Is this a photo from an iPhone?

Repeatedly searching Flickr for the search string "Taken with an Apple iPhone" may not be the average joe's idea of fun, but when it comes to information about the iPhone it seems as if people are willing to do just about anything. Mobile Guerilla had apparently been doing just that for a month, when they struck gold with a Flickr photo (now pulled, but still in Google's cache) called "toast is a powerup" with the exact same text next to a picture of someone eating toast. So far most of the evidence points to this being genuine: the photo is the same resolution as the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera (1600 x 1200 pixels), the EXIF data matches up with an iPhone (i.e. the camera make and model say "Apple iPhone"), and various information online points to the Flickr account holder working at Apple as a "Product Manager". So, if this is real and someone hasn't just altered the EXIF data, how good is the picture quality? Well, it looks like pretty standard fare for a camera phone, although we're sure you can tell us a lot more about the quality of the output than we can.

[Via MacRumors]

Read -- iPhone photo on Flickr
Read -- EXIF data on Flickr
Read -- Mobile Guerilla, first iPhone photo?

[Joe Smith @ Apr 29th 2007 9:01AM]

Creepiest. Photo. Ever.

[Bob @ Apr 29th 2007 12:33PM]

Do most camera phones focus or have an f2.8 lens? Clearly this guy's stubble is in focus and background is soft. My camera phone is fixed focus VGA that just relies on depth of field, so I have no idea if better camera phones have auto-focus. Somebody said it looked like a flash photo. I doubt that very much, obviously the iPhone has no flash, but this looks to me like it was taken by a window.

[tron @ Apr 29th 2007 3:53PM]

That would be the real question, is this M or F?

[Bert @ Apr 29th 2007 9:08AM]

Yes, people still aren't sure if that's a man or a woman.

[humpty @ Apr 29th 2007 9:10AM]

Dear GOD... if its from the iPhone, it would be the worst bit of viral advertising evar.

My vote is that its a dude.

[Jesse S @ Apr 29th 2007 9:15AM]

WHO CARES? The iphone lacks 3G, PDA functions, a keyboard...It doesn't seem like a phone anyone should care about.

[kingofwale @ Apr 29th 2007 9:16AM]

I think I'm officially turned off toasts for life.

Thanks a lot, iPhone

[Crayola @ Apr 29th 2007 9:19AM]

No guy would contemplate wearing a hoodie with 'hearts' printed on it, but the subject does seem to have a five o'clock shadow, or it could be that the camera on Apple iPhone sucks big time, brightness, contrast and saturation is all wrong, if Nokia can stick a 5MP camera on N95, why can't Apple? Yes! It is because Steve Jobs and Apple are money grabbing capitalist pigs!

[eric f. @ Apr 29th 2007 10:17AM]

"brightness, contrast and saturation is all wrong"

And that is because you were there and know exactly what the light was like? Please.

It looks like a pretty good picture for a camera phone, balanced for daylight, taken without a flash in natural cool light... regardless of what camera was used.

[Dean @ Apr 29th 2007 3:44PM]

The hearts are obviously part of some kind of health bar from a video game, take note the video game theme going on here...

[L.Rawlins @ Apr 29th 2007 9:24AM]

Average quality hardware for a premium? Looks like a legit Apple product to me.

Zing! (j/k)

[3rdsun @ Apr 29th 2007 9:28AM]

Taken with a crApple idontgiveadamnPhone

[Michael @ May 5th 2007 12:44PM]

This is clever. Did anyone see how clever that is? That's very clever. Very. Clever.

[2ASquared @ Apr 29th 2007 9:30AM]

Here's another photo from one of the their albums. Not taken with an iPhone, but the apple logo with caption "no matter where you go..." gives credibility to the idea that she might work at apple.

[2ASquared @ Apr 29th 2007 9:30AM]

GAH Forgot the pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meriko/44381024/in/set-1028743/

[matthew House @ Apr 29th 2007 9:32AM]

What is with the freaky-ass homophobia regarding this dude? It's not just here but a lot of places. It's dude eating toast. He has long hair (in San Francisco?? NO!) and a damn Legend of Zelda heart meter shirt. It's just a run-of-the-mill dork.

Thw number of commenters here and other places who have commented on his sexuality and attractiveness level is disconcerting.

[trainwrecka @ Apr 29th 2007 11:39AM]

i know - what the heck is up with that?

[matthew House @ Apr 29th 2007 9:35AM]

P.S.....

Is there anything more interesting and/or pathological than that peculiar breed of human that is so *very* uninterested in the iPhone that they read iPhone articles and then take the time to comment on how much the iPhone sucks and how much they absolutely *do not* care about it?

Guys, just come out of the closet and admit you're Steve Jobs fanboys.

[Jim @ Apr 29th 2007 9:45AM]

Looking at meriko's profile, she is the woman in the other picture taken by the iPhone (see MacRumors).

This is her website: http://www.borogove.org/meriko/

[L.Rawlins @ Apr 29th 2007 9:53AM]

@ Matt House

I think it's more a case of reading the comment submissions than the article to be fair. Apple and MS posts are always so very dramatic and impassioned as you well know, and, are demonstrating.

[Zach @ Apr 29th 2007 9:53AM]

IT'S A TRAP

[Paul @ Apr 29th 2007 9:54AM]

I think more important than the question of whether or not this is an iPhone is whether or not the subject is a male?

[Crayola @ Apr 29th 2007 11:17AM]

Dude, look carefully, see that top left corner, is that 4th dimension black hole? See bottom left corner, is he an alien with purple skin? Look at that muddy green chair in the background, and isn't that a typical restaurant lighting with incandescent light? Can I also add the white balance is off too. You can tell it is a cheap lens, blurring at the edges background in focus, typical of plastic fixed focus, small aperture. I think the comments are justified.

[wWw @ Apr 29th 2007 10:22AM]

I'm gonna say monster..

[MR @ Apr 30th 2007 3:36AM]

I'm gonna say it's viral marketing for Aphex Twin!

http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/aphex1.html

[sammy mazola jr @ Apr 29th 2007 10:24AM]

Legit. This image exactly captures the wonder and excitement that Apple is trying to associate with the iPhone. Viral marketing at its finest.

[phoomp @ Apr 29th 2007 10:25AM]

And here I thought the iPhone would render beautiful everyone photographed by it.

[Mike @ Apr 29th 2007 10:27AM]

She looka like a man

[Collision891 @ Apr 29th 2007 10:36AM]

He's a bit unshaven, so i'd go with man.

And the picture quality seems better than camera phone level to me.

[Anthony Radice @ Apr 29th 2007 10:41AM]

I think Microsoft did it...

Microsoft wants you to believe that if you buy an iPhone you'll end up looking like that! Err, her?

It worked for me, I'm not buying one (I enjoy not looking like a brute).

[geezer @ Apr 29th 2007 10:46AM]

Honestly, guys! Who cares if this photo was taken with an iPhone....let's just wait those few more weeks and than we all know what the iPhone can or can't do ;)

[ryan10ad @ Apr 29th 2007 10:47AM]

More importantly, is that Jam or Relish on that toast? Or is the toast, bread?

[mrsalty @ Apr 29th 2007 10:49AM]

That is a guy!!! Are most of you idiots? How can you not tell? Most males have an internal capacitor that can tell the difference, I guess some of you boys need to have a anual check up. Hopefully, you don't get to excited when your doc tells you to bend over.

[JWRIGHT @ Apr 29th 2007 4:46PM]

I think your "internal capacitor" discharges when you look at a male.

[sal @ Apr 29th 2007 11:00AM]

Pretty sure it's a guy with long hair. The hearts are a zelda reference and the long hair is because he was probably CS. Plus, i have seen men eat toast with jam, albeit infrequently.

[J @ Apr 29th 2007 11:07AM]

possible hint pointing to the fact she's an apple employee:
(check out the comment she made)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregmce/450268451/

[tchiseen @ Apr 29th 2007 11:08AM]

This horrible bit of viral marketing gone horribly wrong will certainly nearly destroy apple's image and the perception that all apple users are 'cool'. apparently now the future apple users are androgynous toast eaters. And on that subject, what the hell kind of toast is that? Burnt around the edges, with about .0001g of jam, made by someone who's never spread jam in their life.

apple could have at least got a picture out before this, of something so hip and cool that it could be classed as pop art. i cant wait to see what apple is going to have to do to get out of this one.

[Ignacio @ Apr 29th 2007 12:56PM]

Check the EXIF properties: f2.8 - Very nice for a cameraphone. Anyway, I'm most interested in knowing video-recording resolution since most photo capabilities were already known from the specs (no flash, 2MP = 1600x1200). I hope 640x480x30fps at least, hopefully 848x480x30 too.

[Sam B @ Apr 29th 2007 11:19AM]

C'mon, guys! The camera was decent to pick up the beard on the thing's face. Incidentally, I'd therefore say it's a man.

[Rob @ Apr 29th 2007 11:29AM]

The bearded woman finally shaved.

[trainwrecka @ Apr 29th 2007 11:36AM]

i actually think the picture is pretty clever. the guy is wearing an old-school zelda life bar t-shirt that is running on empty. toast is what will power him up. i don't see why everyone is freaking out. on top of that - if you can't tell the difference between a guy and a girl from a photo like that you may need help.

--- the full size photo at MacRumors looks to be great quality IMO

[David H Dennis @ Apr 29th 2007 11:41AM]

This photo happens to have been taken in abysmal lighting conditions that would make the most stunning model in the world look bad. It's unfair, and gratuitously cruel, to comment about the appearance of the subject. We're all making ourselves look like bullies here, and that's not right.

Really, this photo is only interesting because it's the first we've seen taken with the iPhone, and it's the kind of very casual, throwaway type of photo that you would use an iPhone to take. So let's see how it stacks up.

In terms of the photo itself, I thought the face came out quite well, with good detail. The background was muddy and poor. My initial reaction was that the photo wasn't bad considering the abysmal lighting conditions. It looks like it must have been taken using the built-in flash in a room that was otherwise dark. When I had a Canon Digital Elph (a 2mp digital camera), I remember my flash pictures not being too different.

The picture is certainly far superior to pictures taken with my T-Mobile Sidekick II, thank goodness.

Isn't it interesting that smartphone cameras in general don't go abovt 2 megapixels? Last time I looked, the Blackberry Pearl and Sidekick were 1.3 and the Treo was a shameful under one megapixel. I know about the Nokia and Sony Erickson cameraphones that are 5megapixels, bjut my impression is that they are otherwise more like ordinary phones.

Are most of the people who hang out here Europeans? The American market seems to be pretty backward. I just looked through cingular.com's list of all camera phones and the even the most expensive ones are 2 megapixels or lower. I thought I remembered that the 5 megapixel Nokia and Sony Eircksson phones were very expensive ($500+) niche product and I appear to be right.

Of course the iPhone is an equally expensive niche product, but it seems to me that for the market it's operating in, the camera is likely to be competitive with all other mainstream offerings. After all, if you buy the iPhone, you're buying it for the design, and we can surely understand that was very expensive.

My hunch is that most smartphones don't go to 5 megapixel because the sensor would increase the price considerably, and because battery life might be dismal. I'd be curious to hear more discussion on this.

D

[Victor Mach @ Apr 29th 2007 11:59AM]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meriko/100638217/

I mean, if that's not a given that she works at Apple (or do we all sit in rooms with dozens of mac pros behind us?) than I don't know what is.

Nice to see the first iPhone pic. Intriguing that the photo has been removed.

[Victor Mach @ Apr 29th 2007 12:00PM]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meriko/100638217/

I mean, if that's not a given that she works at Apple (or do we all sit in rooms with dozens of mac pros behind us?) than I don't know what is.Nice to see the first iPhone pic. Intriguing that the photo has been removed.

[Matt @ Apr 29th 2007 1:19PM]

First off, those are PowerMac G5's, not Mac Pro's.

Second off, she could be in IT for some sort of graphical based firm that just upgraded all of their old G5's to Mac Pro's.

[ReverendGadgetBoy @ Apr 29th 2007 12:03PM]

Its a guy for sure. Theres quite a bit of stubble there.

[FinalMacGyver @ Apr 29th 2007 12:03PM]

If that is a woman god help us and if it's a man, he should shoot himself.

[rpgSE.com @ Apr 29th 2007 12:06PM]

gotta love apple :)

[rpgSE.com @ Apr 29th 2007 12:07PM]

gotta love apple, always teasing us!

[Gadget Chick @ Apr 29th 2007 12:08PM]

thats actually really good quality for a phone.