new iphone part
Phone part seller ETrade Supply turned up what they’re suggesting is a part from the next iPhone. This looks like a pretty convincing part, and here are a few things that stick out to me suggesting it’s legitimacy.
Firstly, it’s one part. In an interview with Jony Ive from the movie Objectified, he states that one of things they push themselves on is trying to make one part achieve the job of multiple parts. At 1:45 into the video he describes this part as looking to fulfill the functionality of both the mid plate and back cover plate that exist on the current iPhone 4/4S. This jives very well with Apple’s design sensibilities.
On top of that, the rumored slightly taller screen size, smaller dock connector, and nano sim card slot all seem to jive with rumors. The movement of the headphone jack to the bottom seems like a slightly strange choice, but the headphone jack presents problems in different scenarios no matter where it’s placed. And that change may have been required to optimize the internal space of the phone.
If this isn’t a production part for the next iPhone, it certainly looks like a real prototype.