Yet Another Purported iPhone 5 Part Photo, Featuring Centered FaceTime Camera
Posted by Michael Nace on Monday Jul 16, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Opinion, iPhone 5 Rumor
New, purported iPhone 5 front piece appears to match up with the 9to5Mac prototypes, depicting a centered FaceTime Camera. But are all of these images adding up to consensus, or confusion?
If you are one of the iPhone enthusiasts out there who is not particularly excited about the longer iPhone 5 theory with stretched aspect ratio, then the recent parade of purported leaked parts cannot be good news for you. Ever since the release of the now-famous 9to5Mac iPhone 5 prototypes, virtually every subsequent iPhone 5 part that has leaked onto the rumor appears to match the original prototypes. This new one is no exception.
The new sighting was first reported on a Chinese tech website called Apple.pro, and appears to depict an iPhone 5 front casing that would appear to feature the same new aspect ratio that we’ve seen appearing on other parts leaks as well. TechCrunch reports the following about the new parts leak:
“They show that the front-facing camera for video chat has been centered above the speaker grill. This matches up splendidly with images shown by 9to5mac, especially since this image also shows a taller screen with the same exact width and bezels as the iPhone 4/4S.”
TechCrunch appears to have eyeballed the similarity between this piece and the prototype shots from 9to5Mac — there’s no indisputable match-up between them. But I think that the most interesting discussion topic about this particular parts leak is the appearance of a centered front-facing camera, and whether that subtle change proves this piece to be the ring thing or yet another bogus sighting.
While TechCrunch has reported on the this feature change, they haven’t really substantiated its purpose — and without a reasonable purpose for moving the front-facing camera to the top of the earpiece, its hard to understand why Apple would move it just for the sake of moving it. Looking at my iPhone 4, the off-center front-facing camera works like a charm — Apple obviously positioned it in such a way that offers the user an optimal functionality.
The only reason for moving the front-facing camera that I can imagine is that it could have something to do with an NFC transmitter being installed in the new iPhone 5 that would compete for space on the left-hand side of the device. You’ll recall that in some of the NFC-related patents we’ve looked at, the transmitter/antenna is placed on the left side of the schematic.
Take a look here.
Of course, it can also be argued that the original prototype photos of the iPhone 5 from 9to5Mac don’t seem to show anything within the chassis that points to NFC hardware on that side of the device. And herein lies the problem: it is just so easy for scammers to reverse-engineer fake parts based on the exacting specs of the original 9to5Mac photos. Because they gave access to such detail, they in essence gave schemesters everything they need to create bogus parts.
And that brings us back to the question posed at the beginning of this article: are all of these parts, which appear to match up with the original prototype, confirm the purported new design? Will the iPhone 5 essentially have this longer aspect ratio, an iPhone 4-esque look, and a metal back? Or do all of these parts add up to little more than static in the rumor mill?
For my part, I don’t think there’s an easy answer. From a design standpoint, there are believable elements to the 9to5Mac prototype and subsequent parts leaks: one could imagine Apple dreaming up the new aspect ratio as an answer to iPhone users’ call for a larger screen, while still maintaining some semblance of the original iPhone’s dimensions. And regardless of how you might feel about the iPhone 4 form factor, it still remains quite unique as far as smartphone form factors go — Apple could very well want to keep some of its iconic design.
And since TechCrunch and others are insisting that the iPhone 5 will herald in this new 19-pin dock connector — a design that we’ve seen in Apple patents — these parts and designs are not outrageous.
What is outrageous, however, is that in a year where the Apple chief himself talked about “doubling down” on security, why would we be seeing an unprecedented number of parts leaking into the rumor mill? After keeping the merely-refreshed iPhone 4S well under wraps until its announcement last fall, why would we be seeing the completely overhauled iPhone 5 from all these different angles?
Judging these new iPhone 5 designs is complex, because people’s’ love, hate, or indifference over what they are seeing gets mixed into whether or not the appearance of the parts themselves seems plausible or not. To me, they are two completely different discussion points: 1) do you think this is really the iPhone 5, and if yes 2) what do you think about it?
By Michael Nace
Michael Nace is the Publisher of the iPhone 5 News Blog and iPhone 6 News Blog. He has published articles about the iPhone since 2010.
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July 16th, 2012 at 11:21 am
FAKE FAKE if it’s not then i5 will be a big flop !!!
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July 16th, 2012 at 11:37 am
i think it’s fake, actualyl i hope it’s fake. If it’s really the new form factor, i won’t buy it. A new design please or i pass for this iphone because a new design is overdue. The design is partly what you pay for when you buy an apple product. If you bring out a new very expensive device every year, than i’m expecting some nice changes every 2 years.
I would be suprised that the iphone 5 would have the same form factor, after all, it’s the last iphone that steve jobs worked on.
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July 16th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Me believes these are pure fakery . . . . and not the kind of security breach Apple would be living with. Just at at the iPhone 5 case fiasco last year, TOTALLY BOGUS. As for the design itself – not likely in my opinion. Apple is not afraid to make radical design changes to chase market favor and sales – just look at the numerous iPod Nano form factors – me thinks the next iPhone is too important to have waited this long and remain essentially the same. BUT, I would happily buy it!! I love my 4s, it DOES everything I want RELIABLY, looks & feels great, and the bump in screen size would be a bonus. Jonathan Ives & Apple will take care of me – I’m not stressin’ over it.
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July 16th, 2012 at 11:52 am
we are getting too many pics of the same alledged “prototypes” i think it is about time to finally hang our hats on this being the new design unless Apple is really pulling the wool, sheets, and burlap potato sacks over our eyes in a elaborate attempt to fool us with the new iphone. sure ppl can make up parts but why would someone waste time and money doing that? the picture above shows what appears to be a quality faceplate judging from a aestetic point of view. Im not so much worried about the form factor of the new phone just the technology inside. Steve may have very well worked on this phone but who’s to say he wanted a new form factor rather than upgrade the features in some amazing way? being a 3Ger in 2012 i say welcome elongated form factor and im hoping with the extra space they will include NFC file/photo/music(fat chance)sharing, induction charging, and bullet proof glass. lol i like the metal unibody design because i think it will help reduce the damage to the phone if it is dropped.
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July 16th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Everyone was complaining that the iPhone 4S looks exactly like the iPhone 4. People also ranted heavily that apple needs to do a major overhaul on the design. Stocks fell, leaving millions of fans disappointed with CEO Tim Cook when he first announced the 4S…
Now that I’ve said that…
How the heck does that photo look like a total redesign??? To me that looks like an iPhone 4 case that’s barely modified, maybe stretched out to be longer to address the 4 inch rumor, most likely using photoshop and the only thing I see that’s different is the dot above the speaker ..
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July 16th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Now you have to understand the new phone probably wont look too shockingly different, trying to reinvent the iphone is the same concept as trying to reinvent the wheel. I think the real exciting stiff should be whats on the inside of the device (LTE,new siri,faster processor,NFC,etc…). The only thing i really feel like is a must have as far as the body desidn is the bigger screen i really dont expect this thing to look insanely different than the 4/4s. The reason why everyone is getting mad about the rumors is that when you stip and think about it the rumors that have come out about the form factor actually seem realistic (probably not all true ofcourse)and for some reason people are thinking Apple is going to crank something out that is completely un-comparable to the ones that came before it i mean…come on man.
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July 16th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
It’s the 4SS – 4S Stretch!
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July 16th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
@Adam lol it’s not like reinventing the wheel. It’s about making nice changes. Does your car still have wooden wheels? i hope not. An iphone with a metal unibody with a bigger screen is considered an overhaul. However, the rumors suggest a metal plate slapped on the back and a bigger screen. That’s a minor change that could have been done with the 4S over a year ago.
If you let your customers wait sooooo long for a new iphone, you create high expectations which lead to disappointment in the end. By not communicating about the iphone 5, you leave ppl to guess about the design and they get unrealistic expectations.
I made a list of things i want to see included and they are non-negotiable: New design, better battery and a quad core CPU (so i dont want the A5x from the ipad).
I notice a lot of ppl here who say that apple doesn’t need to match its competition in the hardware department. I strongly disagree. Apple made the first mainstream smartphone that blow the competition away in hardware and software. They had the lead for several years and they should easily match it’s competition. Also, if i pay 700€ for a phone, i want the latest hardware and not hardware that is already getting outpreformed by a phone that came on the market 4 months before the iphone.
Just because there is an apple logo on it, doesn’t make it a great iphone.
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July 16th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Maybe this is the new mini iPad….
….or the Ip4COSWTPEF – for those who can’t guess it stands for the iPhone 4 Can Of Sardines With Thirty Percent Extra Free
…or it could turn out to be a new life form
Silly mood tonight, shall I get my coat?
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July 16th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
I don’t know if it comes out in the writing, but I’m less inclined to believe that this is the new iPhone. I would like to believe that the original 9to5Mac prototype was posted with earnestness, and that their editors didn’t put up something that they knew was a fake. But even if they truly believe in the veracity of their prototype, that doesn’t make it real or authentic. Someone else could be duping them — it happens.
Then, all of these subsequent pieces and parts are being engineered from the specs of the iPhone 5 that 9to5Mac posted.
The one possible shade of truth could be the size and shape of the screen. But I seriously doubt that the final iPhone 5 form factor made it out into the wild. That is always the most well-guarded of the new iPhone parts. Even when the iPhone 4 was found in that bar, it was housed in an iPhone 3GS shell, right?
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July 16th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
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July 16th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
@Undfeatable
You mean the new form touted by 9to5 and in the picture at the top of this article? Can’t help thinking I have seen it somewhere before but just can’t put my finger on it….
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July 16th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
@Max: Iphone4S release date: 10/4/11: AAPL: 372.50
Today: AAPL: 609 and change.
As an Apple stockholder, I’d love another stock drop like that.
There is a manufacturing paradigm that is Dr. Piepenbrock’s red-blue philosophy, and it goes something like this:
Red is a radically new way of doing something, like, say the 787 airplane
Blue is incremental improvements, like the 737MAX airplane.
When you do something radical, there is a lot of cost to it, and sometimes the benefits aren’t seen for a generation, but with the blue philosophy, you have the issue with being overtaken by your competitors that are coming out with a great “red” design, and will overtake you.
Notice in my example of airplanes, they both have two wings, the flight deck is up front, and there are two engines. The difference is in the construction methodology of these two.
It would seem that, with Apple, it’s Red, then Blue, then repeated. Heck, with a phone, this may be more purple, then blue, because the iphone now has to deal with legacy issues, and having a eyeglass phone (definitely red) or an earpiece phone tethered to main unit (also discussed here), that may be just what we’re looking for.
My advice for all of us is not to get too wrapped up in all of this, and see what comes out in October… August… April (I don’t know why I typed that in there, either Michael… heh heh heh…) or whenever it comes out. This blog does a lot of great things, but one bad side effect is that it sometimes sets our expectations too high and/or wild to have Apple fulfill them.
One last thing, I got a lot of dislikes on my Freudian slip comment on Michael’s April typo… at least please tell me why you disagree. It’s the only way I learn.)
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July 16th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
I’m still hoping that Apple has released the supposed prototype as a fake so that most people focus on that. With all the time and attention spent on the fake, it gives Apple the ability to focus on what they are truly developing. Then when the new phone is revealed it will blow everyone away because for months everyone was expecting a lame 4S Stretch (thanks @DudeAbides).
With how much Apple puts into research and development, one has to think that part of their research is figuring out what people think of the 4S Stretch design. It wouldn’t take long to figure out that 98% of consumers think its ridiculous and want a new design. I’d like to think that Apple still has some smart people working for them in the absence of Steve Jobs.
Or could it be that Apple is really hurting without the guidance of Steve Jobs and that’s why they’re suing everyone and trying as hard as they can to prevent new Android products from being released? Is Apple on their last act of desperation before everything starts tumbling down? I really hope not.
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July 16th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
@Mike D, I guess we’ll have to wait until October to find out which or your theories is correct. I hope it isn’t the last one but the way they’re having their LitigationFest makes you wonder if Samsung isn’t winning.
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July 16th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Willem my analogy wasn’t that great I see that now lol, but after reading what you think I feel like we agree. I said I surely expect Apple to at the very least get up to speed with everyone els when it comes to performance and features. I was just speaking to what the thing ends up physically looking like. I don’t think it is going to be some Insane new design on the outside, but I do expect it to come jam packed with all new stuff as I stated in my original comment, and I am completely with you based off what you wrote, I am just not too hung up on what it looks like as supposed to what it can do and how it performs.
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July 16th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Honestly maybe people are talking the face plate out of context. who knows it could be the front of the new iPod touch and NOT the iPhone 5. nobody really knows, people are coming out of no where with different ideas of what the next iPhone is going to be and the reality is no-one really knows so just wait for an announcement because people are getting hype over the unknown. who knows Apple could surprise us with a completly different form factor and an AMAZING hardware
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July 16th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
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July 16th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
@Jeff in response to your last question, there are a ton of people who hold grudges on this website and will dislike your comments just because they don’t like you. EVEN if you are simply restating something that someone else said.
For example:
User 1 says “I like iPhones”
User 1 gets 10 likes.
User 2 says “I love iPhones”
User 2 gets 7 likes and 3 dislikes.
Both people said the same thing but people have hold grudges against user 2 so they dislike his comments regardless of what he says.
Ive seen it happening ever since the incidents a few weeks ago. haha its actually funny though if you think about it. They’re the ones that hold grudges and are upset all of the time, while you on the other hand are happy as can be
They’re the ones with a problem lol. They bring themselves down with all of that hate in their hearts. They think a dislike hurts us or something? who cares? lmao. Numbers on a random website don’t hurt anyone, but them holding grudges hurts themselves. So Jeff just blow it off, they are nobodies.
Another example:
On one of the articles not so long ago-
One guy posted a paragraph about something and he received all likes.
I simply said “I agree” or something like that, and i received dislikes for it. Even though those people didn’t dislike his comment. Only mine hahaha. People hold grudges. It aint our problem
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July 16th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
So anyway, I’m really surprised at how many people think the preponderance of all this evidence is bupkis! I’ll tell ya: if the iPhone 5 turns out to look nothing like this, there should be some mea culpas.
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July 17th, 2012 at 12:00 am
The center facetime Cam is actually …. smart. Now when we use facetime, we’ll be in the center instead of off to the side.
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July 17th, 2012 at 12:43 am
Michael, I thought the same way last year before the 4S release when all of those cases and concepts for the 5 were churning out of the old mill. But I think the tech news cycle is similar to the real-world 24 hour news cycle in that people rarely look back. They become interested and preoccupied with whatever is in front of them. And it’s not like it benefits the source of all of the misinformation to retract it and call attention to their blunders. I don’t think I saw CNet or IBTimes calling their bad last year. It reminds me of 1984. “Oceania has always been at war with East Asia.”
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July 17th, 2012 at 1:53 am
@GetSwole, thank you for your kind words. I know the Internet is brutal, and no place for the thin skinned, and I let that one slip…
@Aiden Yeah, I’m guilty of that too, but I also know that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Look! a squirrel!
With all of these purported iPhones out there, I’m going for the glasses iPhone for the 5. I just hope the lenses are change-outable, so an old guy like me can put reading lenses in therm.
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July 17th, 2012 at 4:27 am
I really can’t see the stretched iPhone being a huge hit. Those still on the 3G or 3GS might upgrade to it but I can’t see a big rush from the iPhone4 and iPhone4S brigade to move to a stretched version of their current phone.
I’m liking @Jeff in Everett’s suggestion of the glasses phone with replaceable lenses for those of us old enough to need reading glasses
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July 17th, 2012 at 4:33 am
FWIW I think the “leaked” parts we’ve been seeing recently are fake.
If they were real then surely we’d have heard about Apple’s worldwide loyalty team paying visits to the various sources websites etc. requiring them to remove the pictutres etc.?
Maybe these are just red herrings that Apple is happy for us to mutter about online (and don’t call me shirley).
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July 17th, 2012 at 6:18 am
First of all I want to say that iphone 4/4s designs are the best amongst phones out there, why change something that is beautifull already? I would really like to keep saying that just to piss everyone off, but I respect that other people want a different design already and are tired of the ip4 design. For me Apple can keep the design for one more year or two, it is just great.
But I dont think it will work if they just stretch it out like that, that is in my opinion making that same iP4 design worse and needs a redesign may be
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July 17th, 2012 at 8:17 am
i can see how all the 4 and 4S’ers out there will be more inclined to hold off on upgrading because of the form factor. However what if the new phone and io6 has some features that you just cant get with a upgrade to iOS 6 such as NFC, bigger speakers, etc…. and god knows what other intergrated features apple will include software wise that is much different than the previous iterations of the iphone. IMO it may be a lot of ppl willing to get the new phone because of what’s inside. just my 2 cents.
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July 17th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@ Vondre’ If I recall right IOS 6 will work fully in the Iphone 4S. The hardware is another matter that might make you want to go out and get it.
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July 17th, 2012 at 10:38 am
O/T… but fun… Here are some Apple-fied ads for common products.
I can’t wait for Levi’s 2, or French Fry5…
http://applefiedads.blogspot.com/
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July 17th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
No matter what it looks like, people are going to buy it for 4g. Nobody is going to choose the option of saving $100 to buy the 4S and go without 4g for another 2 years. Everything on the inside of the phone will certainly be improved….no doubt about that. But Apple should know that everyone would be disappointed if the design turns out to be the 4S Stretch. Personally, I think that Apple should be embarrassed to even think of doing such a thing…especially with many great mockups out there that put the iphone 4/4s design to shame.
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July 17th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Another reason why people may not upgrade is if the rumoured 19 pin connector is standard on this new phone and there is no adapter then users like myself who have invested in docking peripherals won’t want to just replace them. People cannot afford to just wipe the slate clean and start over once they have invested, kind of like where people have invested in music and apps from iTunes store they couldn’t afford to move to Android no matter how much they would like to.
@Mike D
I won’t be buying it for 4G as there is no 4G in the UK and won’t be for at least two years so that bit of hardware might as well just not be there.
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July 17th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
@Vernicularis, moving iTunes music to an Android phone is easy with the utilities available. And since Androids allow access to the file system a simple copy of the iTunes library is all that is really needed. Also there are very few apps exclusive to the iPhone. Just sayin…
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July 17th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
@DudeAbides
So are you saying that I can migrate all my bought music and apps to an Android phone? I have around £150 music and probably somewhere in the region of £650 in apps (I know, I know!).
Will I still be able to use my iTunes account after the migration and will the Android phone work with all my peripherals e.g. Alarm Clock, Blu-Ray player etc with some kind of adapter?
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July 17th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Looks just like the front of that other “fake model” that the guy made up. Hmm, yea it’s fake, don’t hold your breath over this part or you’ll suffocate by Au…Sept…October? Who knows! Still thinking late September/early October!
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July 18th, 2012 at 9:20 am
This dialogue in the comment section is really getting me amped to see what apple produces. i will be content no matter what since anything thing they put out will be a vast improvement of my current phone.
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July 18th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@Vernicularis, the music yes, apps no but most of those are available for Android. For example I bought Navigon for my 3G, it is available for Android but I found I didn’t need it since my phone have Google maps navigation built in which was better than a dedicated GPS device. I still use iTunes as my main music service and just sync when I buy or add new music. Not sure about the adapter but I’ll bet there is an Apple to microUSB adapter out there. I don’t really need it since I use DLNA or blu-tooth to play music to my stereo or worst case use a headphone aux cable. BTW Old Peculiar is my favorite!
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July 18th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
If this is true, WTF HAS JONY IVE BEEN DOING? PAINTING RAINBOWS IN HIS OFFICE?!?!
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July 23rd, 2012 at 8:09 pm
If Ives just stretched out the iPhone 4/4S to get the design for the 5, I will be utterly disappointed. It is high time for a completely new design and innovation. Weve been there, done that with the iPhone 4 and 4S. People were crushed when the 4S looked the same as the 4. Simply stretching the 4 to make the screen a little larger is unimaginative and lacks innovation. I have a very hard time believing that given Ives has had two and a half years once the 4 debuted, that he couldn’t come up with an entirely new, bigger, and better design. Stretching the 4 and adding upgraded internals would be an absolute failure for Apple and Ives.
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March 24th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
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