iPhone 5 mainboard, N94 iPhone prototype surface
updated 10:15 am EDT, Fri August 26, 2011
iPhone 5 and N94 components show up
Two leaks Friday have more clues as to the iPhone 5 and its development process. One sighting purports to be of the iPhone 5's mainboard. The AppleLeaks discovery doesn't confirm the expected A5 chip or other details but has different connections for the camera and power modules as well as the headphone jack and power sensor.
A matching battery also roughly lines up with the one seen this week and supports beliefs that the photos are for new parts. The lithium-ion pack is very close, though not exactly, like the iPhone 4 in output and has a different connector.
While the new parts don't reveal the final design, Apple's mystery N94 iPhone prototype has turned up in a new finding the same day. The design, for whom only the front and back plates were uncovered, is marked as an EVT2 (Engineering Verification Testing, stage 2) prototype from June. As seen by MacPost, it superficially resembles the iPhone 4 but, on the front panel, shows signs of different connections inside.
Whether it represents the iPhone 5, a budget iPhone 4, or just a prototype, the N94 has previously been identified as supporting T-Mobile USA's 3G bands. It might also carry a new antenna that might be meant to avoid the "death grip" issue.
Case manufacturers have hinted that there might be a substantial design change for the finished iPhone 5, but their work hasn't been confirmed. The most elusive aspect of the future design has been its actual external shape, which some suggest is conservative and others a major reworking. [via AppleInsider]
