3G iPhone revealed in third-party case render?

Look, we're not saying this means anything, but the above rendering from iPhone case-maker XSKN sure does look like those supposed design changes we've been hearing about. You'll note the larger, more curvy back, space opened up near the earpiece for the rumored front-facing camera, and what appears to be a non-recessed headphone jack. Sure, this could be a ploy to get eyes on their pages, but even if they're citing the specs we've heard, this is still the first case design we've seen for anything other than the original iPhone.

[Thanks, Brenden]

[Khaeos @ May 19th 2008 10:40AM]

dam...i think the first gen looks better....was really hopnig to buy this new one though...

[Andune @ May 19th 2008 10:43AM]

Same here, but I've come to never trust early shots of Apple products.
When first shown on Engadget I thought the new iPod Nano looked crap but now in reality it looks awesome.
Im sure this will look at least as good as the first gen when it's released.

[N3obond @ May 19th 2008 10:40AM]

Hrmm... still don't know...

[OneLove @ May 19th 2008 11:02AM]

iphone is getting fat. lol.

[white_ultras @ May 19th 2008 11:21AM]

UGLY! omg, if it aint broken.. dont fix it!

it looks more like that knock-off iFone.
its milimeters that matters in design, and this phone just looks bulkier and sillier

all i wanted was 3G and GPS... :(

[AlexTrebekMcCheeseTheThird @ May 19th 2008 11:42AM]

white_ultras: It has a freaking case on it in the rendering. Of course its going to be fatter than normal.

[Jagster @ May 19th 2008 1:07PM]

The iPhone Fatty

[ssuk @ May 19th 2008 1:36PM]

It's ready to give birth to the iPhone Nano in 9 months time.

[Juaquin @ May 19th 2008 2:35PM]

iPhone Chubby™

[James Cameron @ May 19th 2008 3:19PM]

Does every Apple fanboys digg anything that's Apple related even if it's butt ugly?

[vdogg89 @ May 19th 2008 5:28PM]

pretty sure this is the old iPhone. Just a fugly case. There are no significant changes to the phone itself besides a crappy case that sticks out the back a littl more.

[Rich @ May 19th 2008 10:41AM]

Still has the UI from the original iPhone graphics. No iTunes Store. No Youtube. Old cingular logo.

[Eric M. @ May 19th 2008 10:59AM]

And the UI is missing the "Installer" Icon!

[aaron @ May 19th 2008 11:07AM]

It's not about the UI, it's about the physical differences.

[Rich @ May 19th 2008 11:32AM]

It wasn't the UI that I was necessarily pointing out, you can just see that since it has the old UI that it's a 'shop of some sort. Whether it was created to depict the actual shape or just to create/"confirm" rumors is another story.

[Zoroaster @ May 19th 2008 12:13PM]

Its supposed to be a "shop". Its a rendering. Its not a photo and no one claimed it was. Its just interesting that a company is making renderings based off of the new specs. Do they have confirmation of these specs from Apple? Have they seen the new iPhone? That's why this is interesting.

[matias macias @ May 19th 2008 9:56PM]

they can't put up youtube, itunes, att or even apple (logo on back) due to copy write infringements

[Warhorse @ May 19th 2008 10:41AM]

That sure is a different look....

[HARRYZWD @ May 19th 2008 10:42AM]

oh boy!....oh boy!....oh boy! wait...nevermind, i don't care.

[HOOPER @ May 19th 2008 12:16PM]

I guess you cared enough to comment.

[James @ May 19th 2008 2:06PM]

He thought he would make the lulz. He was all like "Man I'm sooo going to get a Highest Ranked with this one, man I'm good"

"OMFG OMFG OMFG IM GOING TO CUM, LOOK AT THOSE CURVES AND EXTRA MILLIMETERS! WOO! SOOOoo MUCH BETTER!"

I think that's what he was going for.

[Khaeos @ May 19th 2008 10:42AM]

sorry...just realised that this is just the case...not the actual iphone itself...all is good again :)

[Eric M. @ May 19th 2008 10:45AM]

Looks like the 3G iPhone needs to use WiiFit and get back down to that 2.5G figure.

[atuck @ May 19th 2008 11:46AM]

oh snap girlfriend!

[AJ @ May 19th 2008 10:45AM]

Someone needs to go on a diet..

[Joshua @ May 19th 2008 10:50AM]

The slit in the top is not to allow for the front camera. It is for the sensor to identify whether the backlighting should turn off or not. When you put the phone to your ear the sensor dims the backlight. If the sensor is covered you will not be able to use the phones interface. HENCE. the wide slit at the top! I think its cool though. I'm not into cases though. Cheapens the look IMO.

Chao

[mike @ May 19th 2008 11:16AM]

Joshua,

We realize the light sensor is there, as well as the proximity sensor, but the difference is how large the opening is and where is is located compared to the old ones. If you go to the xskn page and look at the EXO case for the 1st gen, you'll see that the slot for the sensors is above the ear speaker hole and much smaller. THATS why there might be a camera in there, along with repositioned sensors.

[LiqwidZero @ May 19th 2008 10:47AM]

This rendering has "Fail!" written all over it, it's just in invisible ink.

[Esat Dedezade @ May 19th 2008 10:47AM]

At least the first one didn't look like a toy from the back and sides...

[AJ @ May 19th 2008 10:50AM]

It's supposedly a render, the UI doesn't carry any significance..

FWIW, my iPhone's been displaying "cingular" for the last 2 weeks.

[Jermaine Johnson @ May 19th 2008 3:21PM]

liar.

[sirsilencedogood @ May 19th 2008 7:16PM]

He might not be, if he lives in a country where Cingular still exists or if he hacked his iPhone, because there is a application that allows you to change the service provider text.

So how bout' it? Are you a hacker, a European, or just a rotten liar?

[AJ @ May 19th 2008 7:43PM]

None of the above.

Jailbroken iPhone being used with AT&T, no app used to change the service provider name. I'm sure I'm not the only one seeing this anomaly.

[AJ @ May 19th 2008 10:51AM]

That was a reply to "Rich", damn reply system really does suck.

[kakapo @ May 19th 2008 10:53AM]

Earphone connection is on top - I feel a good move and I am sure someone has said something about that before...

I like thinner tho.

My 2¢

Cheers

[Mindfield @ May 19th 2008 12:06PM]

The headphone on the iPhone was always on top. What they need to fix is how far the jack is recessed into the case, which, on the current model, makes almost all standard headphones impossible to use because the hood won't fit down into the well.

[daki @ May 19th 2008 10:55AM]

Who the hel* wants an iphone it's was old when it came out (a nice screen though).

[PS3guy @ May 19th 2008 11:03AM]

Me, anything with Apple logo I'll buy.

[swingin' dick hero @ May 19th 2008 12:36PM]

Me, anything with Apple logo I'll steal.

[James @ May 19th 2008 2:10PM]

Me, anything with Apple logo I'll defend as if it's the first of it's kind.

[David G. @ May 19th 2008 6:45PM]

Me, just me.

[Pete @ May 19th 2008 10:55AM]

remember when we saw the "spy shots" of the earpiece of the phone that contained the 3 cutouts = ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and ??? i think i know what the third cutout is for - STATUS. it'll "breathe" like the sleep light on macs but with various color to indicate what's going on. like missed calls, new email, new sms. that's one feature that i miss on the 1st gen.

[Phoenix @ May 19th 2008 12:44PM]

or, y'know, camera

[kloppenator @ Jun 12th 2008 5:24PM]

it turns it its just another proximity sensor, which is also good. The first one worked, but not great. Hopefully this will improve on that!

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/06/12/3rd-sensor-is-another-proximity-sensor/

[doudOSX @ May 19th 2008 10:56AM]

FAIL

[PS3guy @ May 19th 2008 10:59AM]

I like the old iphone look better plastic case feel kind of cheap.

[Coy @ May 19th 2008 10:59AM]

Well I for one like it.

[OneLove @ May 19th 2008 11:03AM]

No, its a case to make your old iphone look like a 3g iphone, silly.

[Akiacat @ May 19th 2008 11:04AM]

Uhhh yeah, guys. If you didn't notice that those renderings are from a CASEMAKER. This is why the iPhone is shown with the case attached to it - what makes it look so fat.

[Ryan Trevisol @ May 19th 2008 11:33AM]

Thank you! If you look at their other case (this one is a silicone skin), it's noticeably thinner, and again, it's A CASE.

Vaja has a selection for 3G iPhone cases on their site, but no pics.