Purported 'iPhone 5S' logic board has tweaked screw placement, lacks CPU

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A shot of a logic board claimed to be from Apple's next-generation iPhone shows a design largely the same as the iPhone 5, though the screw hole has been placed in a new location.

Board
Purported "iPhone 5S" board on the left, via Moumantai. Actual iPhone 5 board on the right, iFixit.


The board, which was first noted by Macotakara, also lacks a processor, but the space for the CPU appears to be about the same size as on the current iPhone 5 logic board. Aside from a slightly different screw placement atop the board, the part looks largely identical to its predecessor.

If legitimate, the part could hint that Apple's next iPhone will sport largely the same design as the iPhone 5. That would be in line with rumors, which have dubbed the handset as the "iPhone 5S," suggesting that any hardware upgrades would not alter the design of the device.

As for the absent processor, rumors from earlier this year claimed that Apple won't debut a full-fledged next-generation "A7" chip until 2014. That processor is rumored to be built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in a 28-nanometer process.

An identically sized space for a processor could signal that the next iPhone will retain the 32-nanometer process utilized to build the current A6 and A6X chips found in the iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad, respectively. Apple switched from a 45-nanometer process to 32 nanometers in 2012 with the debut of the A5 CPU.

Parts claimed to be from Apple's next iPhone have increasingly appeared in recent weeks, suggesting that production of the device could begin soon. Other recently leaked parts include a FaceTime camera, home button, vibration motor, SIM tray, volume rocker, and mute switch.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    chandra69chandra69 Posts: 638member


    So, is this concept phone fake? image image I want this with iOS7


     


  • Reply 2 of 31
    jessijessi Posts: 302member
    You make the mistake of assuming the CPU size is based on the process used. Apple could go from 32nm to 22nm, while keeping the package size the same. This is what would happen if they dedicate more space to a larger GPU or add one or more extra cores. Further, Apple puts many cores in it's SoCs with custom processors for audio and video processing, etc, and thus even a "dual core" part that's seems to be just like the "dual core" part from last year, might actually have more CPUs on it.

    Put another way, the space on the board tells you nothing about which CPU this will be. It could be the "full fledged A7" or it could be an A9, or whatever.
  • Reply 3 of 31
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    Stop the freakin presses, a screw has been moved! Really, this is Apple news?
  • Reply 4 of 31
    jollypauljollypaul Posts: 328member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Chandra69 View Post


     image I want this with iOS7


     


     



     


    Yes, dump some of the visually empty length.


     


    For any change that large we will have to wait another year. The 5S will be just another incremental tweak. I'll be glad when Apple starts turning out new stuff again. The recent processor bump on the MBA and teases of stuff for the future were not very satisfying.

  • Reply 5 of 31
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post



    Stop the freakin presses, a screw has been moved! Really, this is Apple news?




    You're here, you read it, you felt the need to comment on it.  This site is for people like you.  Get off your high horse.

  • Reply 6 of 31
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member


    I'd wager the CPU doesn't advance as much as the GPU. Apple is all about the GPU, and it's so important for the new features like parallax, I'm guessing.

  • Reply 7 of 31
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post



    Stop the freakin presses, a screw has been moved! Really, this is Apple news?


    No kidding.  I'll wait until Apple has their product release.   Some of these photo show nothing that suggests anything other than it's a different motherboard design, but without the chips installed, we don't know what it's going to be.

  • Reply 8 of 31
    tailpipetailpipe Posts: 345member
    If the only thing Apple changes on the next iPhone is a screw then it's screwed.

    The market has been asking Apple to offer its iPhone products in different screen sizes for some time. The lack of an iPad Mini allowed both Samsung and Amazon to get into the 7" market. Similarly, the lack of a 4-5"iPhone has allowed Samsung, Sony, and Blackberry to compete with the iPhone. Sure, the IPhone is still the brand leader, but Samsung has gained a significant market share rapidly with the Galaxy S4 and Note models.

    The iPhone 5's larger screen was a step in the right direction, but simply wasn't as large as the market wants. The danger of a physical design that remains fundamentally the same is twofold. Loyal Apple customers will simply defer upgrading their iPhones until the iPhone 6 comes out. Less loyal Apple customers may simply defect to the Samsung S4. Either way Apple sales will be less than stellar.







  • Reply 9 of 31
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tailpipe View Post



    Either way Apple sales will be less than stellar.

     


    Isn't this what they said last year?  And the same with the 4S?  Seems from other articles today that the huge screened S4 isn't so popular after all.

  • Reply 10 of 31
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tailpipe View Post



    If the only thing Apple changes on the next iPhone is a screw then it's screwed.



    The market has been asking Apple to offer its iPhone products in different screen sizes for some time. The lack of an iPad Mini allowed both Samsung and Amazon to get into the 7" market. Similarly, the lack of a 4-5"iPhone has allowed Samsung, Sony, and Blackberry to compete with the iPhone. Sure, the IPhone is still the brand leader, but Samsung has gained a significant market share rapidly with the Galaxy S4 and Note models.



    The iPhone 5's larger screen was a step in the right direction, but simply wasn't as large as the market wants. The danger of a physical design that remains fundamentally the same is twofold. Loyal Apple customers will simply defer upgrading their iPhones until the iPhone 6 comes out. Less loyal Apple customers may simply defect to the Samsung S4. Either way Apple sales will be less than stellar.













     


     


    Nice. Looks like a combo platter of Rules #1, #9, and #10.

  • Reply 11 of 31
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tailpipe View Post



    Loyal Apple customers will simply defer upgrading their iPhones until the iPhone 6 comes out. Less loyal Apple customers may simply defect to the Samsung S4. Either way Apple sales will be less than stellar.


    Erroneous speculation. Loyal Apple customers upgrade their phones every two years as their contracts expire. Fanatical Apple customers upgrade every year. There are very few 'less loyal' Apple customers as you put it. iPhone is a really decent handset and any perceived shortcomings due to smaller screen (which are not really shortcomings as the screen size is by design) is more than outweighed by the ecosystem and the compatibility with friends who have also chosen iOS and OS X.


     


    Even when the iPhone is turned off, it is a more desirable handset than large screen Androids just like a BMW in the showroom is more desirable than a Scion with a modded exhaust system going over the speed limit...Sir Tailpipe

  • Reply 12 of 31
    That's not Parallax !
    Ive's has managed to fit a 2 inch thick phone inside a 5mm case
  • Reply 13 of 31
    mhiklmhikl Posts: 471member
    tailpipe wrote: »
    If the only thing Apple changes on the next iPhone is a screw then it's screwed.

    The market has been asking Apple to offer its iPhone products in different screen sizes for some time. The lack of an iPad Mini allowed both Samsung and Amazon to get into the 7" market. Similarly, the lack of a 4-5"iPhone has allowed Samsung, Sony, and Blackberry to compete with the iPhone. Sure, the IPhone is still the brand leader, but Samsung has gained a significant market share rapidly with the Galaxy S4 and Note models.

    The iPhone 5's larger screen was a step in the right direction, but simply wasn't as large as the market wants. The danger of a physical design that remains fundamentally the same is twofold. Loyal Apple customers will simply defer upgrading their iPhones until the iPhone 6 comes out. Less loyal Apple customers may simply defect to the Samsung S4. Either way Apple sales will be less than stellar.

    You mayn't be fully aware of Apple history, Tailpipe. As it did with the iPod family, Apple shall do with iPhone as it is doing with iPad (as led by its next step of iPm).

    There is no worry. Apple knows what it is doing as it treads the path it invented. And that's the Truth and nothing but the truth, so help me Apple. ;)
  • Reply 14 of 31


    Apple commission things so getting their monikor on any new major chip could take many a years.


    Though maybe that plastic iPhone will be Snapdragon.

  • Reply 15 of 31
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    A CPU-less iPhone.

    I'm in.

    :P
  • Reply 16 of 31
    tangeytangey Posts: 31member
    That board is quite different. Certainly above the CPU, on the ifixit pic, there are 3 small chips highlighted. Although the proported iphone5s board is not populated with chips, there does not appear to be room for 3 chips there, at most there is a layout for 2 chips. Also the connector placement in that area is totally different. It looks to my albeit untrained eye that either the pcb is for an itouch (missing some phone specific chips) or some more functionality has been either moved inside the main soc, or is on the underside.
  • Reply 17 of 31
    jpellinojpellino Posts: 697member


    Ah!  With no CPU, there's that much more space for an extended battery - this thing should run for DECADES on a charge!


     


    Brilliant!

  • Reply 18 of 31
    thttht Posts: 5,420member

    Quote:

    The board, which was first noted by Macotakara, also lacks a processor


     


    It also lacks every single chip and package too. No radio chip, no flash package, not even the SIM slot.


     


    Quote:

    An identically sized space for a processor could signal that the next iPhone will retain the 32-nanometer process utilized to build the current A6 and A6X chips


     


    The fact that the BGA array is the same size means nothing to what process the chips are fabbed at. The "chip" is really a multi-chip package typically containing SoC and the RAM stacked on top of each other. They are wired together with wires for power, comm, I/O, etc, are routed down into the array seen in the photo.


     


    It probably implies that memory and I/O busses are all the same width. That's about it. They could easily put a 22 or 28 nm SoC and whatever higher density RAM in there using identical packaging.

  • Reply 19 of 31
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member


    (Cheap skepticism and sarcasm edited/deleted)

  • Reply 20 of 31
    yojimbo007yojimbo007 Posts: 1,165member
    chandra69 wrote: »
    So, is this concept phone fake? <img alt="1oyvey.gif" id="user_yui_3_10_0_1_1371477363604_938" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies/1oyvey.gif" style="line-height:1.231;" name="user_yui_3_10_0_1_1371477363604_938">
     <img alt="1smoking.gif" id="user_yui_3_10_0_1_1371477363604_1186" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies/1smoking.gif" style="line-height:1.231;" name="user_yui_3_10_0_1_1371477363604_1186">
     I want this with iOS7

    <img alt="" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="26956" data-type="61" height="225" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/26956/width/350/height/700/flags/LL" style="; width: 350px; height: 225px;" width="350">

    Maybe iphone 6..... Man that is nice!!!!
    They release a phone like this and the stock will be up to 700+ in no time!
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