Rumor: Photos of iPhone 6 manufacturing molds, schematics leak online

Posted:
in iPhone edited April 2014
A set of photos published to the Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo on Sunday allegedly show detailed schematics, CAD renderings and physical manufacturing molds for Apple's next-generation iPhone.


Source: Sina Weibo via GforGames


The pictures, posted to Sina Weibo, depict highly detailed iPhone 6 chassis production assets and are said to have originated at a plant belonging to Apple partner manufacturer Foxconn, reports GforGames.

As seen above, one photo of purported iPhone 6 technical schematics shows an extremely thin chassis design with a tapered design and what appears to be chamfered edges, a design flourish used in Apple's most recent products.

The overall look of the phone seems to be consistent with the iPhone range, with a display cutout surrounded by thin bezels and larger top and bottom areas for functional components like a Touch ID-equipped home button and FaceTime camera.




A second photo offers 3D renderings of the supposed chassis mold, while additional images show the mold itself. Without a current iPhone 5s or 5c in the photo for scale, it is impossible to determine the approximate chassis size these molds yield.

The unconfirmed leaks follow a growing pile of pictures associated with Apple's East Asian supply chain, the most recent being questionable shots of an iPhone 6 body.

Apple is believed to be prepping two iPhone models for its 2014 product refresh, both of which boast larger displays than current models. According to a roadmap from reliable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company will release a 4.7-inch version as an iPhone 5s replacement, while a 5.5-inch iteration is to be marketed as a high-end "phablet" device.



    «13

    Comments

    • Reply 1 of 58

      Is that a pirated version of Windows XP I see?

    • Reply 2 of 58
      philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
      CAD renderings? Looks more like Excel on XP. And that first picture of the drawing could also be a Samsung smart watch for all I know. But cool, keep the rumours coming on the next iPhone. I can't wait to see what's in store. June 2nd, right?
    • Reply 3 of 58

      All the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were also real. I saw them move and eat people. No way that was faked.

    • Reply 4 of 58
      apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

      I definitely think that the leakers should be executed, or at the very least, serve out the rest of their miserable lives in a cold and dark prison cell. This would also have the added benefit of serving as a deterrent for any other potential future leakers. That'll make other like minded criminals think twice before they commit their crime. 

       

      There are far too many leaks coming out of Apple's Asian suppliers. A hefty punishment can easily be justified, based on the high dollar value of the information that they are stealing.

       

      People can get killed when stealing from countries, and Apple makes more money than some countries, so why do people think that it's ok to leak top secret Apple plans? The punishment should fit the crime, and when somebody is stealing and sharing secrets from a billion dollar company, they should be severely punished.

       

      In conclusion, I've said this before, but Apple should find a way to tighten up security in their Asian suppliers.

    • Reply 5 of 58
      IDK, looks like a Samscum phone to me. Through an accident of design, they do resemble iPhones /s
    • Reply 6 of 58
      wubbuswubbus Posts: 70member
      apple ][ wrote: »
      I definitely think that the leakers should be executed...

      You'd be ok with being the one pulling the trigger?
    • Reply 7 of 58
      apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
      Quote:

      Originally Posted by wubbus View Post





      You'd be ok with being the one pulling the trigger?

       

      If that were my job, then sure, why not?

       

      Somebody's gotta do it. In states that have the death penalty, somebody's gotta be the one to flip the switch on the electric chair, or whichever method that they happen to be using.

    • Reply 8 of 58
      mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
      apple ][ wrote: »
      I definitely think that the leakers should be executed, or at the very least, serve out the rest of their miserable lives in a cold and dark prison cell. This would also have the added benefit of serving as a deterrent for any other potential future leakers.

      Alright, Satan.

      It's just a phone.
    • Reply 9 of 58
      apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
      Quote:

      Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post

      Alright, Satan.



      It's just a phone.

       

      You might as well have called me Mickey Mouse, because I take no offense at being called a fairy tale character.

       

      And it's not just a phone. It's many tens of millions of phones. It's an entire industry. 

       

      If you don't believe that espionage against Apple is important and worth protecting against, then that's your problem.

    • Reply 10 of 58
      dobqopdobqop Posts: 9member

      The people like you should be executed or imprisoned in the concentration camp.

    • Reply 11 of 58
      sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

      Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post



      ... I can't wait to see what's in store. June 2nd, right?

       

      WWDC14 starts on June 2nd, so Apple will do the usual thing.  They'll announce iOS 8 and its new features, they'll allow developers to download iOS 8 beta, and everybody will have about 3 months to add iOS 8 features and design directives to their apps.

       

      Or maybe not.  A little birdie tells me that Apple has been hyping Autolayout in iOS apps ever since iOS 6.0 way back in 2012.  It's possible that Apple could announce the heavily-rumored iPhone 6 at WWDC and say "All modern iOS apps should already be using Autolayout for perfect compatibility with the all-new iPhone 6."  Presumably the "6" will have more pixels, so it will still have Retina resolution.  Older apps will look the same, but they won't fill the screen.  They'll appear centered in the screen, the way older iPhone 4 apps were centered vertically in the iPhone 5 screen.  Newer apps with Autolayout will resize their user interface elements automatically to fill taller and wider screens.

       

      But really, if there are any new APIs in iOS 8 (like, say, improved Augmented Reality in the maps API), then Apple really needs to let developers experiment with the features, build them into their apps, test their apps, and have them all ready on the App Store when the iPhone 6 launches.  In  or around September.

    • Reply 12 of 58
      emesemes Posts: 239member

      Here come the Windows XP comments...

    • Reply 13 of 58
      Quote:
      Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

       

      I definitely think that the leakers should be executed, or at the very least, serve out the rest of their miserable lives in a cold and dark prison cell. This would also have the added benefit of serving as a deterrent for any other potential future leakers. That'll make other like minded criminals think twice before they commit their crime. 

       

      There are far too many leaks coming out of Apple's Asian suppliers. A hefty punishment can easily be justified, based on the high dollar value of the information that they are stealing.

       

      People can get killed when stealing from countries, and Apple makes more money than some countries, so why do people think that it's ok to leak top secret Apple plans? The punishment should fit the crime, and when somebody is stealing and sharing secrets from a billion dollar company, they should be severely punished.

       

      In conclusion, I've said this before, but Apple should find a way to tighten up security in their Asian suppliers.


      People steal music from billion dollar companies. People steal software from billion dollar companies. People steal billions in tax fraud from countries. Should we seriously iGuillotine these people just because the people they are stealing from are those who have more money? If we have a staggered punishment system based on money, should they just get a slap on the hand when they steal from the mom and pop store down the road? A harsh word when they steal a sandwich from little Jimmy? But steal from somebody worth billions of dollars and you must DIE!!!!

      Punish?...yes.....Kill? Are you from Elysium?

    • Reply 14 of 58
      cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
      Quote:
      Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

       

      I definitely think that the leakers should be executed, or at the very least, serve out the rest of their miserable lives in a cold and dark prison cell. This would also have the added benefit of serving as a deterrent for any other potential future leakers. That'll make other like minded criminals think twice before they commit their crime. 

       

      There are far too many leaks coming out of Apple's Asian suppliers. A hefty punishment can easily be justified, based on the high dollar value of the information that they are stealing.

       

      People can get killed when stealing from countries, and Apple makes more money than some countries, so why do people think that it's ok to leak top secret Apple plans? The punishment should fit the crime, and when somebody is stealing and sharing secrets from a billion dollar company, they should be severely punished.

       

      In conclusion, I've said this before, but Apple should find a way to tighten up security in their Asian suppliers.




      In the very early days of AI, the very purpose of this site and the principle activity of it s creator, was to entice people at Apple to leak inside information to be made public.  By implication, the punishments you think appropriate should surely have been visited on Kasper and all the other US citizens involved at that time.  You have more than a few roos loose in the top paddock.

    • Reply 15 of 58
      hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member

      Tim doubling down on security again (OK I couldn't resist).

    • Reply 16 of 58
      apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
      Quote:

      Originally Posted by GadgetCanadaV2 View Post

       

      People steal music from billion dollar companies. People steal software from billion dollar companies. People steal billions in tax fraud from countries. Should we seriously iGuillotine these people just because the people they are stealing from are those who have more money? Punish?...yes.....Kill? Are you from Elysium?


       

      It's about the severity of the crime. Stealing a 99 cent song is not a very severe crime, in the big scheme of things.

       

      A person stealing top secret plans worth billions is a bit different, wouldn't you agree?

       

      And people do go to prison for tax fraud.

    • Reply 17 of 58
      I've been a loyal iPhone user since the iPhone 4. If Apple is ever tasteless enough to make an abomination called "phablet" I will leave Apple forever and never come back.
    • Reply 18 of 58
      Never seem a design drawing without dimension, neither does iPhone's metal frame uses molding process. This is a bs to the extreme.
    • Reply 19 of 58
      tmaytmay Posts: 6,453member

      It's a machining fixture most likely, but certainly not a mold. These look to be cast aluminum, and finished machined which makes sense as you have possibly thousands of CNC machines providing the same operation. 

       

      Chances are that there are at least a few different versions needed to cover the the various machining operations for the each housing.

       

      Edit: I wanted to add that I believe that the image is of a operations sheet or report defining each operation in the process.

    • Reply 20 of 58
      lerxtlerxt Posts: 186member
      Apple are going to make a phablet so you might as well leave now .... for a phone maker that makes phablets.

      Apple needs them, they will have a continually shrinking Asian business if they don't.
    Sign In or Register to comment.