Photos claim to show assembled 'iPhone 5S' chassis, possibly early prototype

AppleInsider · June 21, 2013 2:52AM

As Apple's annual iPhone refresh cycle draws near, the number of rumors regarding the so-called "iPhone 5S" continue to grow, the latest being a set of photos claiming to show the handset in near complete form.

The images, obtained by MacRumors, appear to show a near fully assembled next-generation iPhone, minus the display assembly. However, a closer inspection seems to yield more questions than answers.

It should be noted that AppleInsider cannot confirm the veracity of the photos, and offers the following analysis for purposes of discussion only.

Colored boxes added to original photo. Green: in line with previous "leaks;" Red: questionable content. | Original image source: MacRumors

At first glance, the image of the supposed iPhone 5S internals looks to be in line with rumored parts leaks, which include the handset's logic board, loudspeaker, SIM card tray, vibration motor, and other smaller components. Taken part by part and compared with recent rumored parts leaks, the photos appear to show either an early prototype, or a hybrid of the current iPhone 5 with components from an as yet unreleased version of Apple's smartphone.

From the top left: the vibration motor is clearly visible and has a single weight. This is counter to a recent photo that suggests the next-gen iPhone will use a dual-weight system. There is also a slight crimp in the attachment arm, which on the iPhone 5 is at a perfect 90-degree angle. This, along with the off-center contact plate, shows the motor has been previously removed, replaced, or damaged.

The logic board looks to be the same part revealed earlier this week, as seen by the display connectors, which are in a different layout compared to the iPhone 5. Photos of the alleged iPhone 5S display assembly and attached flex cables matched up with the board's connections almost perfectly, suggesting the two parts may be legitimate.

Below the display plugs is an unlabeled processor with a small Apple logo. Here, the capacitor arrangement appears to line up with the CPU, but as MacRumors notes, the screen-printed numbering suggests this chip was made in late October of 2012, a very early run for a next-gen handset. This could be evidence that the components pictured, or at least the logic board and processor, are early prototypes and not reflective of a near-final production version.

At the bottom of the picture is the speaker sitting atop flex cables belonging to the microphone and Lightning dock connector. These parts are identical to supposedly leaked components pictured earlier this month.

Finally, the battery carries markings that, if legitimate, point to a capacity of 5.92 Watt-hours. In comparison, the iPhone 5 has a 5.45 Whr unit.

Colored boxes added to original photo.

The second image allegedly shows the handset's back casing, though this photo contains details that are somewhat incongruent with a next-gen handset. For example, the model number appears to read "A1214," a designation never before seen on an iPhone. The original iPhone and iPhone 3G bore "A12XX" model numbers, while the iPhone 3GS to 4S carried numbers in the "A13XX" range. Apple's GSM version of the iPhone 4S moved into the "A14XX" tier, which continues with the current iPhone 5.

It is possible that the number seen on this particular casing reads "A1234," signifying a probable prototype, but the fourth digit is not curved and looks to be either a "1" or a "7" when enhanced.

Despite being quite blurry, the image clearly shows the much-rumored dual-flash positioned near the rear-facing camera. Interestingly, the chamfered edge on the left side of the phone is in crisp focus while the rest of the photo is not.

Taking the above into consideration, along with the visible wear and tear to the chassis, it can be speculated that the image shows an early prototype. If indeed legitimate, the part demonstrates that Apple changed very little in the way of design, and is only looking to upgrade the device's internals.

mad1at35 · June 21, 2013 4:24AM

Apple have settled into this two year cycle, making the S configuration better in sometimes subtle ways. I know it's not always popular. Apple are trying to bring laptop thinking to the mobile world. It's possible to 'get away' with the same, or similar, design for say a laptop to a certain extent as that is a mature market. However, mobile has only just got past the Model T stage and is roaring towards the E-Type Jag phase! So folks expect a new box every year. However, there are only a certain number of things you can do with a candy bar shape; changing the material is one (liquid metal anyone?!).

I will end up getting one (after a few months to let the dust settle) as my wife is itching to replace her 4 and get my 5. It's fortunate that I'm on a flexible contract and I quite like my iphone 5 (IMHO it's a bit big but not as unwieldy as my Galaxy SIII). I would also now like a bigger memory capacity to match my iPad for spare space - some of the new games are huge, and even a powerful astronomy app such as SkySafari Pro takes nearly 1GB (great app though)!

I predict S this year will be for security!

And I suspect this year's fanfare will be for the "iphone Air" (copyright ME LOL), aimed st poorer markets in Europe, Asia and India.

Should be interesting anyway.

abazigal · June 21, 2013 5:16AM

Apple is betting that most people won't bother breaking their two year phone contracts just to get a new iphone every year, so a 5s would still represent something new for a consumer looking to upgrade from a 4s.

Btw, how significant is that higher battery capacity?

jessi · June 21, 2013 7:29AM

So, you conclude it is a "very early prototype" where there is "little change in the design".

Of course an early prototype is going to have little change in design.

The error all these rumor sites make is that they don't understand how Apple works or how these products are made (and I mean, on a fundamental level, they don't understand.)

There are at least 6 different designs for the next iPhone. They range from radically different to minor upgrades, and they represent different possibilities for various technologies and market initiatives.

AI and MacRumors etc. are written by people who think Apple knows what the next iPhone is going to be like before they even start. It's stilly.

This is one reason you get conflicting rumors-- things leak out from the different prototypes and the rumor mongers assume there is only One True Next iPhone and can't understand the conflicts.

Anyway, assuming this stuff is legit (it could be just a late stage prototype of the last device.....) it really tells us nothing.

geekdad · June 21, 2013 7:35AM

I am really glad they doubled down on security.........

/s

damonf · June 21, 2013 7:48AM

I'm amazed that "the spies" can hardly manage to take sharp, clear photos. They seem to use cell phones from 2004 to take their pictures. You'd think with more modern cameras with more megapixels, they'd be able to take better pictures.

rogifan · June 21, 2013 8:12AM

Is there anything Tim Cook has said this year which would indicate the next iPhone will have a larger screen? A new OS and new innards especially better battery life are more important than any form factor redesign.

bsenka · June 21, 2013 8:17AM

damonf wrote: »

I'm amazed that "the spies" can hardly manage to take sharp, clear photos. They seem to use cell phones from 2004 to take their pictures. You'd think with more modern cameras with more megapixels, they'd be able to take better pictures.

That part actually makes more sense than you'd think. They're probably taking these pix with a cell phone shoved in a pocket, trying to snap the shot while walking by. If they're real ( I'm not saying they are), they most likely would be pretty bad pictures. I'd be more suspicious if they were really good shots actually.

jonshf · June 21, 2013 8:36AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessi

So, you conclude it is a "very early prototype" where there is "little change in the design".

Of course an early prototype is going to have little change in design.

The error all these rumor sites make is that they don't understand how Apple works or how these products are made (and I mean, on a fundamental level, they don't understand.)

There are at least 6 different designs for the next iPhone. They range from radically different to minor upgrades, and they represent different possibilities for various technologies and market initiatives.

AI and MacRumors etc. are written by people who think Apple knows what the next iPhone is going to be like before they even start. It's stilly.

This is one reason you get conflicting rumors-- things leak out from the different prototypes and the rumor mongers assume there is only One True Next iPhone and can't understand the conflicts.

Anyway, assuming this stuff is legit (it could be just a late stage prototype of the last device.....) it really tells us nothing.

You make it sound like Apple started working on the next iPhone only a few months ago. What I've heard from apple insiders (I mean actual Apple people) is that they start developing an iPhone version more than two years before it's released. That means the iPhone 5S, if that's what it will be called, was in development in the summer of 2011. In the early stages there are probably 6 or more different designs like you say. At this point however they've surely already gone through extensive testing of a final version and have more recently been developing the manufacturing processes which is itself a huge project (that's when the leaks usually start). That means the phone has long since been pretty much nailed down as to what it will look like and its components and any recent changes will be very minor.

So from my view it is you who does not understand how Apple works or how these products are made. Note that many, if not most, of the rumors and leaks are completely fake.

jonshf · June 21, 2013 8:49AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abazigal

Apple is betting that most people won't bother breaking their two year phone contracts just to get a new iphone every year, so a 5s would still represent something new for a consumer looking to upgrade from a 4s.

Btw, how significant is that higher battery capacity?

Well, they show a 5.92 Whr. battery compared to the current 5.45 Whr. Watt hours is a measure of total energy in the battery so that either means the new phone will work 8.6% longer or that it uses 8.6% more juice or some combination of both. To me it sounds like they're putting in heftier components like maybe a 4 core processor, dual led flash (stronger flashlight) and such. After all that the phone might still last longer on a charge.

bsenka · June 21, 2013 9:03AM

jonshf wrote: »

What I've heard from apple insiders (I mean actual Apple people) is that they start developing an iPhone version more than two years before it's released.

This lines up with what I've heard too. The lead time is sometimes so far ahead that it's going to be well into 2014 before the last projects that Steve Jobs was personally involved with will be released.

tkell31 · June 21, 2013 10:37AM

Each new release is less exciting than the one before it in terms of innovation, but the sales always set new records. When will that trend break?

suddenly newton · June 21, 2013 10:38AM

damonf wrote: »

I'm amazed that "the spies" can hardly manage to take sharp, clear photos. They seem to use cell phones from 2004 to take their pictures. You'd think with more modern cameras with more megapixels, they'd be able to take better pictures.

The spies used the Instagram Spy Photo filter, which creates the effect of a picture taken in a hurry under duress. Popular with UFO and Bigfoot photography.

flaneur · June 21, 2013 11:07AM

tkell31 wrote: »

Each new release is less exciting than the one before it in terms of innovation, but the sales always set new records. When will that trend break?

The problem is within you. He who lives for excitement often dies from boredom. Live to learn. Study Buddhism. Free yourself from the wheel of thrill and disappointment.

Apple is about improving and perfecting as much as it is about innovation. This is not exciting, but it is satisfying. If you need to chase novelty, there's always Samsung.

tallest skil · June 21, 2013 11:10AM

geekdad wrote: »

I am really glad they doubled down on security.........
/s

This being the first thing we've seen, come off it. You know for a fact that security has already been better than recent years.

tkell31 · June 21, 2013 11:26AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaneur

The problem is within you. He who lives for excitement often dies from boredom. Live to learn. Study Buddhism. Free yourself from the wheel of thrill and disappointment.

Apple is about improving and perfecting as much as it is about innovation. This is not exciting, but it is satisfying. If you need to chase novelty, there's always Samsung.

Lol, thanks for the pseudo intellectual babble, gave me a few laughs. I guess Buddha doesnt talk much about the laws of diminishing returns.

tallest skil · June 21, 2013 11:30AM

tkell31 wrote: »

Lol, thanks for the pseudo intellectual babble, gave me a few laughs. I guess Buddha doesnt talk much about the laws of diminishing returns.

No, he's right; the problem is with you. You get to say "each release is less exciting"... for YOU and you alone. That's patently untrue overall, given that, as you yourself stated, sales keep increasing.

junkyard dawg · June 21, 2013 12:10PM

I like the dual LEDs, that could make for a pretty useful flashlite.

flaneur · June 21, 2013 1:37PM

tkell31 wrote: »

Lol, thanks for the pseudo intellectual babble, gave me a few laughs. I guess Buddha doesnt talk much about the laws of diminishing returns.

Babble, maybe. Pseudo, no, but glad to amuse.

I think if the Buddha were around today, he would see the world going insane for novelty for its own sake. Some companies are pandering to this obsession. At least one is not.

Apple's recurring theme these days is in line with Buddhist precepts about immersing oneself in the present. I'm thinking of the moment in the iPhone camera commercial where she takes a picture of the rainbow spot of oil on the pavement. Something nasty is turned into something beautiful by paying attention. Very Zen, very Apple.

sarges · June 22, 2013 4:16AM

there is one question I'd like know, what is (or likely to be) the screen size? everything else is of secondary importance

geekdad · June 22, 2013 8:34AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil

This being the first thing we've seen, come off it. You know for a fact that security has already been better than recent years.

BS....look how many rumors and pictures of future devices have been posted here on AI.....everyday it seems is a new part leak or new information. It is posted here on AI daily......

How does anyone know Apple is releasing an iwatch unless it was leaked?

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/21/sony-teases-new-smart-watch-as-apple-iwatch-speculation-lingers

How is Ai able to post a 3D rendering...oh thats right the blueprints were leaked...

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/21/new-3d-renderings-show-expected-design-of-apples-low-cost-iphone

Another picture of iPhone 5s parts....

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/21/photos-claim-to-show-assembled-iphone-5s-chassis-possibly-early-prototype

Benchmarks for a product Apple has not even announced yet....

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/20/benchmarks-may-reveal-haswell-powered-gains-in-apples-next-13-macbook-pro

Fingerprint Scanner info for not released/announced products

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/20/apples-fingerprint-sensor-encapsulation-tech-could-be-used-in-future-iphone

More leaked schematics....

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/19/leaked-schematics-reveal-what-case-makers-expect-apples-low-cost-iphone-iphone-5s-will-look-like