GSM Israel says it stumbled upon the device at the booth of a third party accessory maker during its normal tour of the IFA show floor in Berlin on Saturday. The device in the video appears fairly similar to the dozens of earlier leaked enclosures said to represent the new iPhone.
The two-tone silver and white handset sports finely brushed aluminum edges and buttons, a larger 4-inch display screen, and what would appear to be a fully-assembled mini Dock Connector and rear-facing camera module.
However, the surface of the device produces reflections similar to what you'd expect from a synthetic material, rather than the traditional iPhone Gorilla glass, suggesting its almost certainly a well-crafted mockup based of leaked parts and schematics.
Similar mockups of the second-generation iPad made headlines back in January of 2012 when they were spotted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, just weeks before Apple took the wraps off the slimmer tablet.
AppleInsider also analyzed a high-quality version of the video and discovered further reasons to doubt the device is an authentic iPhone 5. For instance, a close up of the markings on the rear of the handset read "Model NO. A1303," which was a model number Apple already used for the iPhone 3GS. Its FCC ID of "BCGA1303A" was also the FCC ID for the iPhone 3GS.
Nevertheless, the mockup in the video offers one of the best visual examples yet of what Apple's new iPhone is expected to look like when it makes its debut on September 12th.
159 Comments
Nice mockup but clearly not the fit and finish I'd expect from Apple.
Where are all these mock parts coming from??? Supplier leaks? Or is someone fabricating them for the express purpose of riding the rumor mill gravy train?
When I see that cludge of holes either side of the dock . . . I just don't see the hand of Jony Ive. Is there another Apple product with holes like that ? Perhaps he was inspired by a shower radio . . . or a pepper pot. Strange 'leak' this one.
Fake or not, there'll be no surprises come September 12th. I do wish there would be a super-secret "One More Thing..." unveil at one of these events -- a real surprise that hasn't been spoiled by every tech blog months beforehand.