Katie Marsal
Pictures claimed to be of the headphone jacks for Apple's fifth-generation iPhone were shared Tuesday by MacPost (via MacRumors). They show the components available in both black and white.
The parts suggest that Apple is preparing to have both a black and white model of the so-called "iPhone 5" when it launches as is expected later this year.
The component pictures from "Truesupplier" show a number of other parts claimed to be from the next-generation iPhone, including ribbons and other components.
Apple originally intended to launch a white version of the iPhone 4 alongside the black model in 2010. But issues with paint mixtures led to multiple delays, and the white variant didn't go on sale until this spring.
Pictures of supposed iPhone 5 components continue to trickle in as Apple is believed to be ramping up for mass-production of the next-generation handset. Earlier this month, an alleged iPhone 5 proximity sensor was displayed on an importer site, showing subtle differences from the same iPhone 4 component.
And third-party cases that have proliferated in China have suggested the next iPhone will sport a newly designed exterior. They show a device with curved sides and a flat back, different from the squared off design of the iPhone 4.
iPhone-related rumors this year have been extremely varied, with some claims that the next iPhone will be a minor upgrade to the iPhone 4, while others have suggested it could be a significant revision with a new design and thinner form factor. There have also been conflicting reports on the device's launch, with some expecting the device to debut in September, and others expecting the new hardware to go on sale in October.
Christine McKee
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23 Comments
This goes in the category of "duh".
With its white paint woes of the iPhone 4 addressed, Apple may be prepared to offer both a white and black iPhone 5 at launch, new handset components suggest. ...The component pictures from "Truesupplier" show a number of other parts claimed to be from the next-generation iPhone, including ribbons and other components. ....
Actually, these parts that start to appear in this part of the iPhone's manufacturing cycle are *not* "from the next-generation iPhone" at all.
They happen because manufacturers get the specs and create facsimiles of what that part will *probably* look like. Then when the iPhone is actually manufactured, they re-issue another part that's *exactly* what the part should look like. The very fact that no one actually needs these parts at the moment tells you what they are actually for. They are for advertising purposes (for instance this story), and for selling to Apple's competitors and followers for intelligence purposes.
I find these two to be quite odd in that if we believe they are accurate, the new iPhones will have a coloured ring around the headphone jack. If you look at the current iPhone and imagine a white or black ring around the jack, it seems like a very ugly and strange way to go.
The question is whether that part of the part is inaccurate, or whether it suggests that these parts actually go on a differently designed iPhone or iPod touch without the steel antenna band. It seems dubious to me that they would drop the antenna band from the design.
Wow. If nothing else, I think we can all agree that Apple's doing a good job of keeping this one pretty well under wraps. Here we are in August, and all we've got work with are some headphone jacks and some possible case specs.
A banner reading, "Gizmodo. Never again." is probably hanging in each Apple office.
Man, it must be a slow news day. Breaking the news that the iphone 5 will come in Black AND white? What a scoop!......NOT! They ALREADY do come in B&W models. Whats the big surprise? LOL.
Thats ALMOST as bad as saying, the iphone 5....will....have....a...SCREEN! Whoa! Really? No fooling? A screen? Wow!
Lol.
Wake me when something exciting happens.
Do we still buy the 'white paint myth'? I'm pretty sure that story was just Apple's excuse so that they could delay it's launch to coincide till when the iPhone 5 should have launched. At the last minute they realised it would be a handy sales 'gimmick' to extend sales of the iPhone 4 longer than they had originally planned. And I expect the iPhone 5 delay was due to the 'last minute' change of case design thanks to the antenna gate fiasco.That's my take on things anyway.