Slab of metal that vaguely resembles 'iPhone 6' leaks spotted in Romania

Posted:
in iPhone edited May 2014
A metal brick fashioned into dimensions similar to those revealed in recent "leaked" specifications for Apple's so-called "iPhone 6," ostensibly used for molding cases to fit the next-generation handset, has turned up in the clutches of a Romanian accessory seller.




The ingot is shown with a flat back and rounded edges, as well as a number of cutouts for controls and extraneous holes said to be for mounting to manufacturing machinery. Along the sides are allowances for what appear to be volume rockers, the ring/silent switch, a SIM card tray, and the new side-mounted lock button.

Along the bottom are cutouts for an iPhone 5c-like speaker grill, lightning port, headphone jack, and microphone. Oddly, the microphone on the bottom of the device is the only one shown in the tool -- the microphone found next to the camera on the iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c is not present.

Also making an appearance are a raised ring for the rear-facing camera and the rounded flash, a departure from the dual-LED True Tone setup Apple introduced with the iPhone 5s. As noted by MacRumors, the form is not designed as a mockup of the final product -- it is, rather, a manufacturing tool -- but the departures are suspect nonetheless.

Finally, there is no word on the steel brick's size. Apple is widely expected to increase the size of the display on future iPhones to 4.7 inches, with a 5.5-inch "phablet" version also rumored to debut this year.




Case makers have bet -- and lost -- on rumored iPhone designs before, most notably in 2011 when it was claimed that Apple was working on a completely redesigned iPhone. That year, the iPhone 4S debuted with a design largely identical to its predecessor.

Apple did revamp the look of the iPhone a year later, when the iPhone 5 launched with a new, taller 4-inch display. The company has been on a pattern of redesigning the iPhone every two years with a new model number, while the "off" years are used to introduce "S" models with improved specs and new features.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16

    Who's to say it isn't a third party case manufacturer's die based on other rumours?  I find it hard to believe that one of Apple's dies would have escaped their factory... and made it all the way to Romania? Hardly!

  • Reply 2 of 16
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Romania? Vampires!
  • Reply 3 of 16
    bill42bill42 Posts: 131member

    A slab of burnt toast from Slovenia shows the face of Steve Jobs on it!

  • Reply 4 of 16

    For all we know, this ingot may be for a Samsung product... or any other copycat's devices.

  • Reply 5 of 16
    buckalecbuckalec Posts: 203member
    Machined by a 16 year old in metal work at school or in daddy's garage
  • Reply 6 of 16
    sansinsansin Posts: 4member

    keep 'em rumors coming.

    Every rumor adds 1% to AAPL stock price.

    Waiting to sell before bubble bursts.

  • Reply 7 of 16
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    Is it liquid metal? Will it morph into T2?
  • Reply 8 of 16
    love the headline
  • Reply 9 of 16
    seankillseankill Posts: 566member
    Am I the only one who thinks a raised camera (out from the body of the phone) is ugly and stupid? I know I am a minority when I say this, but it would be a real sticking point for me.


    I would rather a thicker phone with a bigger battery taking up any excess space.

    I hope Apple doesn't use a raised camera, I don't see them doing it either.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Seankill View Post

    I hope Apple doesn't use a raised camera, I don't see them doing it either.

     

    They did it on the iPod touch. They’ll do it on the iPhone.

     

    I don’t like it, but…

  • Reply 11 of 16
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member

    oh god! it looks like a fucking samsung.

  • Reply 12 of 16
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sansin View Post

     

    keep 'em rumors coming.

    Every rumor adds 1% to AAPL stock price.

    Waiting to sell before bubble bursts.


    If you think it's a bubble, the prudent thing to do is sell, sell, sell, as quickly as possible.

     

    I don't think it's a bubble.  I think the stock is heading way up.   I'm going to hold, hold, hold.

  • Reply 13 of 16
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    Who's to say it isn't a third party case manufacturer's die based on other rumours?  I find it hard to believe that one of Apple's dies would have escaped their factory... and made it all the way to Romania? Hardly!

    It's definitely not something Apple would share with case manufacturers before any new iPhone launches. Hard Candy had to rely on rumor-mill specs in 2011, and got famously burned on that.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    love the headline
    Seriously...it sounds like an Onion headline.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    poochpooch Posts: 768member
    love the headline

    that, and the fact that it's in someone's "clutches".
    . . . has turned up in the clutches of a Romanian accessory seller.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    Here you can see the mockup of iphone 6 in 3D (using a technology called WebGL) from every angle
    http://versus.com/en/apple-iphone-5s-vs-apple-iphone-6
    and in different colors
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