Leaked photos reveal purported Apple iPhone prototype on T-Mobile
BGR published on Saturday a series of photos allegedly of a white iPhone prototype "with T-Mobile USA 3G bands." The device appears to be code-named as N94, just two numbers up from the Verizon iPhone 4, which was reportedly called N92.
According to the report, the prototype runs a test version of Apple's iOS that resembles that of another prototype discovered in a video earlier this week. The fact that the N94 device has Apple test apps scubas Radar and the company's employee directory app may also serve to substantiate its authenticity.
The front of the prototype looks "a little different" from recent leaked photos of the retail white iPhone 4. "Specifically, the proximity sensor has changed on the retail version," the report noted. On Friday, photos of an official retail white iPhone 4 from Vodafone U.K. emerged, though Vodafone has reportedly halted sales of the device until next week.
The lock screen of the prototype device contains the message: "Confidential and Proprietary. If Found, please contact +1 408â¦", but the rest of the number has been whited out in the photos.
The report goes on to speculate that Apple is "just testing the new T-Mobile-friendly radio with its current iPhone 4 hardware, possibly in preparation for integration in a future device. Itâs also entirely possible the internals on this iPhone prototype are being disguised in an iPhone 4 shell, though we doubt it."
BGR has a consistent track record with regards to wireless carrier announcements, though some of its Apple-related predictions have been off.
AT&T announced last month a $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile USA from parent company Deutsche Telekom. A subsequent ">FAQ from T-Mobile suggested that the carrier would hold off on offering the iPhone until at least after the acquisition is completed in "approximately 12 months"
A T-Mobile FAQ regarding last month's announcement of AT&T's $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA explained that T-Mobile does not yet carry the iPhone and will remain independent for up to a year. According to one official at the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T faces a "steep climb" ahead of it to obtain approval for the deal, which would make AT&T the largest wireless provider in the U.S by a large margin.
Rival Sprint has officially spoken out in opposition of the acquisition, claiming it would "harm consumers and harm competition."
The iPhone 5 has been the subject of conflicting rumors recently. Several reports have suggested that Apple's so-called iPhone 5 will receive a faster processor and an upgraded camera with little to no changes to its form factor. The device is also reportedly scheduled for a fall release.
One report alleged yesterday that Apple's next iPhone will see a "major redesign" that would include a gesture-enabled home button, edge-to-edge screen and a "teardrop" shape. However, at least one publication is reporting that its own sources have declared the report untrue.
36 Comments
Apple seems to be getting sloppy with things slipping through the cracks lately...Or they're done on purpose to generate buzz.
also statements that some developers/ gamers have gotten a juiced iphone 4 with the ipad A5 chip
well maybe june will come with an a5 based iphone 4s and the iphone 6 will be full redesign
and we still get our new phone in june makes much sense
why give devs a juiced phone now, if june isn't launch date, also if same "box" different innards
then we wouldn't get the typical "leaks"
Couldn’t they just change out the one unused radio and update the baseband and OS to reflect the change or does that 1700MHz (AWS) band need to be more separate from the other bands and have a different antenna design? I don’t know a technical reason so I can’t imagine Apple creating this phone solely for T-Mobile USA’s customers.
Note: Band, spectrum and radio are synonymous here.
PS: @ Josh Ong, this article isn’t showing up on the main page and the number of posts per article hasn’t updated for most of the day.
This is good news. There was little reason for T-Mobile to not have the iPhone. Outside of corporate politics. Apple likely wanted Verizon to have the iPhone for a good while before they added anyone else. That would leave Sprint as the last standing.
That white looks off to me. It looks more like the aftermarket panels though it could just be the photo or my display.
Looks like the white balance of the picture is off to me.
Looks real to me. I think there is no reason why T-Mobile shouldn't get the iPhone since AT&T lost exclusivity. I am hoping the next iPhone will be available on all carriers.