Apple seems to have lost another prototype of its next-generation iPhone.
Pictures and a video of an iPhone-shaped device that includes Apple's logo and apparently an Apple-designed processor cropped up. The site user who posted the information said the device was an iPhone 4G that was recently brought to Vietnam.
From the looks of these images, the Vietnamese site has nabbed an honest to goodness 4th generation iPhone - a 16GB model to be exact. It's clearly pre-production judging by the XXX placeholders on the backside stamp and likely lacks a bootable OS, just a "Bonfire" test routine. Nevertheless, it looks authentic enough that we expect Apple's henchmen to be busting down the guy's door before he pries it open to reveal Apple's chipset of choice.
Assuming the phone is an authentic Apple prototype, it would mark a second serious breach in Apple's legendary wall of secrecy in as many months. Last month, tech blogs Engadget and Gizmodo published pictures of another iPhone prototype that was discovered in a Redwood City bar.
This newer prototype may lack other hardware features as well (compared with the one lost by engineer Gray Powell), while featuring new ones too. Surely, this will be confirmed, once more tech-savvy people have a closer look at the parts making up this device.
Although visibly switched on, the device doesn’t respond to any input methods - pressing the home button, tapping on the screen, etc. The diagnostics mechanism appears to be the only proof that this iPhone is alive and kicking. A YouTube video uploaded by the folks at Tinhte.com shows the device in all its glory.
The person handling the unit points out (in a rather agitated manner) to all the new features, compared with current-generation iPhones. As shown in the video, this person seems to suggest that the new design makes Apple’s iPhone much more comfortable to hold and handle.
The back side of the shell, which the protagonist taps on like crazy for no (apparent) good reason, is reportedly made of sapphire, a material known to be extremely scratch-resistant. Engadget notes that, “The cleaner design could indicate a newer prototype (closer to the actual retail model).”
Finally, more images leaked to these tech-focused sites suggest that a teardown is already underway. Those who pried open the prototype iPhone unit revealed that this device was also powered by an Apple chip (like the iPad), which doesn’t come as a surprise.
An Apple company representative did not respond to a request seeking comment on the Vietnamese report.
Although it's unusual for Apple gadgets to be seen months before they are officially unveiled, the recent leaks are not all that surprising, said Van Baker, an analyst with technology research firm Gartner. iPhones have transmitters that connect to cell phone networks, which means they require regulatory approval and a good deal of field testing, Baker noted.
"That complicates the (secrecy) issue a little bit for them," he said.
The cell phone pictured on the Vietnamese site is almost identical to the one found in Redwood City. The chief differences are that it doesn't have two screws on its bottom surface and says it has 16 gigabytes of storage. The amount of storage built into the Redwood City gadget was x-ed out.
The latest report had at least one notable revelation. Unlike Gizmodo and Engadget, the Vietnamese site dismantled the iPhone prototype enough to discover the chip inside. Pictures indicate that the new iPhone will include a version of Apple's A4 processor, the same chip at the heart of the company's iPad tablet.
Analysts said it wasn't surprising Apple would put an A4 processor in the next iPhone. The company has been widely expected to design chips for its phones since it bought chipmaker P.A. Semi in 2008.
The current iPhone, the 3GS, reportedly runs on a Samsung chip that is slower than the A4.
Putting the A4 in the next iPhone "is a logical move," said Tim Bajarin, principal analyst at tech consulting firm Creative Strategies.
It was unclear from the Vietnamese site how the prototype was obtained or by whom. In the past, iPhones have been made by contract manufacturers in Taiwan.
Gizmodo bought the previously disclosed prototype for $5,000 from a person who obtained it after an Apple engineer left it in a Redwood City bar. The tech blog later returned the phone to Apple after the company asked for it back.
