AfterDawn: News

Latest iPhone prototype is very close to final product, says Gruber

DaringFireball's John Gruber, known for his top connections inside Apple, says that the prototype "iPhone HD" revealed by Gizmodo earlier this week is very close to the final product, and may even be the final design.

The barcode on the back shows the label N90_DVT_GE4X_0493, with n90 known internally as the codename for the upcoming iPhone, and DVT standing for Design Verification Test, a unit only made "very late" into the development of a new product.



Gruber adds that the company has told him there will likely be only minor changes to the final design, so the phone lost in a bar last week is likely the iPhone 4G/HD as we know it.

New to the "iPhone HD," are a front-facing camera for video conferencing, a better standard camera (including larger lens and flash), a Micro-SIM slot (just like the iPad), 960x640 resolution, a second mic, metallic exterior (not plastic) and split side buttons for volume.

The form factor is very different as well. The back is flat and not rounded, slightly smaller screen, a more "square" design all around with less wasted space, a larger battery, and smaller internal components.

Gray Powell, the designer who lost the phone, was one of a few developers that was given the prototype to test "real-world conditions."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Apr 2010 12:59

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• 9 comments

• rosedog

  Theres still one problem with this phone...
  
  Its still an Apple iphone.

  22.4.2010 17:34 #1

• Josipher

  well i for one am very happy that for once apples iron screen of discretion about new products has been broken. no photos flying through the net about how it might look no (real) grand unveiling by steve jobs , no "ooohs" and "aahs" by apple fanboys when they learned what new features,that are already standard in other smartphones,apple let them have with this version.
  for once, a launch of a leaked product which may cause a surge of money to transfer into apples corrupt hands but at least this time there wont be any overhype about it.

  22.4.2010 18:16 #2

• TrinUK

  Apples, Pears, Microsoft etc.... I wish people would stop hating. If you had the brains to make similar products and MONEY you would do the same thing those guys did in their youth. Microsoft and Apple have made the personal computer far more interesting than any other company has made it before. The only close rivals (if close is ever the right word) were Commodore, Atari, Amstrad and Sinclair with home computers who also made computing fun, interesting and usable.
  
  Linux is fab & a solid OS but floored in so many ways (too many flavors spoil the broth) plus the lack of a decent graphics system to rival Microsoft's Direct X. Nokia, Sony, Motorola etc... Make many handsets each year many of which are pretty bog standard and crap. Apple made one handset with decent features and causes a major stir in the mobile market. Android has not had the same impact even though it is a decent OS - the reason? no decent handset to rival Apples!
  

  Trin - Making Digital Waves

  23.4.2010 05:58 #3

• kikzm33z

  @rosedog
  
  What's wrong with the company being Apple? OK, I don't like the Macs they make but the iPhone and iPod Touch are great products.
  Only thing I dislike about it is that Apple restrict the iDevice a little too much, with options and customisations completely limited.
  With that said, the iPhone may be the best smartphone out there.
  

  23.4.2010 11:42 #4

• Ceshomru

  Originally posted by TrinUK: Apples, Pears, Microsoft etc.... I wish people would stop hating. If you had the brains to make similar products and MONEY you would do the same thing those guys did in their youth. Microsoft and Apple have made the personal computer far more interesting than any other company has made it before. The only close rivals (if close is ever the right word) were Commodore, Atari, Amstrad and Sinclair with home computers who also made computing fun, interesting and usable.
  
  Linux is fab & a solid OS but floored in so many ways (too many flavors spoil the broth) plus the lack of a decent graphics system to rival Microsoft's Direct X. Nokia, Sony, Motorola etc... Make many handsets each year many of which are pretty bog standard and crap. Apple made one handset with decent features and causes a major stir in the mobile market. Android has not had the same impact even though it is a decent OS - the reason? no decent handset to rival Apples! I think you said it perfectly. I don’t usually chime in on these kinds of debates because people tend to emulate their opinions of a product directly on the company behind it and forget to review with unbiased reflection.
  For instance I do not like Apple's Iphone, for very practical and particular reasons that probably only apply to me and others in situations such as mine. I can not own an iphone because for one I am immensely satisfied with T-mobile's customer service and have had horrible experiences with ATT, but more importantly I use my phone like a work horse and would destroy an Iphone every three months.
  I choose to use a blackberry for its UMA and tethering capabilities as well as the typical smaller screen and boxier edges that, in my case, have proved to hold up against my abuse.
  These opinions are not valid enough to convince anyone, other than me, of the better product and so I generally keep them in my mind. The success of the Iphone is undeniable and the appeal is understandable because it is attractive and offers world wide support for its platform. In all it is a valid product that deserves its place as a leader in the mobile community.
  
  Luckily we all have choices and sometimes they can prove better for you not to do what everybody else is doing, but only you will care. That is usually good enough.
  
  

  23.4.2010 11:42 #5

• xnonsuchx

  Looks like the police are now involved with the 'stolen' prototype! Not only is the man who found it guilty of theft, but Gizmodo would be in trouble for knowingly purchasing stolen property.

  24.4.2010 00:27 #6

• TypeRice

  Originally posted by xnonsuchx: Looks like the police are now involved with the 'stolen' prototype! Not only is the man who found it guilty of theft, but Gizmodo would be in trouble for knowingly purchasing stolen property. So the term "finders keepers" won't help

  26.4.2010 14:08 #7

• mscritsm

  The problem with this phone is that it has a micro-SIM slot, which means it's still AT&T.

  1.5.2010 12:35 #8

• rosedog

  Originally posted by kikzm33z: @rosedog
  
  What's wrong with the company being Apple? OK, I don't like the Macs they make but the iPhone and iPod Touch are great products.
  Only thing I dislike about it is that Apple restrict the iDevice a little too much, with options and customisations completely limited.
  
  You hit it on the head with being restrictive but there is also...
  no flash support
  over priced
  behind the rest of the market as the market reacted, adapted and got proactive in innovation.
  
  the only thing they (apple) have is some marketing.
  
  Quote:With that said, the iPhone may be the best smartphone out there. Not even close, the HD2 runs circles around that thing easily. Even with the new Sprint EVO coming up, that will run and do backflips over the iphone. HTC is now (and looks like for some time to come) the benchmark.

  1.5.2010 15:54 #9