What is Apple up to? Although the rumor mill provides plenty of grist, it’s often impossible tell the wheat from the chaff. Today, however, there are fresh iPhone 5S photos that apparently show the very same logicboard Tapscape reported on earlier in the week. Progress? Step inside for the details.
We’ve seen this iPhone 5S logicboard before. In fact, by MacRumors’ reckoning, it’s an exact match.
Observable Clues:
• Same narrower profile, connectors and onboard components as the logicboard Tapscape reported on earlier• Oddly, the Apple designed processor carries no model identifier (i.e. A5, A6, etc)
— Date code on chip reads “1243,” meaning ’twas made in the 43rd week of 2012 (i.e. late October)• Battery part number, 616-0652, appears to be newer than the on on the iPhone 5
— Placeholder number and blanks indicate the battery is a prototype
Coincident iPhone 5S photos don’t prove anything, at least not concretely. However, it’s more often true than not the Apple rumors which come true are the ones that coalesce, and that’s what we have here.
Nice Backside
• Rear shell photo shows a vertical pill-shaped LED flash window which could mean the iPhone 5S will have dual LEDs
Since 2009’s iPhone 3GS, Apple has largely defined what a great smartphone camera looks like — dual LEDs are a feature that will be carried forward from the iPhone 5 in the upcoming iPhone 5S, which is expected sometime this Fall.
That said, the iPhone 5S is increasingly looking like an evolutionary step forward. However, married with iOS 7, which will deliver next-gen multitasking, internet radio, power management and user interface advances, the iPhone 5S could very well turn out to be a game changer…
What’s your take?