Engadget has some alleged shots of the iPhone 4G, supposedly someone found a was-working-now-isn't-working model on the floor of a San Jose bar, and it turns out to be the same phone photographed inside and out by someone posting a Twitpic. I'm highly skeptical myself (what the hell was it doing it San Jose, and what idiot would carry around a prototype, much less lose one?) but I have to be honest, that's a pretty sexy looking phone right there, and I'd really like it if that turned out to be legit. But it doesn't follow Apple's typical approach to industrial design. Specifically, there are seams, and it's a slab phone, and while slab is an approach they've taken with the latest unibody Macbooks, it doesn't strike me as something we'd be likely to see in the iPhone. On the other hand, Apple's all but run out of room for new toys in the current design of the iPhone, so they have to make room somewhere, and you can't just keep making the curve more pronounced, so a slab would make the mose sense, as it would make the most efficient use of space; curves leave empty and unusable spaces. Thoughts?
You're too slow http://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/18/images-of-iphone-4g-actually-a-japanese-counterfeit/
Now it might be real. WTF http://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/18/new-evidence-iphone-4g-images-are-authentic/ I seriously hope it isnt the real iPhone 4G(or HD w/e). Looks too ugly IMO.
This is getting confusing now. Fake or real, someone is lying. I'm also not sure if I like the design. It seems strange to make it more boxy and it reminds me of more of a Sony Ericsson than the traditionally rounded iPhone. I'm still doubtful that this phone is the new iPhone 4G. The photo with the iPad only shows the corner of the phone - it could be any phone, it just looks a bit like the rumoured design.
Looks fat to me. I'm sure if 4G ends up being chunky they'll just end up releasing a slimmer version further down the line, annoying people in the process.
Not really... iPad has a case that curves as it goes inwards, not like a rim. iPad: iPhone 4G (or maybe not): which, reminds me of sony ericcson phones: (I left the macbook out of the equation because it isn't really relevant as it is a notebook).
The device is apparently running on a new OS and has 80GB of storage , has a front facing camera and higher resolution. Someone just posted internal shots of this 4G and another source has confirmed it and Joshua Topolsky is certain that this is the new iPhone 4G. Some peope are saying that the photos and claim that it was a Japanese counterfeit was an attempt by apple to cover up the leak. (Japanese and iPhone rip-off = oxymoron. iPhone copies are typically chinese). http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/18/iphone-4g-proof/ This is looking more and more promising.
If that's the case then I'm guessing the original "leak" was also an intentional scheme by Apple to build up some hype. I totally don't believe the "I found it in a bar" story.
I suppose all of this does seem pretty far fetched and unrealistic. However I can't explain how there are other sources confirming it and other photos of internal parts. I am not totally convinced that this is fake, and not totally convinced that this is real. It just seems to be getting more promising.
I don't get the blocky design, though. Even a prototype wouldn't have more than 3 smooth, inconspicuous buttons (home button, volume, power).
That's all there is on this model. Volume up/down with a mute switch on the left, power and headphone on top, and the SIM slot moved to the right side on this one. Interesting that this is now potentially not fake again. I have to say that the departure in design is not what I expected from Apple. However, like I said, there's going to be more in this next version, assuming the front-facing camera rumour is true, plus it will likely be using the A4 chipset which will extend battery life and give it a boost, plus a higher density, higher resolution screen -- again if the rumours are to be believed. Who knows what else they'll pack in there. But what it amounts to is that the current iPhone design really doesn't have much room left for new additions, so Apple had to do something to make more room, and a slab design would allow them to keep it thin while maximizing available space. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I for one like the new design.
I don't think this is as far-fetched as some of us may think. The design itself looks quite similar to the iPad's blockiness, curved back aside. Like Mindfield has said, allows for greater space to be used, and the addition of an A4 chip and front-facing camera could certainly use that space. Plus, if the iPhone really is spreading outward to more service providers (such as Verizon in the US and SaskTel in Canada, whose CEO supposedly leaked info on a new iPhone, then quickly denied that he was referencing a new iPhone), then the addition of the microSIM slot makes sense. So, does the 80GB mean that they're moving to a physical drive, like in the iPod Classics? Or am I completely wrong? I thought that the memory they're currently using goes by powers of two (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and so on).
