3G iPhone shell photos; possible Centrino 2 delay

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Photos have surfaced of an accessory maker's purported reference model for the 3G iPhone. Also, Intel may have stalled the launch of its Centrino 2 mobile platform, potentially affecting the release of future MacBooks.



3G iPhone case mockup reappears in Netherlands



While there has been no shortage of images purported to reflect the final look of a 3G-capable iPhone, a new leak by Dutch site iPhoneclub supports evidence of subtle but significant alterations to the iPhone's outer appearance.



Seemingly matching a southeast Asian leak from just two weeks earlier, a mockup allegedly being used by a European accessory designer has a curved back needed to handle the extra demands of 3G as well as subtler visible changes, including a thinner chrome bezel that gives the appearance of a larger front face.



The back similarly abandons the silver-tinted aluminum of the current iPhone in favor of what appears to be white plastic, matching month-old descriptions by iLounge that suggested Apple may return to offering multiple colors. The possibility exists, however, that the backing is simply left white-colored for testing purposes.



Those same allegations also pointed to additional, hidden sensors at the top of the phone that may be used for video calling. None of these are immediately visible in the accompanying shots, while the reportedly altered microphone and speaker grilles are also hidden from view.







Intel's Centrino 2 may face multi-week delay



Predictions that Apple will introduce new MacBooks at WWDC may have been dashed by a last-minute delay.



Citing contacts it claims are close to Intel, TG Daily alleges that delays in approving the Wi-Fi chipset for the Centrino 2 platform's mainboard will now push the debut of the architecture until July 14th, or between two to three weeks after a projected but still unofficial late June launch window.



This initial launch would only include Intel's standard 802.11a/b/g wireless chipset, the purported sources claim; systems that need 802.11n would need to ship two weeks later.



As Apple uses 802.11n across all its notebooks, a delay of the sort would stall the shipment of Apple's planned major MacBook redesigns until late July or afterwards.



Separately, an issue with integrated graphics chipsets associated with Centrino 2 has also allegedly created problems and would specifically stall the launch of new aluminum MacBooks, which are likely to depend on Intel's built-in video hardware.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 83
    ghostface147ghostface147 Posts: 1,629member
    From what I have read and seen, it seems the camera still doesn't have a flash integrated. Bummer.
  • Reply 2 of 83
    surfratsurfrat Posts: 341member
    These are the first of the supposed "leaks" that I actually see as a possibility.
  • Reply 3 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    These are not real. Anyone who thinks so has lost their marbles as far am I'm concerned.
  • Reply 4 of 83
    eruithildureruithildur Posts: 165member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    These are not real. Anyone who thinks so has lost their marbles as far am I'm concerned.



    They even kept Apple's new color scheme.

    Doesn't everyone know black is the new white?
  • Reply 5 of 83
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Am I the only one who doesn't expect a MB update for several months? It was just updated 91 days ago and has an average update cycle of 192 days.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SurfRat View Post


    These are the first of the supposed "leaks" that I actually see as a possibility.



    They do look good but there are some little issues. There is no text on the back and device looks to be slightly taller and wider. Although, most smartphones do tend to be thicker to accomodate the QWERTY keyboard. Perhaps Apple is making the logical keyboard easier to use by using a slighty wider display.
  • Reply 6 of 83
    If Apple really is distributing iPhone mockups to accessory designers, all they would have to replicate is the shape, not the color or the materials used. Wouldn't it make a lot of sense to create plastic prototypes, to throw iPhone rumor-mongers like this from spilling the secret?



    The real iPhone is very likely to be that shape, but I predict that it will be aluminum. It fits with Apple's new design paradigm of moving toward green materials. Also, I think we can all agree, plastic is pretty ugly.
  • Reply 7 of 83
    webfrassewebfrasse Posts: 147member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    From what I have read and seen, it seems the camera still doesn't have a flash integrated. Bummer.



    Overloading the phone is exactly what Nokia, Ericsson and others are doing. Please let it be the best PHONE instead a failure at everything. The flash in a phone is just going to flimsy and useless, there is simply not room for power or flash to make it useful. Better to do video.



    /Mikael
  • Reply 8 of 83
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macd-to-death View Post


    The real iPhone is very likely to be that shape, but I predict that it will be aluminum. It fits with Apple's new design paradigm of moving toward green materials. Also, I think we can all agree, plastic is pretty ugly.



    Aluminum isn't necessarily inherently greener than plastic just because people think it is. There are problems with aluminum too. It's a very energy intensive material to convert from ore to alloy, and anodizing it requires the use of some pretty caustic chemicals too. That's why it's so expensive despite being more abundant than iron.
  • Reply 9 of 83
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    As Apple uses 802.11n across all its notebooks, a delay of the sort would stall the shipment of Apple's planned major MacBook redesigns until late July or afterwards.



    But Apple doesn't even use Intel Wireless?



    /Adrian
  • Reply 10 of 83
    51505150 Posts: 6member
    The thing I don't get is why Apple would include their logo or any text at all on a prototype or or any pre-release version. Either this isn't real or SJ is once again successfully gaming the system to create hype by allowing logos on these. It also could certainly be SJ throwing the dogs off the scent by leaking bogus shots. I'm trying to think back to any prior "spy photos" which turned out to be real to recall if they had logos, etc. Every auto maker under the sun does everything it can to camouflage its cars pre-release, SJ's at least a little craftier than those guys. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
  • Reply 11 of 83
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macd-to-death View Post


    The real iPhone is very likely to be that shape, but I predict that it will be aluminum. It fits with Apple's new design paradigm of moving toward green materials.



    All that is true, but Apple really needs a radio transparent material to cover the back. The iPhone has a decent antenna but with an all plastic or zirconia or Kevlar or carbon fiber or Area 51 alien spaceship metal as a backing it could have a great antenna. And 3G radios are much more suseptible to interference. This is one area I hope Apple puts function over form and being green.
  • Reply 12 of 83
    eduardoeduardo Posts: 181member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    From what I have read and seen, it seems the camera still doesn't have a flash integrated. Bummer.



    Err, you do know this is a mobile phone? Buy yourself a camera if you really need flash and a bigger lens.

  • Reply 13 of 83
    I would think this is real, the back could indeed be used for testing purposes. Too bad there isn't a flash of some sort, and where is the front camera? Come on, it's really a MUST.
  • Reply 14 of 83
    probablyprobably Posts: 139member
    I do not, at all, understand why the consensus is that if it's colored in such a tone as glossy white or black that it means it's plastic.



    They don't move backwards with exterior material quality. If you must reduce Steve Job's role at AAPL to one responsibility - it's in-the-hand fit-and-finish-and-operational-polish supervisor. There is no way they are just ignoring the nearly universal utterance made in all the first-gen iPhone reviews about how incredibly high-quality and substantial the metal and glass made the phone feel.



    Plastic of any variety would be absolutely idiotic.



    What am I suggesting is more likely? Ceramics, baby.



    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...e_casings.html



    I'm too lazy to link the actual filing, but to anyone who's read at least a couple of their patents: I've never read one that had such incredibly convincing language explaining that this is the inevitable future of the mentioned Apple products. 100% radio transparency; greater density and rigidity than comparable metals; more powerful control over texturing, coloring and application of residues (such as applying a thin layer of rubber coat for grip or the like); manufacturing processes that had already been planned and detailed; and (even mentioned in the filing) it undoubtedly makes the devices created with ceramics feel more upscale than anything before.



    The writing is on the wall - er, the patent office's website.



    Everyone seems to be ignoring Apple's (read: Ive and Jobs) obsession with crazy materials.
  • Reply 15 of 83
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eduardo View Post


    Err, you do know this is a mobile phone? Buy yourself a camera if you really need flash and a bigger lens.





    I agree. I don't know why people expect a $400 phone to have a camera equivalent to a $400 digital camera!!
  • Reply 16 of 83
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eduardo View Post


    Err, you do know this is a mobile phone? Buy yourself a camera if you really need flash and a bigger lens.





    By this logic, anybody who wants to do anything other than talk should buy a laptop computer, a camera, an mp3 player, an address book, a desk calendar, and a notepad.
  • Reply 17 of 83
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    I agree. I don't know why people expect a $400 phone to have a camera equivalent to a $400 digital camera!!



    While i agree, the easy rebuttle would that even cheap cameras have a flash as do other mobile phones. Though those xenon flashes don't make quality flashes.

    Also, to a lot of people a camera in their phone is a must have. I wish they never stuck cameras in cell phones, but my opinion is definitely the minority here.
  • Reply 18 of 83
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    As Apple uses 802.11n across all its notebooks, a delay of the sort would stall the shipment of Apple's planned major MacBook redesigns until late July or afterwards.



    No it wouldn't. Apple don't use Intel's WiFi chips. That's why Apple's website and other marketing materials have never mentioned the word "Centrino". None of Apple's laptops have ever been "Centrino" based as you have to use the entire platform chipset to be allowed by Intel to use the name, and Apple have never used Intel's wireless chip.



    A delay on the integrated graphics would indeed delay any new MacBooks.



    I wasn't originally expecting any laptop updates from Apple at WWDC, but then AI started talking about the possibility and I got all excited (been waiting a long time to get a MacBook Pro with MacBook-style keyboard and magnetic latch). Now my hopes are being dashed. How cruel you are, AI.
  • Reply 19 of 83
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    While i agree, the easy rebuttle would that even cheap cameras have a flash as do other mobile phones. Though those xenon flashes don't make quality flashes.

    Also, to a lot of people a camera in their phone is a must have. I wish they never stuck cameras in cell phones, but my opinion is definitely the minority here.



    I used to have that opinion, but in the end, I really don't have a problem with it anymore. I may have only taken a couple hundred pics with my phone's camera, but it is handy when it's needed. It doesn't have a flash, simulated or otherwise. Often it beats not having a camera when I forget to take one with me.



    OK, so it's not helpful for those that go to institutions that disallow cameras, but I think the real problem is those institutions, not the phone, not that the institutions are suddenly going to change policies. As far as I'm concerned, it's a policy that only penalizes the honest people. Anyone that wants to sneak pictures out can carry even smaller and easier to conceal devices to do the same thing.
  • Reply 20 of 83
    that looks so much like case



    its fake



    duhhhhhhhhhhh
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