Edible Apple

Gizmodo has seemingly pulled off what is arguably the biggest Apple scoop of all-time. They’ve gotten their hands on Apple’s next-gen iPhone a full two months before it will most likely go on sale.

Engadget over the weekend posted photos of what they claimed was Apple’s next generation iPhone. As the weekend progressed, the evidence suggesting that the photos were indeed real mounted. On Saturday, Apple insider John Gruber wrote, after making a few calls, that Apple was indeed missing an actual next-gen iPhone unit, though it was unclear if the device was a prototype or an actual production unit. Nevertheless, Gruber wrote that Apple was “very interested” in getting it back.

Now it turns out that Gizmodo purchased the next-gen iPhone about a week ago. Gruber writes:

It’s been an open secret to those of us in the racket that Gizmodo purchased this unit about a week ago, from those who claimed to find it. That this belongs to and was made by Apple is almost beyond question at this point. Just how much it looks like what Apple plans to ship this summer, I don’t know. Note that it’s thinner than a 3GS.

Damn, how do I get in that racket?

Anyways, Gizmodo today posted pics and a ton of info about Apple’s next-gen device, so without further adieu, here’s what we know.

What’s new

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
• Camera flash
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
• Improved display. It’s unclear if it’s the 960×460 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the “Connect to iTunes” screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

Equally as interesting as what Apple’s added on is what they’ve changed. Gizmodo notes that the back of the next-gen iPhone is completely flat, which should come as a welcome change for many. Interestingly, Gizmodo writes that the screen is slightly smaller than the 3GS, though it does note that the resolution is noticeably higher. The device is also thinner than previous iPhone models.

And corroborating earlier reports, Apple has done away with the plastic backing for the iPhone and replaced it with “either glass or ceramic” material. Some other noteable changes include an aluminum border which wraps around the outside of the device, a more squared off design, and a finished product that weighs 3 grams more than the 3GS.

But here’s where things get really interesting. The battery Gizmodo discovered inside the device is 16% larger, and upon examining the iPhone’s internals, they found that the internal components were miniaturized and reduced to make way for the larger battery. One of the chief complaints among iPhone owners is that battery life is a serious issue. Now it appears that Apple’s next iPhone effort will rectify this in a major way.

Gizmodo was unable to get the phone to boot farther than the “connect to iTunes” display, though the person who originally found the device in a San Jose bar (go figure) told them that it originally booted up into iPhone OS 4. Upon learning of its disappearance, Apple seemingly wiped the device, leaving Gizmodo unable to restore it as each iPhone device is firmware specific. In other words, you can’t load the current iPhone OS onto the next-gen iPhone.

And somewhere in an office in Cupertino, you can bet your ass that Steve Jobs is pissed off as all hell. If I were an Apple employee, I might just want to call in sick today.