especially if you're going to be interacting with it on a desk at some point.

I think that design philospohy is one of the reasons I prefer the look of MacBooks over pretty much any other laptop I've ever seen. Clean, hard lines with an almost sort of industrial look. Laptops from Gateway, HP, Toshiba, Acer and other manufacturers are starting to use this sloping angular look and mixing of different textures and finishes and the resulting product just looks cheap in my opinion.

I don't currently own any Apple products and my laptop is an Acer and while it performs wonderfully, it's just not very attractive. I know that shouldn't matter in something like a laptop, where you should be concerned with form over function, but I'd gladly a slightly less robust machine if it appealed to me more aesthetically.

If this is indeed a 4G protoyope, I'll be interested to see how much the design changes before the production version.

ivanzhao• 16 years ago

"... the new iPhone is so miniaturized and packed that there's no room for the tapered, curved surfaces... "

Where is Apple's Human Factors guy? Tapered end is one of the best ways to deal with the variates in hand sizes, reducing hand strain after long period of holding, and making it appear to be much thinner (and sexier).

Tapered ends is a "feature" not just a look.

gamble2• 16 years ago

I was very skeptical of the Engadget shots, but it's hard to argue with the depth of detail in this article. If it isn't the final design, I can't see it being too different.

OTOH, if the prototype is legit I wonder if Gizmodo will come to regret publishing the article. Even assuming the phone was 'found' and not stolen as Gruber implies in this morning's Daring Fireball post, the article seems like a pretty clear violation of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Gizmodo knew it was a secret prototype, who it belonged to, and that it had been lost or stolen. I'd love to hear a lawyer's opinion, though.

bmalicoat3• 16 years ago

I think all Gruber meant was that Giz knew the seller didn't own it so it was akin to knowingly buying stolen merchandise. Plus one Engadget blogger (who I think is a lawyer) pointed out on twitter that CA requires the finder to remit the property to the police or original owner, who in this case was fairly obvious to the finder given that they knew gadget blogs would want it.

gamble2• 16 years ago

I agree, paying for the 'lost' prototype seems rather dubious. The story about finding the phone in a bar may simply be cover to protect the finder's identity, but assuming it was true, who's to say that it was 'found' and not pick-pocketed? Whoever lost the phone has every incentive to claim it was stolen, and it would be hard to prove otherwise.

jasonlbaptiste2• 16 years ago

This is what Gizmodo wants. In order for Apple to get it back, they need to state it's their property. If Apple doesn't state this, it could easily be anybody's including a manufacturer in China who made a knock off.

cfinke• 16 years ago

Here's the link to Nilay's tweet that you referenced:

http://twitter.com/reckless/status/12440641435

He was indeed previously a copyright attorney.

ryandvm3• 16 years ago

Staged or not, expect a lot more Android phones with front-facing video cameras...

jonknee3• 16 years ago

There have been hundreds of phones with front-facing cameras and yet actually using video conferencing still hasn't caught on. People like the idea more than actually using it.

ryandvm3• 16 years ago

True. But nobody can legitimize a product/feature like Apple.

Media players, smartphones, tablets, etc. were all around before Apple's take on them, but once King Jobs lets loose with the golden touch all of the sudden the entire product space comes alive. It's a little creepy.

buro9• 16 years ago

I don't know... it works really well for deaf people who do seem to use it a hell of a lot.

nooneelse• 16 years ago

Yeah, the HTC Evo is totally copying this phone that we only now got some info on.

Avenger42• 16 years ago

Previously posted at:

http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=1276732

cpr• 16 years ago

Boy, I feel real pain for the person who lost this.

(And it'll be obvious who did, if it were truly an accident.)

hanuman• 16 years ago

Desperate attempt by Apple to stem the Android tide ;)

gojomo3• 16 years ago

If I find a secret prototype, should I put it in airplane mode ASAP to delay the remote-wipe as long as possible?

steadicat• 16 years ago

Looks like they tried to unify the design with that of the MacBooks and the iMacs, but to me it ends up looking decidedly less Apple. It reminds me of a generic digital camera design, or even an external hard drive.

My guess is that making laptops and desktops look like digital cameras makes them stand out as sturdy and simple, while designing a phone with similar goals just makes it fit in.

jsz03• 16 years ago

I bet the volume buttons are going to be multi-fuction. They appear to be spaced far enough apart to be useful as action buttons in games. If you hold an iPhone in landscape you can get a pretty good feel on how that could work.

davidhperry• 16 years ago

Agreed. They look really handy for zooming the camera lens, for example.

towndrunk• 16 years ago

So do we know what processor is in this thing?

This Is Apple's Next iPhone

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