14 DAY TRIAL // An iPhone made from plastic (rather than glass) has been spotted and photographed in Vietnam, where rumor site Tinhte.vn is reporting that this device is, indeed, Apple’s rumored low-cost iPhone.
A source generally accurate in the past, Tinhte.vn is one of the sites that were able to obtain an early iPhone 4 prototype unit.
So it is fairly reasonable to give the Vietnamese site some credibility when they claim (via Google translate) “this machine seems to run faster than the iPhone 4, lighter weight and two glass front and back seem to have been replaced by two plastic sheets.”
The description seems to fit the profile of the rumored iPhone 4S. The author of the post detailing these images said the leak had occurred thorough a “very reliable source”.
The differences between this prototype iPhone and a current-generation iPhone 4 are immediately visible, including the matte plastic finish, and a number of black marks along the frame of the antenna when viewed from the back.
Undoubtedly some readers will ask: could it be that this phone is a real iPhone 4 whose glass has been replaced with plastic?”
And the answer is: of course!
In fact, it would be a lot easier to fake the “cheaper” iPhone than to obtain an actual prototype. Not that Apple hasn’t lost any before.
Admittedly, rumors of a low-cost iPhone are still circulating, and feverishly too.
A number of high-profile Wall Street analysts are convinced Apple is eager to cater to the “middle class” of cell phone market, as it prepares to launch the imminent iPhone 5 to keep things interesting in the high-end sector as well.
However, as one blog has speculated, Apple already has one iPhone that can satisfy those who don’t want a low-end device, but can’t afford the higher-end either - the iPhone 3GS.
Why Apple would develop sub-par iPhone and replace its glass screen with a plastic one eludes us.
