The new iPhone: See all the leaked photos here
Whether a new iPhone will be unveiled at Apple's (AAPL) World Wide Developers Conference — which begins a week from today — is still an open question, but all the signs of an impending announcement are now in place.
Two weeks ago, we got specs and spot shortages (see here). Last week the leaked photos started showing up. The provenance of none of them is certain, but neither has any been shown to be a forgery. And at least one veteran Apple watcher says the latest batch "look very real" to him.
Last week's leaks began Wednesday when China Ontrade, a Hong Kong-based vendor, released pictures (and prices) of what they claimed were parts for the "3gen 2009" iPhone: an inner bezel and what appears to be an LCD screen with slightly different markings than the iPhone 3G's. The first photograph suggested that the new iPhone would have the same shape and dimensions as the old — with black instead of silver trim — and the second seemed to put the lie to the rumor that the new iPhone would sport an organic LED screen. See below:
Two days later MacRumors leaked a photo showing the backs of two iPhones, one shiny black like the current Phone 3G, the other matte black and presumably representing the new 2009 model. MacRumors didn't say where the photo came from, and couldn't vouch for their authenticity, but it noted that the matte black finish was consistent with a photo released in February with a mysterious new model number: A1303. See below:
But the most interesting leaks, so far at least, are the blurry photos and screengrabs posted Saturday at 3 a.m. local time by a Chinese website called UMPC Fever, since overwhelmed by the ensuing traffic (MacRumors' translation here).
"It's already 3am, and I totally cannot sleep," writes the anonymous poster. "I just came home after meeting a friend from the U.S. This friend brought me something, and it's not H1N1. Instead, it is a item that will be under the world's spotlights — a third generation iPhone prototype. This friend is a mysterious person. Even this 3rd Gen iPhone is also very mysterious. He said one can only take fuzzy snapshots of it, and not clear shots. 'Cuz it's still not officially released. So, in regards to the fuzzy photos below, I apologize!"
The shape of the device is hard to make out in the one photograph — apparently shot in a parked car — that shows it from the outside. (See above.)
More informative are the screengrabs that show several features that not available on the iPhone 3G, including a compass, multimedia messaging, horizontal typing, built-in video and voice recording and — perhaps best of all — a nifty autofocus feature on the new higher-res camera that allows you to select what you are focusing on by moving a little blue square with your finger.
The autofocus feature is shown in the photo below, along with a side-by-side comparison of photos shot with the old 2 megapixel camera and the new 3.2 megapixel model.
The rest of the UMPC Fever photos below the fold.
See also:
@ Paul : I can admit that I am wrong when there is proof. But there are still problems here. To wit :
* The new GS doesn't have the battery percentage next to the battery icon. There is no word why this "prototype" has it, but the production models do not.
* The camera on the GS is 3 megapixel, the "source" and ergo the writer both claimed 3.2 megapixel.
* The "source" had access to the "GS" to send copies of photos from the camera for comparison, but didn't have access to send screen-shots? C'mon!
* The "source" completely missed Voice Control.
* The "source" completely missed the on-board video editing.
Everything else Apple had already discussed as the function of the new 3.0 software. The only thing they really got right was the compass, and that – evidently – is relying on *hardware*.
So aside from the compass, I stand by my claim on the basis of the proof at hand. These pictures are not 100% genuine, ergo they are fakes. More likely than not, this was a "hacked" 3G with some photoshop wizardry added done by someone with a little – but not all – inside knowledge.
I hope there is enough crow to go around for a lot of the commenters on this post. It looks like everything on here (except the battery %) is exactly what Apple announced today.
awww, buster's getting all upset.
a percentage indicator next to the battery? why would they do it? because it's a good idea! (at least to have the option!)
I also like the way you think that Apple would unofficially or otherwise verify these shots as being the real next iPhone. Because Apple always confirm and deny rumours right? Right???
"For shame".
hi I am from indonesia, I like this article (indonesia today, malaysia, indonesia conflict who is wrong?)
I prove a fake by comparing the functionality of the iPhone in the pictures to the current seeds of the iPhone 3.0 beta software in the hands of developers. Nothing like this currently exists in the iPhone developer program.
I prove a fake by pointing out the superfluous nature of taking pictures of an iPhone screen when every version of the iPhone ever produced can do perfectly clear screen shots.
I prove a fake by pointing out Apple would never duplicate the functionality of the battery-life icon by putting a battery-life percentage listing next to the icon. A move I reiterate Apple has not done to date, on any version of the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Any competent "professional" reporter should have checked out the pictures before writing about them. Certainly a "professional" editor would have demanded a vetting of sources. At the very least one would expect someone at CNN / Fortune to call someone at Apple to verify the functionality, even if unofficially. One would think the very fuzzy nature of the pictures would make a "professional" wary, but it was not to be.
Now that allegations of fraud and assisting therein have been raised, one would think the article and pictures would be pulled until they could be vetted. It is very telling that CNN / Fortune does not do so.
@ Brooks Canon : No, it is not. There is no 3.0 beta out to the developers which does what these pictures purport.
Period. End of Story. Full stop.
This story and the pictures are demonstrably 100% fake. CNN and Fortune, by retracting neither the story nor pictures, are now actively assisting in a fraud.
Shame on them.
ex ped: Please demonstrate, Buster. How do you prove a fake?
The only thing I see interesting about these pics, and blog for that matter, are how fast the battery is draining….look at the first pic (1:08am with 24% battery) and then like 10 minutes later is has like 18% or less.
I'm not an expert on ipods but this seems to be a fake. Plus, apple has always been pretty good at keeping secrets. Still, the idea of a new ipod excites me. Apple always outdoes itself.
here is a bunch of new information on the new iPhone!
http://www.l337tech.com/news/new-iphone-3rd-generation-with-iphone-os-30-available-in-june/
Looks awesome and also a bit fake to me… why doesnt apple just upgrade software and charge for it as opposed to buying a new phone? i mean they will still make money and most people can keep up to date to a certain extent or unti the hardware is not capable anymore!?
These pictures are fakes. CNN/Fortune has been had, and had big time.
How did I figure it out? Well, for starters every iPhone ever made has the ability to take screen shots, so there is no need to take pictures of the screen – you can just take a screen shot.
Secondly, not even the developers have been seeded this soooper seeeekret build. So, officially at least, it doesn't exist.
Third, the iPhone has never had a percentage of battery life listing next to the battery. Each and every picture has a shot showing exactly this. Why would Apple add something which duplicates the function of the battery icon right next to the battery icon?
I expect this level of reporting from fan-boy blogs, not CNN. For shame.
Check out this link for some more iphone rumors.
http://beyondconline.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/iphone-3g-next-generation/
here are some more juicy details on the new iPhone!
http://www.l337tech.com/news/new-iphone-3rd-generation-with-iphone-os-30-available-in-june/
am i the only one that thinks most of these pics could just as well be taken of a normal iphone with the OS 3.0 on? and was the guy taking them blind or something, or he just coulden focus while taking them 
I worked at Apple for years. I can tell you what's coming – software upgrades. Maybe a video camera. I worked in marketing, so I can also tell you that if you want an iPhone you should just buy it – no matter which one you get, the next one's always going to have more bells and whistles. They could give them all to you now, but then you wouldn't buy a new iPhone every six months. Marketing genius. See how that works? And every time you run out and buy another iPhone my Apple stock goes Ka-CHING! And I like that even more than I like the iPhone. PS – Apple was an amazing company to work for. If I hadn't retired in my thirties, I would still be there.
I was so excited to get my Iphone but It would drop calls daily so I swapped for another one. I did this 5 times! It still dropped calls and had new problems so i got the bold. I'd be lying though if I said I didn't miss all the cool gadgets in it 
That Batman post WAS pretty funny. Although, what's really funny is that guy works at the starbucks on the corner by my office and is just filled with angst cuz he can't afford one. So he just rants on and on about righteous indignation and how superficial everyone is when in truth he aspires to be just like them. He's so ANTI! BTW, I'll have another chai latte maddawg
I'll never quite understand why people feel the need to make snide remarks on posts like this. I can never quite put my finger on the underlying issue. I also have trouble understanding why the more popular something becomes the more people feel the need to hate it. Strange psychology going on there somewhere.
Anyway, I guess these pics don't really reveal a great deal but I suppose they do add a little more to the rumors going around at the moment. Whilst I can't relate to the Rock Star type of attention a product like this attracts, I think the iPhone is quite a special device and I would argue that it is not just another cell phone. I tend to see it as a very versatile pocket computer with a massive array of instantly accessible applications plus a phone Difficult to really appreciate it until you've used it I guess.
I don't really care much for these photos or the rumors going around the net, but it is what product enthusiasts like to enthuse about and bloggers like to write about. Perhaps its this that causes the negativity among the non enthusiasts. After all it is just another little box of tricks.
I am less amazed by Apple than I am amused by Apple. Somewhere inside Apple, someone is sitting back trying to come up with the next "must have" offering that will cause all the Apple lemmings to take the plunge off the "bust my budget" cliff. Steve Jobs is smiling all the way to the bank. I, too, find that amusing.
"WHOLLY COW-PIES BATMAN, IT'S ANOTHER CELL PHONE…….AGAIN!"
"That's right BoyBlunder….and I'll be the first one on my block to have one! Doesn't that sound like something worth living for!?!?"
"I'M NOT SURE BATMAN…HOW MANY CELL PHONES CAN YOU BUY BEFORE YOU REALIZE…..'IT'S JUST A CELL PHONE THAT PLAYS MP3s & SURFS THE NET, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS'"
"It's not about WHAT the device does, it's about THINKING YOU'RE actually SPECIAL in some way about having one. That way you will THINK you feel as if you're better than other people!"
"KABLEWY BATMAN….IT JUST HIT ME….YOU'RE PATHETICALLY MATERIALISTIC iTARD LEMMING WITH A MILD CASE OF NARCISSISTIC SELF OBSESSION DUE TO A CLEAR LACK OF SELF-ESTEEM!"
"Exactly BoyBlunder….and I'm on my way to the apple store right now to sit in front of the building for 12 days so I can be the first one to get their newest gadget…..IT'S AN APPLE YOU CAN ACTUALLY EAT!! When will they ever stop inventing these new wonders!?!"
I like you blog very much! Always good and interesting reading. I have started a blog about Italy since I live there and it would be a pleasure to have a visit from you guys. I am sure there is something for everybody on the blog. Please leave comments aswell.
I like to read articles @ Apple 2.0. But this one is waste of time.
If you can't get a credible source and even clear picture – what the difference with the rest of us?
Once again, regardless of what you all think these pictures show or don't show, Apple will continue to amaze and amuse us consumers with their fantastic products..and anyone who writes off Apple, or naively says the new Iphone is a non event was probably left too long on the "tilt-A-Whirl" as a toddler.
Just wait till next year…. Anything you buy right now is just going to piss you off and make you wanna chuck your phone back at the apple store rep that you bought it from cus your stuck with something you can exchange ! Why dont we just all stop using phones.
Wow these pictures were a total waste of time and do not show in any way a new generation iphone. Nice false headliner. kinda annoying.
ex ped: Your evidence?
Looks to me like the new firmware that is coming out for the iPhone 3G. I doubt this is the new iPhone, just someone with the bata version of the firmware and an imagination.
I read and saw some of these photos last month in another publication, purported to be a Chinese rip-off of the iPhone.
ex ped: Which photos?
So far the G1 is virtually irrelevant. I have yet to see one in actual use. I see iPhones practically everywhere.
Yes, the G1 does have those features, yet it still doesn't come close to competing with the "old" iphone. Think about it for a minute, why put every feature on the first iphone that you roll out? If you did that then no one would really have a need to ever upgrade the device. After all, apple is in business to make money. Look at every other phone/PDA that has ever come out. There are always and always will be upgrades.
Actually, that is not the temperature, but the amount of battery left. This is supposed to be a new feature in 3.0.
@John Smith -
That looks like the battery percentage and not live temperature. But the pictures aren't that clear so who knows.
Temperature?!? That's the battery life, not the temperature. Look a little harder!! It's called a "percent" symbol, not a "degree" symbol. HA!
Temperature?? That's the battery life….look a little harder. That's called a "percent" symbol, not a "degree" symbol!
That is not a live temperature but the % of charge left on the battery. It is the new iPhone…. trust me
"John Smith"
While I don't see anything special about these photos (Since it's all Software that could be done in any iPhone) you're mistaken. In the top right is showing the battery meter percentage which is there in OS3.
@John Smith – Actually, I am pretty sure that is not the temperature being displayed but rather the value of battery life in terms of percentage. Could be an option that Apple is offering in 3.0.
Hasn't the T-Mobile G1 had the 3.2MP camera w/ auto focus, video/voice recording, and compass essentially since last year? The on-screen keyboard is new w/ Cupcake but at least I can go to a physical keyboard when I'm feeling the need.
Thought Apple was all about innovation…seems they ran out of innovations after the 1st Gen phone and there doesn't seem to be any must haves other than 1G iPhone owners are getting to that point where they're due on their contracts.
Yep, it looks like the real deal! Its also right in line with how Apple likes to 'leak' the info to the public to get them excited about buying it.
-SH
Fake, the top right corner of the status bar shows the live temperature which is currently only available on a jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch.
The only thing that isn't legit about these pics is the one thing i think would be the coolest the matte black finish. that shiny plastic looks and feels like sh*t