Purported 5.5-in. iPhone logic board surfaces alongside 'iPhone 6' part in new photos
A logic board said to be destined for Apple's anticipated 5.5-inch iPhone was shown off in a new set of photos on Monday alongside a similar part reportedly headed for a 4.7-inch "iPhone 6."
The jumbo-sized iPhone version is approximately the same size as its smaller sibling, but features a slightly different layout. The photos were sourced by Chinese repair firm GeekBar and first first noted by Nowhereelse.fr
The 4.7-inch model was originally outed last weekend, and both parts are devoid of components -- the photos depict only the printed circuit boards themselves. The Chinese sources say that in addition to a next-generation "A8" CPU, the boards will play host to faster 802.11ac wireless networking chips as well as NFC hardware.
In addition, the boards are shown with what appear to be attachment points for debugging tools, suggesting that they are in fact pre-production parts.
A number of other preliminary components for Apple's new handsets have surfaced in recent weeks, including a control cable said to be for the 5.5-inch variant and another flex cable featuring a Lightning connector, microphone and headphone jack. A number of rear shells have also shown up alongside a supposed tougher display cover.
Apple is expected to debut at least one model at a media event in September, likely the 4.7-inch variant. Production for the 5.5-inch model has repeatedly been rumored to have been delayed over component concerns.
The jumbo-sized iPhone version is approximately the same size as its smaller sibling, but features a slightly different layout. The photos were sourced by Chinese repair firm GeekBar and first first noted by Nowhereelse.fr
The 4.7-inch model was originally outed last weekend, and both parts are devoid of components -- the photos depict only the printed circuit boards themselves. The Chinese sources say that in addition to a next-generation "A8" CPU, the boards will play host to faster 802.11ac wireless networking chips as well as NFC hardware.
In addition, the boards are shown with what appear to be attachment points for debugging tools, suggesting that they are in fact pre-production parts.
A number of other preliminary components for Apple's new handsets have surfaced in recent weeks, including a control cable said to be for the 5.5-inch variant and another flex cable featuring a Lightning connector, microphone and headphone jack. A number of rear shells have also shown up alongside a supposed tougher display cover.
Apple is expected to debut at least one model at a media event in September, likely the 4.7-inch variant. Production for the 5.5-inch model has repeatedly been rumored to have been delayed over component concerns.
Comments
Actually, I'm agnostic on the debate. I have no interest in the (horribly titled) segment called phablet, but there is no doubt that outside of being "not Apple", Samsung's greatest claim to the general public is big screens on their phone.
I will get a 4.7 on opening day because my 4s is limping along and I have been waiting for months to upgrade. I rue that my purchase will be aggregated in with blockbuster opening 6 sales to "prove" that all Apple users were dying for bigger screens....
Clearly, the 5.5 is now proven beyond a shadow¡
Actually, I'm agnostic on the debate. I have no interest in the (horribly titled) segment called phablet, but there is no doubt that outside of being "not Apple", Samsung's greatest claim to the general public is big screens on their phone.
I will get a 4.7 on opening day because my 4s is limping along and I have been waiting for months to upgrade. I rue that my purchase will be aggregated in with blockbuster opening 6 sales to "prove" that all Apple users were dying for bigger screens....
Okay, you made a good point, I was going to be there on opening day to swap out my 5 for the 4.7" 6, but I see that there are others in greater need, so I'll order mine and wait into Oct (Nov?) to get it in order to allow the 4S folks to get theirs first. Least I can do.
Strange that it’s the same size as the regular unicorn. Almost as though...
All these rumors on parts that we can in no way confirm even go with the phone in question is laughable. Macrumors said it would be expensive to reproduce..
Umm.. these are circuit boards.. you can get custom designed boards w/no chips fairly cheep.. Until we see something from serious spit 'n polish 5.5" LED screens and/or aluminum shells, w/o the lines.. I'm going to remain extremely skeptical about a 5.5" iPhone 6. Even then, until Apple walks on stage with it, I'm basically thinking this is a simple 'bloggers' version of the show "Seinfeld" which was also a show about nothing.. ROFL!
"Clicks, more Clicks, we need more page views and clicks damn it!""
All these rumors on parts that we can in no way confirm even go with the phone in question is laughable. Macrumors said it would be expensive to reproduce..
Umm.. these are circuit boards.. you can get custom designed boards w/no chips fairly cheep.. Until we see something from serious spit 'n polish 5.5" LED screens and/or aluminum shells, w/o the lines.. I'm going to remain extremely skeptical about a 5.5" iPhone 6. Even then, until Apple walks on stage with it, I'm basically thinking this is a simple 'bloggers' version of the show "Seinfeld" which was also a show about nothing.. ROFL!
"Clicks, more Clicks, we need more page views and clicks damn it!""
FWIW, in the past iPhone parts that have appeared online and are pushed as legitimate parts from upcoming iPhones, generally turn out to be exactly that. I can't ever remember seeing a variety of parts leaks that were, in the end, proven to be illegitimate.
That said, I'm still not convinced the 5.5 exists.
Even if it does, it doesn't deserve to. I'm going to remain a 5.5" denier even if it's announced and I can hold one in a store.
Thinking out loud (which is dangerous), I'm wondering if smart phones are approaching commodity status or another way to look at it, at pinnacle of present design capability. IMO(granted I do not know the future) - Like the iPad, there is not a lot more that can be added to them that are 'must haves' by the public. Therefore phones of various sizes/prices etc makes sense. And then the question will be; will Apple/industry go off these yearly update cycles?
Additional pontification- for my personal use case, I'm not sure I want a 4.7 phone or bigger phone, 4 is big enough, will Apple update the 4 inch phone too? To fit everything in a 4 inch phone, will they have to...gasp... shudder... , increase the thickness? Which would be fine by me; go ahead Sir Punk(Jony), add 2 mm to the thickness, make my day!
FWIW, in the past iPhone parts that have appeared online and are pushed as legitimate parts from upcoming iPhones, generally turn out to be exactly that. I can't ever remember seeing a variety of parts leaks that were, in the end, proven to be illegitimate.
That said, I'm still not convinced the 5.5 exists.
Well, it depends on your definition of 'exists'.
Personally I think it is about time to turn away whenever a headline appears that purports to show evidence of an iPhone 6 in any shape or form. It is time to distance myself a little from the rumor mill which I am guessing is about to go into overdrive pretty soon. The reason is that I'd like to preserve just a modicum of 'wow' when the time comes for the real revelations. In the past the rumor mill has taken on a life of its own and surpassed what is technologically possible resulting in howls of disappointment when the new products and services have failed to live up to expectations. Mind you, with the IOS 8 and Yosemite pre-views perhaps we have seen the big news already. Apple is a hardware company in the sense that that is where they make most of the money but in truth Apple is a software company. If you run Windows on your beautiful Apple hardware it is still Windows.
I'm wondering if smart phones are approaching commodity status or another way to look at it, at pinnacle of present design capability. IMO(granted I do not know the future) - Like the iPad, there is not a lot more that can be added to them that are 'must haves' by the public. Therefore phones of various sizes/prices etc makes sense. And then the question will be; will Apple/industry go off these yearly update cycles?
Whether they're a commodity or not (and I think they are in consumers' minds from a pricing standpoint, since most of the price is buried in the monthly payments) is a separate factor of whether they're at the pinnacle of present design capability, with 'present' being the operative word.
Present meaning "today", maybe. But present meaning "tomorrow", definitely not. The question is whether tomorrow means September or whether it means Fall 2015.
There are certainly vast improvements that can be made in terms of multitasking, screen resolution, effective use as an ebook reader, camera quality, UI, interaction with other devices, charging and battery life. But as far as Apple is concerned, I don't think we're going to see much in this next generation aside from screen size and very small incremental improvements.
Strange that it’s the same size as the regular unicorn. Almost as though...
Because there's no difference in functionality except bigger screen. All they need is a larger battery for the screen.
All these rumors on parts that we can in no way confirm even go with the phone in question is laughable. Macrumors said it would be expensive to reproduce..
Umm.. these are circuit boards.. you can get custom designed boards w/no chips fairly cheep.. Until we see something from serious spit 'n polish 5.5" LED screens and/or aluminum shells, w/o the lines.. I'm going to remain extremely skeptical about a 5.5" iPhone 6. Even then, until Apple walks on stage with it, I'm basically thinking this is a simple 'bloggers' version of the show "Seinfeld" which was also a show about nothing.. ROFL!
"Clicks, more Clicks, we need more page views and clicks damn it!""
When the parts are leaked close to production area (in Asia), they're no longer "R&D" parts. Apple can test a bunch of different logic boards made locally in California. When they decide to move forward, those R&D parts are destroyed. These's no reason to make R&D parts in Asia...
Sure..:"Foxconn, please make me 5 logic boards with following designs for our R&D purposes". Does it make sense to you?
Have you compared the PCB of the existing 4" model to the alleged iPhone 6 (4.7" and 5.5")? I'm not sure how 2mm of thickness translates into room to "fit everything." You would either add more chips to the PCB, or integrate more functions into fewer chips. Either way, I don't see how 2mm of extra bulk adds room for "everything".
Die shrinkage? Shaving off a few nanometers is insane! I think we should be very concerned about Apple's obsession with portability and power efficiency. They should be putting in more kitchen sink features and making the iPhone bigger, less portable, and more power hungry like the competition. /s
As usual, there will be the "it's just a big iPod touch" serial deniers, who always overlook Apple's mastery of the total package, and how size makes a difference when the customer holds it in her hands, and never when the geek contemplates the screen dimensions in the abstract, in the dim light of his feeble imagination.
A better example might be all the comments before we had the iPad mini: "I just don't see the use for a smaller iPad." Then the mini goes on to outsell the regular iPad for awhile, just because it turned out to be so damn lovable, and the "perfect size," many said.
They always pull it off, Apple, at least with their last several form factors. Even the 5c has an irresistibility factor for those who are susceptible. The 5.5" is going to be a fantastic picture and movie viewer, and it will sell like crazy.
The mainstream size would outsell it by 10:1 just like with other manufacturers who sell phablets. The additional cost puts people off buying.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/10/samsung-note-3-phablet-accounts-for-just-110-of-its-2013-premium-phone-sales