Avast ye, landlubbers -- the iPhone 5 be shippin' water! Apple's newest smart phone is leaking like a whaling boat that's just met Moby Dick, with new snaps appearing that purportedly show its new mobile in fully assembled form.
The Verge spotted the pictures, which surfaced over at iLab Factory, portraying a new iPhone that -- matching a whole slew of earlier leaks -- has a taller frame with a longer screen, and a new dock connector.
As well as showing the device fully assembled, the snaps show a load of components reckoned to be the iPhone 5's innards as well.
Only Apple knows for sure whether this is the genuine design for its new toy, but with so many similar bits of casing popping up across the Internet, it's looking increasingly likely that this could be the new look for the iPhone.
The iPhone 5 -- or 'new iPhone' as it's likely to be called is tipped for a taller display that should come into its own when you swing the new blower into horizontal mode, with the 16:9 aspect ratio letting you watching movies without those troubling black bars spoiling your miniature cinema experience.
If, as these and previous images suggest, this is the look for the new iPhone, I can see many gadgeteers feeling a little let down. The design, while apparently refreshed, is more or less the same as the industrial chic that adorns the iPhone 4, which came out in 2010.
The host of new snaps suggests that the rumoured 'teardrop' design is nowhere to be seen, or at least is on the backburner until the release of the iPhone 6, or the new new iPhone or whatever Apple decides it's calling things these days.
Apple's tight grip on the mobile market is showing signs of loosening, as Samsung's Galaxy S3 proves popular with the phone-buying masses. The S3 is the official dog and bone of the Olympics too, so if you live in the UK, you're doubtless experiencing the bevy of adverts that Samsung's throwing at the public to raise awareness of its new gadget.
What do you think of this potential new look? And if these snaps do show the next iPhone, what does it say about Apple's ability to keep a lid on new gadgets? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Image credit: iLab Factory
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anonymous 30 July, 2012 09:54
Aside from being longer and with a silver band on the back, it looks the same, and if it is supposed to run iOS6 like the 4S then I don't really see the appeal for iPhone users to upgrade, in some respects the 4/4S actually looks better!
boristhespie 30 July, 2012 10:14
Aside from one real burst of design Apple has for the couple of years rested on it's laurels. This isyet another example of this.
Exactly what is new in their line-up. What is strikingly different?
Apple is on the cusp of a fashion backlash. People looking for sleek and new are moving on.
I read on another site that if this is the new iphone Android was in trouble. They went on to basically say that the mere fact that there will be a "new" iphone would be enough to have Android knackered.
It was a cringeworthy piece of writing. All Apple needs to do in their mind is to turn up. Tgis mirrors Apple's own attitude to the market and it is an arrogance which will prove their downfall.
As for the writer of the article. He is symptomatic of the general ass kissing nature of texh journalism, when it come to Apple and the tech journalists inability to be objective and unbiased when writing about Apple. Something which manifests itself in blanket coverage of the minutae of anything Apple andthe woopin and hollering at every leak and announcement.
This phone for a company which hollers about its design is just plain old dull. As is iOS6. Same old same old.
Chris Ayers 30 July, 2012 10:19
I've said it once and I'll say it again. IPhones suck.
anonymous 30 July, 2012 10:27
Does it even matter what it looks like or what it does? The fanboys in my office have already been competing to declare they'll be getting an iPhone 5 as soon as it comes out
anonymous 30 July, 2012 10:46
Luke is my favourite of all journalist impersonators. He will go to any end to take someone else's non-story and rewrite it. Thank you, sir
anonymous 30 July, 2012 11:07
Haters gonna hate... I know because I was an avid Apple HATER for most of my life. I begrudgingly bought an ipod nano after trying all other mp3 players.... The iPod simply had better audio quality, interface and was beautifully engineered and constructed...
Having used or tried several androids, and Samsung's new S3, I got to say, I am pretty damn excited about the new iPhone. In my opinion, it is a pretty shallow to evaluate the iPhone based on style, although Apple still leads by leaps and bounds beyond the competition in design and construction. More importantly though, the iPhone not only created the entire user interface that all other phones have copied, but it still leads the the field in this area. The Galaxy S3 may have a larger screen for fat fingers to type on, but without auto correct it still takes longer to send a message. Even though the S3 uses the same exact camera lens as the iPhone 4S, the 4S still takes PROFOUNDLY better photos. Part of this is that on the iPhone, you have the ability to focus on screen (by tapping) exactly were you want to focus.
Honestly, if all you can evaluate is the style of the iPhone, then you have missed the point. Apple still leads in all areas. Plus, the iPhone has a huge ecosystem of accessories and apps, and is fun to hack if you want to modify it further to suite you needs.
anonymous 30 July, 2012 11:14
I'm not a hater, I don't say that Android or iOS is better as they both have positives and negatives, however it is shallow to say that Apple is the leader in ALL areas! I've had an iPhone, a HTC Desire (Android 2.3.4) and a Lumia 800, they are all good in very different respects. And as for the camera, it's a phone plain and simple, I have a DSLR for that and so was not impressed by ANY phone camera, regardless.
Let's not turn this into a haters campaign, but my observation that it doesn't look any different is still correct. I suspect that there are quite a few features that Apple have kept secret though so the verdict is still out until release day.
anonymous 30 July, 2012 11:34
"Haters gonna hate... I know because I was an avid Apple HATER for most of my life. I begrudgingly bought an ipod nano after trying all other mp3 players.... The iPod simply had better audio quality, interface and was beautifully engineered and constructed...
Having used or tried several androids, and Samsung's new S3, I got to say, I am pretty damn excited about the new iPhone. In my opinion, it is a pretty shallow to evaluate the iPhone based on style, although Apple still leads by leaps and bounds beyond the competition in design and construction. More importantly though, the iPhone not only created the entire user interface that all other phones have copied, but it still leads the the field in this area. The Galaxy S3 may have a larger screen for fat fingers to type on, but without auto correct it still takes longer to send a message. Even though the S3 uses the same exact camera lens as the iPhone 4S, the 4S still takes PROFOUNDLY better photos. Part of this is that on the iPhone, you have the ability to focus on screen (by tapping) exactly were you want to focus.
Honestly, if all you can evaluate is the style of the iPhone, then you have missed the point. Apple still leads in all areas. Plus, the iPhone has a huge ecosystem of accessories and apps, and is fun to hack if you want to modify it further to suite you needs."
Nearly everything you said was misinformed. I doubt you have used an s3 at all.
S3 has auto correction
S3 has focus by tapping on the screen (even the s2 did)
Iphone is prodoudly better at photos?
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/samsung-galaxy-s3-vs-iphone-4s-vs-htc-one-x-vs-xperia-s-camera-test-50008056/
Iphone accessories ecosystem : wont be much use with the new dock connector of the iphone5 unless you use an adapter, which might be incompatible with some accessories.
anonymous 30 July, 2012 12:50
I loved the design of the iPhone 4 but I never bought an iPhone in the 1st place was cuz of the small screen since the 1st 1 came out !!..Love the apple ecosystem and the way things work are just flawless !..finally an iPhone with the design i love the bigger screen and the ecosystem all into 1 device ! YESSSS ! This will attract mostly new customers like me who wanted it all on a bigger screen n high end specs(hope the specs drastically change!)
anonymous 30 July, 2012 13:27
@anonymous 30 July, 2012 11:07
Haters gonna hate... I know because I was an avid Apple HATER for most of my life. I begrudgingly bought an ipod nano after trying all other mp3 players.... The iPod simply had better audio quality, interface and was beautifully engineered and constructed...
I doubt you were ever an apple hater, simply because of your view that iPods have decent sound quality.... you gave the game up straightaway with that comment
Listen to a Cowon MP3 player and you might understand what decent sound quality should be like
The ONE good thing about the iPod is that it is so pervasive throughout our culture that nearly all new cars have a dock for one
I would certainly never choose one for sound quality, and you can't drag and drop with them. So really, you bought it because it "looked pretty"
The vast majority of apple "haters" aren't actually that - they just see through the bullsh*t and hype that the iSheep cannot
anonymous 30 July, 2012 14:51
iOS v Android? Apple v Samsung? It's horses for courses guys. And you almost always get what you pay for.
Somebody said "ecosystem" earlier and that's the hugest differentiator between the two. Apple has it all sewn up in that regard. It all just works, flawlessly. I hate having anything proprietary or having a manufacturer have me by the short and curlies but, when something works this well, I surrender!
And then you add the icing on the cake. The thing that Android and Samsung can't even get 1% close to. The Apple Retail Store. I've never experience service like it. On the high stree, anywhere. I'd pay (and of course I do) handsomely to have that after-sales and back-up experience.
Android is very good, after all, it's an iOS clone. The Samsung is a great device with a bigger screen. But it's too lightweight and too plasticy and not a patch on the iPhone.
anonymous 30 July, 2012 20:59
anonymous 30 July, 2012 14:51
I agree with you on the ecosystem and that being the biggest differentiation between the two OS's, Apple devices all work flawlessly together and their store is astounding. However, Android being a clone to iOS is where you lost all credibility. Android is far from a clone, they are very different, for one thing they're written in a different language and work very differently.
Plastic is very durable and has a higher flex rate meaning on impact it will more likely bend rather than break unlike glass; plastic can be reheated and molded back into shape whereas glass cannot and let's not forget the obvious reason; it's cheap. NFC doesn't work well with metal as it interferes with the signal, a lightweight phone is good as it means it is easier to hold in your hand for extended periods of time. The iPhone may feel expensive because of the materials used but you have to weigh that against the cost of repairs and how easy it is to break it due to the fragility of the materials. Those materials also cost a lot more to produce.
Unfortunately for me the new iPhone doesn't really excite me in terms of its looks, looks the same as the others but that isn't a bad thing, hopefully the features are what will make me change my mind about my dismissive attitude towards any and all iphones lol
anonymous 31 July, 2012 16:13
It's quite simple, it's an iphone 4/4s that's been stretched using a rolling pin :P
anonymous 2 August, 2012 06:44
How can anybody call Android an IOS clone it isn't, pictorial application selection has been around since the advent of Desktop Computers!!
anonymous 2 August, 2012 13:13
Are you guys really this gullible? The iPhone 5 is supposed to have a new form factor. The pics are far from that. It just looks like a pressed 4/4s. I think no one would buy it if it looks this way. Come on grow a brain.
neilpost 3 August, 2012 20:16
Seems like nice logical progression, except I think the Mini Dock connector is a totally bonkers descision - with absolutely no real need to happen. What I would like to see innovative is something like wireless induction charging, but retaining the standard defacto Apple Dock connector.
No mention anywhere for the iPod Touch, as the current generation is now nigh on 2 years old - refreshed last at iPhone 4 introduction time.
anonymous 8 August, 2012 17:04
"No matter how hard you try, you can't polish a piece of turd" Amen
anonymous 8 August, 2012 18:26
Anonymous - Polishing a turd.
If you cool it down to way below frozen to a solid, and get the stone poiosher out, you'll get a Nokia Lumia 900 - launched in March, unable to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, due in October. Shameful from Microsoft and a now dying and wholly irelevant Nokia.,
anonymous 24 August, 2012 12:55
had their moment 4-5 years ago. Its the same bluddy thing. If you purchase that you are a complete mug & that's why Apple are so loaded, premium price for average tech....sorry old average tech. Move on iFans!!