Here is something interesting from an Endaget post.
Update 3: Gruber has expanded on the info concerning a glass backing for these new devices, and he’s dug up a 2006 Apple patent application on a ceramic enclosure for handheld devices which is also (ding ding ding), radio transparent.
According to daringfireball it’s some kind of fancy ceramic that is scratch resistant and radio transparent.
The material definitely piques my interest.
love the ID. It’s what I’m always going on about … more Braun/Rams, less random curvy bits, more geometric. Stuff that is timeless. Only thing I’d maybe add is perf holes in a aluminum fascia for the speaker a la old school radios
Funny thing is to check all the comments on Engadget and Gizmodo when the leaked pics first surfaced. Almost 90% going on about how terrible it looks, how Jonny Ive would be turning over in his grave (if he were dead), etc. Just goes to prove the maxim I’ve always said that “people like what they know, they don’t know what they like”.
Just by the pics alone I’m wanting one. Too bad I’m only 1 year into my 3gs (though still have the original iPhone not in sue, which I actually liked more thanks to the Al back).
As for “found” or conspiracy, I’d defer for now. Apple typically doesn’t leak info, and the story on face value is plausible enough, though can see both sides PR wise.
An ethical question on the side- a bunch of the guys I work with thought that gz should have returned the phone to Apple I did not have a big issue with it. I viewed it sort of like spyshots of cars on public highways. Lost item with no return info- is it fair game to document and disseminate?
Hehe-, one of our interns sent this out when we saw the new phone.
Somehow I could totally see Steve Jobs morphing into the smoke monster demanding a sacrifice.
What’s with the parting lines? I thought we were machined unibody Aluminum…
I guess the ceramic front and back kind of dictate the form or lack there of, curious to see
what experiences this construction will offer.
I like the new version, but I really miss the s3xiest surface in the industry. I still love how Apple products are nothing but flat bodies with the s3xiest fillet around. So, the new design works, but I prefer the ‘phone as laptop screen’ motif to the ‘phone as laptop keyboard’ one. I guess we have the nice large iPad /Mac surfaces to admire.
Well, they say its for the hatch for a removable battery… Supposedly slides out from the side.
Would be surprised if the guy still works there at the end of the month. Even if he doesnt get fired, im not sure id like to stay at a workplace after such a slipup.
I’d be interested to see if the components would allow a curved back surface… it’s hard to tell for sure from the pictures.
It looks like the battery isn’t centered (it might be if the cover had a crowned back surface), and other parts like the camera in the corner seem flush. If that’s true, the engineering appears to be for a flat design.
If there was dead space around the edges, it might mean that this is just something they are using to test the performance (protecting the real ID from accidents like this)
Question: CG or IP, chime in here. How long before a launch do you have engineers wandering around with fully functional pre-production phones?
If it is a prototype, is it really pre-production? Apple is well-known to spend a ton of money on prototypes. It’s not unrealistic to think this is just one concept for a next generation iPhone and some details are yet to be determined.
Like Richard and Yo, I really prefer the squared off look. Especially if it is in a thinner case, which this seems to be. However, there are some details that look a bit odd. As someone else stated, I think it would look better if the aluminum was flush with the glass.
And maybe it will be in the end. I still say they’re headed in the right direction with this design. I’m getting close to jumping off the fence to the dark side now.
C’mon, the guy’s now got 2300+ fans on facebook and counting since yesterday. Either he lost the phone in the bar because he was too busy carrying a paper sack full of $100 bills, or Apple is scoring the greatest viral marketing in history.