Purported type mould of the next-generation iPhone from Apple

Jul 11, 2012 12:52 GMT  ·  By
Purported engineering sample of Apple's next-generation smartphone (front)
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   Purported engineering sample of Apple's next-generation smartphone (front)

Photos of an “iPhone 5 engineering sample” corroborate all rumors about the next-generation smartphone from Apple, including a taller body, changes to the hardware on the back and the sides, and more. The antenna placement seems to be identical as well.

GottaBeMobile got hold of these images from “a trusted source inside the Apple supply chain.” This metal iPhone 5 design sample can be regarded as a type mold which acts as a good indicator of the height, width, and other design aspects.

The iPhone 5 appears to retain the outer-frame antenna design introduced in 2010 with the iPhone 4, and perpetuated by the iPhone 4S.

Hopefully, Apple won’t run into any more trouble in this department, as the company will also have to worry about battery life, and other elements that can be considered crucial to the end-user’s experience with such an expensive device.

The camera placement seems to be unchanged, though the back camera lens cutout appears to be a tad larger than the one found on the iPhone 4S.

The mold also shows a rear-facing microphone placed between the camera and LED flash. This mic is believed to be used for both video recording and noise cancellation to improve sound quality for footage shot with the device, as well as phone calls.

The iPhone 5 is taller for a reason – that being the (rumored) larger, four-inch display. There has been some speculation as to whether developers will run into trouble trying to scale up their apps to fit the wider screen.

Some say it’s not as hard as non-programmer minds think, whereas others are convinced it will pose development issues for those who have a well-established user base with 3.5-inch screens (current-generation iPhone and iPod touch).

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