This is a headache in the making if they're doing that.
I agree, but it's something that has to happen sooner or later. Components will be improved over time and while the newfound incompatibilities about which you bemoan will cause headaches for a while, they will eventually be forgotten and, in the long run, make for a better device.
The headphone jack has been moved to the bottom so the the display can extend closer to the top edge. I'm guessing that the display and headphone jack would not be able to overlap within the new thinner form factor.
It's definitely looking like a micro-USB connector with MHL for HD video out, much the way it works in other phones and devices. Between Air-Play, iCloud, and OTA updates, other than charging, the need for a connector is dwindling these days anyway, unless you're clinging to your old iHome stuff.
This looks awesome. With parts making it to the the mainstream, I think it means that Apple has moved this device to production--we've seen this before. Maybe we'll have an announcement next week, and preorders beginning 8/1?
1) This looks good and it looks real. I'm glad I qualified my reaction to the original leaks to note the first iPhone 4 leaks were less than appealing.
2) Being able to access the components from the top should make a lot of people happy.
If the mini dock connector is real then they've just kissed goodbye to compatibility with thousands if not millions of accessories, speaker docks and dock cables that people own which strikes me as a very bad move - this thing had better ship with a few mini to 30 pin adapters included in the box and extras had better be cheap to buy because they are guaranteed to get lost on a regular basis.
They've used the same 30-pin connector for a decade. Think about that! A decade in consumer technology for 3 device categories. I think the change is long over due and welcome it with open arms.
But I hope Apples isn't just reducing the size of the connector, but make it worth upgrading, e.g. make it a MagSafe connector. A lot of people will definitely like to have a magnetic connector like in the MacBooks than ripping out the cable now and then.
I'd like more features with it, too, but MagSafe isn't one of them. I don' see how it can work without being much larger than it currently is. Look at the current MagSafe, there are only 2 channels (+ and -) but there are 4 pins so you can turn the plug in any direction. It's also quite large and more expensive despite only supplying power.
How does Apple deal with 30 pins? Make it 60 pins so it can be reversible? Remove the FireWire pins and make it the bare minimum so it's only about 40-50 pins total? Make it plug in only way so that can still have about 20 to 30 pins? How large does the magnet need to be? What is the cost of this cable come to when it's the only type that will work with the expensive design? WIll Apple license MagSafe or will all these cables only come from Apple? I certainly won't be happy if Apple tries an artificial lock in that doesn't help the user experience.
I prefer the jack at the bottom, it hangs out of the way of the screen, and when you move your arm down to place it in the pocket, is the right way up.
Me too, but it will be an issue for awhile. Even the Apple logo on notebooks being reversed was an issue for awhile and Apple didn't even have a strong presence then.
It's definitely looking like a micro-USB connector with MHL for HD video out, much the way it works in other phones and devices. Between Air-Play, iCloud, and OTA updates, other than charging, the need for a connector is dwindling these days anyway, unless you're clinging to your old iHome stuff.
I'm not seeing the same shape as you. I'm seeing something completely unique with that port interface.
Apple throws out red herring prototypes to determine where the leaks in its ship are. Remember how everyone was convinced that the 4S would have a tapered 'teardrop' design? Tim Cook said at d10 that the company is becoming even more secretive. It seems unlikely to me that this is the new iPhone, although it probably was designed by Apple.
Except that a teardrop design was never seen in public. Merely artist renditions. This one has the part out in the wild, assuming it's real, which I think it's near final.
First off, final judgement won't be made until I have one in my hand to play with once released. My thoughts are that I don't like the different textures on the back. I wonder why they decided to coat the antenna the same color as the frame. I didn't see a noise canceling mic anywhere and am not a fan of moving the headphone jack. Speaker grills look ugly and for me, changing the size of the dock connector isn't a big deal as I don't use my phone with any accessories except the dock. I can always get a new dock. I have a Nano hooked up to my truck for music instead. Interesting how there doesn't seem to be a way to remove the back plate. Didn't they change policy where Apple can look at the internal water indicator to make a final decision on water damage since the headphone and dock ones can register false positives? Apple does replace worn out batteries for a fee, so how will they change it now?
Just random questions and again, I won't be making a final judgement until I have one hands on.
Interesting how there doesn't seem to be a way to remove the back plate. Didn't they change policy where Apple can look at the internal water indicator to make a final decision on water damage since the headphone and dock ones can register false positives? Apple does replace worn out batteries for a fee, so how will they change it now?
The front. It's currently a huge PITA (and costly) to change a broken front plate so this could be a positive change for consumers.
It's actually glass on the back? If so, hate it with a passion. If its just they didn't polish the majority of th back for better grip, I can see that but still hate it. I already think the 4/4S is not that comfortable to hold without a curved case. Personally, I think the thickness of the 4 and this one are going to make it even more uncomfortable to hold. I know SJ's obsession with thinness, but why not the teardrop design? Yes the iPhone has always been a stand-out design, but I'd rather have something that cups my hand than it being crazy thin for thinness sake. I like the idea of the unibody, but I'd rather is have better ergonomics. The 3G/3GS was the best design in that category. And i miss that every time i use my 4. If this is real, it's kind of a let down for me because I was so hoping for a turn for better ergonomics. Boo
In addition, as long as they keep the 30 pin on the iPods for the next 5 years or so I'll be happy. My car has a native proprietary 30 pin in the armrest and it's a brand new 2012. So if my iPod dies in the next 5 years and is replaced with this micro jack, I'll be a bit pissed. Otherwise, I don't care about the iPhone jack changing. I actually like the bottom headphone jack, it's about time.
Thanks!
It's actually glass on the back? If so, hate it with a passion. If its just they didn't polish the majority of th back for better grip, I can see that but still hate it. I already think the 4/4S is not that comfortable to hold without a curved case. Personally, I think the thickness of the 4 and this one are going to make it even more uncomfortable to hold. I know SJ's obsession with thinness, but why not the teardrop design? Yes the iPhone has always been a stand-out design, but I'd rather have something that cups my hand than it being crazy thin for thinness sake. I like the idea of the unibody, but I'd rather is have better ergonomics. The 3G/3GS was the best design in that category. And i miss that every time i use my 4. If this is real, it's kind of a let down for me because I was so hoping for a turn for better ergonomics. Boo
1) To me it looks like a solid metal shell on the sides and back.
2) If it's thinner it does make it easier for the hand to wrap a little bit more to sweep the display with the thumb.
3) The width of the casing does look a little wider to me which does lend to the rumour of a 4.08" 320 PPI display.
4) Being thinner does mean that it likely has to be bigger to accommodate the components, although personally I'm okay with the thickness and would have prefered a larger display without increasing the footprint. I wonder how the volume difference compares.
5) The teardrop design looked great in the mock ups but I think there is an issue when using in landscape.
6) I think better ergonomics will come later one once the tech plateau's a bit more.
7) I think the original iPhone had the best design feel but the iPhone 4/4S is the best engineering design.
I can't remember if it was Jobs or someone paraphrasing him saying he likened the 4 design to a Leica camera. Well even though Leicas are more hard edged and square, they do have the proper ergonomics like finger grips and protrude and thumb holds. The 4 and this leaked design are all smooth.
After using both the 3G and the 4 I find that gripping the 4 is much less secure than when the back/edges were curved. And frankly, I find the teardrop of the iPad and touch is a bit too sharp at the screen edge too. Ive dropped the 4 many times due to bad gripping and I never dropped the 3G. It always felt secure.
I actually like the design although I actually would prefer the metal to be the standard aluminium color. Its going to be pretty interesting to see where things go from here with steve gone, its a pretty big release; hopefully they maintain a bit of the direction that lead them to this success all while using the opportunity for tim cook to incorporate his direction for the company into the mix.
... The new component is so slim that it is noticeably thinner than the iPhone 4/4S metal mid-section alone. ...
In case anyone hasn't mentioned it yet, this part is actually not true.
Look at 4:07 of the video and you can see that the mid-section of the iPhone 4s is quite a bit thinner than this part is. The new part looks about a millimetre thinner than the previous middle and back parts together however, so overall the phone should be slimmer by a fraction.
Makes me wonder if Magic Trackpad like gestures will be possible on the back.
Your reasoning is a bit off here. All Apple's trackpads are actually made of glass.
So while it's really quite unlikely that they would put any kind of touch surface on the back at all, if they did, it would be more likely to be on the iPhone 4 based on the material choice alone.
Re: the two different textures/colours on the back ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
I think that's just a difference in surface texture. I like it, it looks like a "black nickel" plating, I wonder what the process is....
I'm pretty sure it's not. If you look at the very beginning where he shows a good close up of the inside, the top and bottom parts of the back appear to be clearly separate pieces that have been attached. This also explains the "lines" on the sides that separate these pieces that look a lot like the antenna separator bands on the 4 and 4s.
I still think this is about manufacturing savings. This new "single part" is a unibody back that the workers can easily screw things in on an assembly line giving all the advantages (and a lot less steps) of the manufacturing process used on the 3 and 3s, but even though it's a single part, it's obviously constructed out of multiple parts. I would guess that this part is entirely "robot made" up to this point and then shipped to the assembly plant as a single part.
The really, really annoying thing about this video is that this is the crucial difference between this part and other parts, and the one thing we really don't know much about, but despite turning it around in his hands for five minutes(!) the guy never really takes a close look at the seams and the "glass parts" moulded into the back.
Are they glass? Are they (as they look to be), separate parts? This dufuss doesn't bother to let us know.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by bizzle
This is a headache in the making if they're doing that.
I agree, but it's something that has to happen sooner or later. Components will be improved over time and while the newfound incompatibilities about which you bemoan will cause headaches for a while, they will eventually be forgotten and, in the long run, make for a better device.
It's definitely looking like a micro-USB connector with MHL for HD video out, much the way it works in other phones and devices. Between Air-Play, iCloud, and OTA updates, other than charging, the need for a connector is dwindling these days anyway, unless you're clinging to your old iHome stuff.
This looks awesome. With parts making it to the the mainstream, I think it means that Apple has moved this device to production--we've seen this before. Maybe we'll have an announcement next week, and preorders beginning 8/1?
2) Being able to access the components from the top should make a lot of people happy.
They've used the same 30-pin connector for a decade. Think about that! A decade in consumer technology for 3 device categories. I think the change is long over due and welcome it with open arms.
I'd like more features with it, too, but MagSafe isn't one of them. I don' see how it can work without being much larger than it currently is. Look at the current MagSafe, there are only 2 channels (+ and -) but there are 4 pins so you can turn the plug in any direction. It's also quite large and more expensive despite only supplying power.
How does Apple deal with 30 pins? Make it 60 pins so it can be reversible? Remove the FireWire pins and make it the bare minimum so it's only about 40-50 pins total? Make it plug in only way so that can still have about 20 to 30 pins? How large does the magnet need to be? What is the cost of this cable come to when it's the only type that will work with the expensive design? WIll Apple license MagSafe or will all these cables only come from Apple? I certainly won't be happy if Apple tries an artificial lock in that doesn't help the user experience.
I felt like he was talking to a 2 year old when he's asking where the headphone jack went.
Me too, but it will be an issue for awhile. Even the Apple logo on notebooks being reversed was an issue for awhile and Apple didn't even have a strong presence then.
I'm not seeing the same shape as you. I'm seeing something completely unique with that port interface.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markbriton
Apple throws out red herring prototypes to determine where the leaks in its ship are. Remember how everyone was convinced that the 4S would have a tapered 'teardrop' design? Tim Cook said at d10 that the company is becoming even more secretive. It seems unlikely to me that this is the new iPhone, although it probably was designed by Apple.
Except that a teardrop design was never seen in public. Merely artist renditions. This one has the part out in the wild, assuming it's real, which I think it's near final.
• http://forums.appleinsider.com/gallery/album/view/id/6088763/user_id/150681
First off, final judgement won't be made until I have one in my hand to play with once released. My thoughts are that I don't like the different textures on the back. I wonder why they decided to coat the antenna the same color as the frame. I didn't see a noise canceling mic anywhere and am not a fan of moving the headphone jack. Speaker grills look ugly and for me, changing the size of the dock connector isn't a big deal as I don't use my phone with any accessories except the dock. I can always get a new dock. I have a Nano hooked up to my truck for music instead. Interesting how there doesn't seem to be a way to remove the back plate. Didn't they change policy where Apple can look at the internal water indicator to make a final decision on water damage since the headphone and dock ones can register false positives? Apple does replace worn out batteries for a fee, so how will they change it now?
Just random questions and again, I won't be making a final judgement until I have one hands on.
The front. It's currently a huge PITA (and costly) to change a broken front plate so this could be a positive change for consumers.
Tallest's head is going to explode.
It's actually glass on the back? If so, hate it with a passion. If its just they didn't polish the majority of th back for better grip, I can see that but still hate it. I already think the 4/4S is not that comfortable to hold without a curved case. Personally, I think the thickness of the 4 and this one are going to make it even more uncomfortable to hold. I know SJ's obsession with thinness, but why not the teardrop design? Yes the iPhone has always been a stand-out design, but I'd rather have something that cups my hand than it being crazy thin for thinness sake. I like the idea of the unibody, but I'd rather is have better ergonomics. The 3G/3GS was the best design in that category. And i miss that every time i use my 4. If this is real, it's kind of a let down for me because I was so hoping for a turn for better ergonomics. Boo
1) To me it looks like a solid metal shell on the sides and back.
2) If it's thinner it does make it easier for the hand to wrap a little bit more to sweep the display with the thumb.
3) The width of the casing does look a little wider to me which does lend to the rumour of a 4.08" 320 PPI display.
4) Being thinner does mean that it likely has to be bigger to accommodate the components, although personally I'm okay with the thickness and would have prefered a larger display without increasing the footprint. I wonder how the volume difference compares.
5) The teardrop design looked great in the mock ups but I think there is an issue when using in landscape.
6) I think better ergonomics will come later one once the tech plateau's a bit more.
7) I think the original iPhone had the best design feel but the iPhone 4/4S is the best engineering design.
After using both the 3G and the 4 I find that gripping the 4 is much less secure than when the back/edges were curved. And frankly, I find the teardrop of the iPad and touch is a bit too sharp at the screen edge too. Ive dropped the 4 many times due to bad gripping and I never dropped the 3G. It always felt secure.
I actually like the design although I actually would prefer the metal to be the standard aluminium color. Its going to be pretty interesting to see where things go from here with steve gone, its a pretty big release; hopefully they maintain a bit of the direction that lead them to this success all while using the opportunity for tim cook to incorporate his direction for the company into the mix.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
... The new component is so slim that it is noticeably thinner than the iPhone 4/4S metal mid-section alone. ...
In case anyone hasn't mentioned it yet, this part is actually not true.
Look at 4:07 of the video and you can see that the mid-section of the iPhone 4s is quite a bit thinner than this part is. The new part looks about a millimetre thinner than the previous middle and back parts together however, so overall the phone should be slimmer by a fraction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Technarchy
The aluminum back is interesting.
Makes me wonder if Magic Trackpad like gestures will be possible on the back.
Your reasoning is a bit off here. All Apple's trackpads are actually made of glass.
So while it's really quite unlikely that they would put any kind of touch surface on the back at all, if they did, it would be more likely to be on the iPhone 4 based on the material choice alone.
Re: the two different textures/colours on the back ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
I think that's just a difference in surface texture. I like it, it looks like a "black nickel" plating, I wonder what the process is....
I'm pretty sure it's not. If you look at the very beginning where he shows a good close up of the inside, the top and bottom parts of the back appear to be clearly separate pieces that have been attached. This also explains the "lines" on the sides that separate these pieces that look a lot like the antenna separator bands on the 4 and 4s.
I still think this is about manufacturing savings. This new "single part" is a unibody back that the workers can easily screw things in on an assembly line giving all the advantages (and a lot less steps) of the manufacturing process used on the 3 and 3s, but even though it's a single part, it's obviously constructed out of multiple parts. I would guess that this part is entirely "robot made" up to this point and then shipped to the assembly plant as a single part.
The really, really annoying thing about this video is that this is the crucial difference between this part and other parts, and the one thing we really don't know much about, but despite turning it around in his hands for five minutes(!) the guy never really takes a close look at the seams and the "glass parts" moulded into the back.
Are they glass? Are they (as they look to be), separate parts? This dufuss doesn't bother to let us know.