Rumored 4th Gen Apple iPhone Parts Show Little Design Change
Above is a image that is claimed to belong to the upcoming 4th generation iPhone, courtesy of iPhone repair Web site iResQ. As iResQ points out, there are a few interesting things that stand out in the photo.
- “The LCD appears to be factory glued to the digitizer which is more similar to the first generation iPhones than the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The digitizer can be separated from the LCD on the 3G and 3GS models, which should be interesting to all, but for the repair folks like us–this means that the 4G screen repair price will be higher since both parts will have to be replaced at once.”
- “The iPhone 4G front panel seems to be about 1/4″ longer than its predecessors.”
- “There is an interesting reflective, mirror-like surface directly above the speaker. This is likely a spot for the proximity sensor. If that’s what is is, it’s in a different location than previous models.”
Here at TiPb we are hoping for something more drastic in terms of design changes but based on these latest images it’s hard to tell if the “A+” upgrade Steve Jobs promised will hold true. These images may turn out to be bogus or simply be scrapped before the final product is put together. We’ve seen it happen before with the matte backing.
We are willing to give Jobs the benefit of the doubt on his A+ upgrade for the time being, how about you?
One more image after the break!
[Via Apple Insider]
February 8th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
That looks huge and stupid. Where did all the innovation go??? And why would they make it even longer without making the screen any bigger? So stupid…
February 8th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I agree. Why is the screen the same size? WHY!?
I think the A+ upgrade he was referring to was the software. So I pray 4.0 wows or else…the tech folks will be highly let down.
The developers and average consumer won’t care. It’ll make money and have Apple. So that’s all that they care about respectively.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
I also hope that there will be at least a slight UI change.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Apple has said repeatedly that they believe innovation will be increasingly software-centric.
That said, the screen can easily be the same physical size but be a far greater pixel density — 480×800 in the same size as 320×480.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I hope there is never a iPhone 4G till 2011, every year a new iPhone, it’s pathetic
February 8th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@Rene
Yeah you’re right. But a larger screen wouldn’t have hurt it. But I do agree, Apple is about software first when it comes to the iPhone. That will drive everything for it.
I just hope that 4.0 has all the things that your wishlist covers and that the consumers are wishing for.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
I think that little reflective piece is a great spot for a notification light… but why would it be reflective??
February 8th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Camera!! Oh oh! Camera! I wish.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I don’t think that this is from the next generation iPhone, the silver piece above the speak just does not look like something Apple would bolt on to there iPhone.
I agree though, why would they make it longer with no perceivable increase in screen size. It just looks like a crude mock up, probably a prototype design that never got past the prototype phase. I highly doubt that Steve Jobs would ever agree to that design oddity.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
still no front camera= im good with my 3gs.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I agree about software improvements being the main force behind upgrades, but there should at least be bare minimum specs to work off of..why no flash for the camera? A notification blinker would be pretty cool.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
The reflective piece could’ve been an early battery indicator that would turn green when fully charged. I agree that this most likely an old prototype.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
FAKE THE SCREEN SHOULD BE MUCH BIGGER…WHATS THE PURPOSE OF A TALLER PHONE…? WITHOUT A LARGER SCREEN…GO iPHONE.!
February 8th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I think this is bogus. I have a hard time believing a repair shop has replacement parts for a device that doesn’t exist yet.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Oh how I hope to the apple gods that the screen size of the next iPhone will be close to, if not larger, than the HD2.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
If there is no front facing camera I might be inclined to stay with my 3gs too, I mean what else could they add
February 8th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
of course it wont be much different every iphone is the same design with an improvement so small it doesnt even constitute a new model only idiots buy the new iphone every year
February 8th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Then again Hd video would be intriguing
February 8th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
IPHONE IS FAIL
February 8th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
No way is this real, surely Apple is working on making the iPhone better, i.e. SMALLER, not bigger. There is too much frame space around the LCD as it is, I hope the designers are working on making the phone wrap tightly around the LCD with less wasted space, so it’s more pocketable.
And enough about the cheesy “notification blinkers”. One of the things I’m happiest about ditching on my old Blackberry was that cheesy blinker light, it makes all kinds of losers compulsively check their phones every time the light changes as if they had incredibly important messages coming in. It’s never anything that needs to be checked right then and there, it’s just yet another distraction for an ADD generation that can’t focus on any single thing for more than a couple of minutes.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
GO TO http://WWW.GEARSOFWAR2.TK FOR A CODE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE IPHONE GEARS OF WAR 2 DEMO
February 8th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Front facing camera is my bet in that tiny slot thing. Seems right for an iSight size camera.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
apple is gonna follow the same path as Rim.. Smh I hope this is not what we will be gettin come july. Palm please come through I’m rooting for you..
February 8th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Why do you want a bigger screen so can charge it more often ? It should be no surprise that the iphone stays the same. There is no ichat on the maxi pad so there is not going to be ichat on iphone. What do you think apple is gonna upgrade the iphone better than the pad yeah ok. They don’t need to do jack sh*t to the iphone because of the numbers they put up in sales. Just like the pad no need to add great people because they will still sell.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
If this is the 4g device, it will make my departure easy from my beloved iPhone.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
I’m an Android guy… and to be honest .. coming from a non Iphone fanboy… Iphone doesn’t NEED to make drastic hardware changes..
Not that the Iphone look is not getting boring.. but what Android has over the Iphone is that the OS is more flexible.. Android has a variety of apps because it’s not as restrictive… widget apps, utility apps ..stuff that makes your phone better than when it’s initially purchased.. Iphone apps are more standalone apps..
Therefore … the A+ STEVE JOBS is referring to is OS upgrades not hardware… After all .. he said “ANDROID can’t keep up” .. Last time I check Android is not a phone but an OS .. so the upgrade is def software wise…
And I actually would agree with Apple .. they need soem major OS upgrade before hardware…
February 8th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Can we get a count of how many of these “rumors” actually turn out to be true? It would be nice to see the percentages.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
I dont think the iphone needs a HUGE exterior redesign, it sells tens of millions how it is and still is incredibly think and nicely shaped.
BIGGER screen doesnt mean it cant be higher resolution. There’s really no need for a bigger screen than 3.5″ Most phones are much smaller and even the Nexus is only a whopping .2″ bigger, with the biggest screen in the US with the TP2. Its not THAT big a difference, but Id expect the resolution to be bumped up as a must do.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
thin*
February 8th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Honestly there isn’t to much to do with it hardware wise so I really don’t know what your looking for? You guys have seen the iPad it won’t be too much off of that. Maybe front facing camera. Maybe a notification area or more of an area for a swipe. You really want the iPhone to be something else. If your not satsfied get something that works for you. It needs a better battery. They are not adding more buttons forget it. Just bring on the software updates. It’s time.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Or a higher definition screen. That would be tremendous!
February 8th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I’m rather hoping the A refers to iPhone OS 4.0, personally. There are so many improvements to make in the platform before we worry one iota about hardware. In this regard iPad has been a lump of wasted time/diversion. I’m glad they want to be in whatever market that is but the rest of us are waiting for OS improvmements.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
What if Apple decides to extend the phone a bit to add some more minor hardware or upgrades to exsisiting hardware. They could even slim the thickness of the phone a bit also.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
hardware needs to change no question about it. stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life. 3 years with no hardware redesign in the technical world is not good. change change change
February 8th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
If THIS IS THE NEW iPHONE 4G THAN ITZ OVER! Android HAS WON. A Larger Screen with a A4 Processor Just won’t cut it.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
I am not knocking the design at all! But even if the design is good, which it is. Can we get something new to look at for the next two years. Jerry is right, the OS better be really good or we are on trouble.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
How about a better sounding phone? I have a droid as well and both the earpiece and speaker sound excellent.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
APPLE FAIL…..
February 8th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
No way there buddy. The iPhone is in no need of a hardware update. Look around you every phone out there has tryed to copy the iPhone hardware. And not been a sucsess that is the last thing apple needs to do. Buy I do agree that they need to improve the OS and give everyone the custumization they want. Honestly look at it apple ain’t makin any money from people who jailbreak the phone so it’s only logical to make the software equipt with all or most of the same tools people jailbreak there phones for. So please apple I love the style of the phone just fine and I’m sure most of america is in the same boat. We just want a new and improved OS. One that will slap. Web OS. And android in the mouth.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I’ve only been an iPhone-user for five months (the best five months I’ve ever had with a cell phone, by the way), and design isn’t necessarily of utmost importance to me right now. I’m still blown away by the iphone’s many awesome features, user-friendly interface, quality software, and sheer convenience. Eventually, I’d probably like to see an overhaul in the design department, but right now I don’t care too much about that. Now, if I had been an iPhone-user since 2007, I imagine I’d be pretty pissed off if the design were to remain the same for the iPhone 4G.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Well i wouldnt care if the outside design changed but a bigger screen wouldnt kill anyone. Also if ppl want a os change then apple will have to probably change some hardware to be able to handle it. I hope they put the new A4 chip in and a better GPU like that new nvidia thing that is small and pushes out 1080p video
February 8th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
@J-gun What do you mean Apple isn’t making money off jailbroken iPhones? Off course they are.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:08 am
@ j-gun your an idiot webos and iphone os arent even in the same league is it that black and white to you that all you want is for iphone os to be the only os even though its flawed in design and needs competition to improve
February 9th, 2010 at 12:32 am
Hopefully the 4G will have a better screen and stereo speakers. I’d like for it to be bigger and thinner.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:47 am
im getting fed up with apple. no hard ware refresh thing summer, im getting a nexus one
February 9th, 2010 at 12:49 am
I love the iPhone! I would give it a 20 if it had a keypad like other phones n touch screen like it does now
February 9th, 2010 at 12:57 am
I wonder if it’s gonna have a camera flash!? I recently compared the camera of my iPhone 3GS with the camera of a friends Omnia II and I was stunned of much brighter the camera of the Omnia II was!!
http://www.diverse-group.com/menu/blog.html
February 9th, 2010 at 2:59 am
Hopefully the 4G will have a better screen and stereo speakers. I’d like for it to be bigger and thinner.
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:34 am
iPhone 4 needs a huge orgasmic screen like the HTC HD2. If the phone is going to let us do more, it is going to need more real estate on screen to manoeuvre.
I hope Apple doesn’t come up with a bigger phone size (in whichever dimension) without enlarging the screen. That would be really disappointing.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Apple is disappointing us since i(sheet)pad release…
February 9th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Maybe the increase in size is due to the radio size required for CDMA. Or, maybe needs to be bigger for the “World Edition” dual radios that VZW has.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Hardware is nearly there for the iPhone IMO just needs higher resolution screen more of a 16:9 aspect ratio ( unlikely) slightly higher mp camera and a flash oh and at least 64gb internal memory and the ability to output HD video at least 720p through the dock to a tv. Not bothered about being able to record in 720p though. Also think the software needs freshened up. If there isn’t significant hardware changes I will definitly go elsewhere for my next phone, probably android as that hd2 looking device that was peaked on engadget looks pretty decent as does the s.e. X10 ( although would only get this after the software update to 2.0)
February 9th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
wow, if this is true then this is just apples cheap way to make everyone rebuy all their cases/screen protectors etc all over again. why would they make it taller and keep the screen the same size. im gonna dump my 3gs for a nexus 1/android phone if 4g is nothing spectacular…
February 9th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
1) Better speakerS. That ONE little tiny speaker is an embarrassment. 2) FOLDERS. We should not have to go thru 12 screens to find the one app you need. It is 2010. This is fairly basic on other smart phones. 3) CUSTOMIZE the phone. Its’ MY phone, I want it set up MY way. Home page. Ringtones. Alerts. Whatever I want. 4) BATTERY!!!! A phone of this calibre needs a better battery. PERIOD. 5) Screen lock. Goes without saying. If you are going to make it flip, make it stop. 6) STOP THE SWIPING!!!! If I am using an app and I put the phone down, I should be able to press the home button and go back to where I was. Enough already. 7) Give us a speed button. One that we can make whatever we want it to be.
If the 4G only comes in black and white, it will be a mistake. BORING!!! I am really hoping that they are looking at a “clean sheet” upgrade, like they did when the 3G rolled out. That took the phone in a new direction.
The 4G better do the same thing.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
“Mitchell Says:
I hope there is never a iPhone 4G till 2011, every year a new iPhone, it’s pathetic”
lol, yea! and i hope car companies stop making new cars every year! pathetic indeed haha ;P
anyways, i think this is a bogus picture. I can see no explanation reasonable enough to move the sensor above the speaker therefor making the phone even larger. Apple is tremendously more innovative than that.. I’m still holding out for a front facing camera<3333
infact the only physical improvements i would want are a front facing camera, an LED flash on the back, and god please.. a glowing apple symbol.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Just a little thought I had recently while taking my case off to sanitize it. I love the phone the way it is, I wish I didn’t need case to protect it. They should somehow make it smudge and scratch proof or at least resistant.