3G iPhone screen shot faked, but don't worry, we think it's still coming

After some exhaustive research invested by one iSmashPhone, it seems like that now-infamous "Enable 3G" screen shot supposedly lifted from a recent iPhone firmware 2.0 beta was mocked up. The spirit of the shot mercifully lives on, though, seeing how the existence of the underlying preferences to support the enabling of 3G data has been independently verified in the code -- we just don't know exactly what form that preference is going to take in the user interface. Bottom line: fret not, there's still a 3G iPhone on the way, it's probably going to be here within mere weeks, and odds are you'll be able to control whether high speed is enabled, just like virtually every other 3G phone on the market. So if you're looking for a random reason to crack open a celebratory beer right now, well, there you have it. Drink responsibly.

[Josh @ May 21st 2008 5:45PM]

well, while we're waiting...
ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall...

[Seth @ May 21st 2008 6:12PM]

Take one down, shoot myself in the head, hey! Now there's some blood in my bear!

[Nick @ May 21st 2008 6:39PM]

Why are you drinking bear?

[low tech @ May 21st 2008 7:10PM]

Colbert would have a fit if he saw you drinking that stuff. They are unAmerican.

[MeatyPi @ May 21st 2008 7:19PM]

stay thirsty my friends.

[retro77 @ May 21st 2008 7:32PM]

How's that 'bear', did you get all the claws and fur sorted out? I'll go back to enjoying my beer. Aaaahhh, Lagunitas mades a damn tasty IPA.

[crazypenguin @ May 21st 2008 8:13PM]

Obviously, he called it a bear because he's drunnk.

[Zed @ May 21st 2008 5:46PM]

yea i knew it all along.. i could tell by the pixels.

[Evan @ May 21st 2008 5:48PM]

Yeah the pixels/compression artifacts that only appear around the "Enable 3G" and "Data Roaming" labels are an easy giveaway - exhaustive research my ass.

[bob @ May 21st 2008 7:07PM]

I have also seen several 'shops in my time.

[nikster @ May 21st 2008 7:44PM]

I didn't even bother reading the "original" article. The dead giveaway is that Apple would never have an option like this. "Turn off 3G" to "save battery"? No way.

If they really wanted to do that, they'd build system that automatically turns 3G off when data is not in use. That's very simple, and there would be no unsightly and terribly-confusing-to-the-laysman 3G on/off button. The whole idea of this button is utterly idiotic, sorry to say.

[Precise @ May 21st 2008 8:19PM]

I agree. Other phones such as the 8525 do just that. When you open a browser or an app that needs data, the phone automatically turns 3G on. When 3G isn't in use, it automatically turns it off.
Apple is the definition of simplicity. Why would folks think iPhone 2.0 would have a 3G on/off switch?

[Chad @ May 21st 2008 8:22PM]

@nikster - The option has been proven to exist in the 2.0 firmware, so try again.

[rock99rock @ May 22nd 2008 1:12PM]

@ Precise

No, you are wrong. The element of the 3g radio is still on. All you are seeing is the data session being created. In the beautiful roms (yea i said beautiful) being modded in the xda arena, you can manually disable the 3g radio from the comm manager, THEN you can save your precious battery power.

[BYOPC @ May 21st 2008 5:52PM]

what? a fake screenshot of something not even out yet? of which they have a previous version thats just as cool? who cares? *apple fanboys scream out like little kids*

[iambored8907 @ May 21st 2008 5:56PM]

The screenshot maybe fake, but the file in the firmware is not. If you extract the plist file from 2.0 and put it on 1.1.4 it will show the toggle, I have personally tried this and it is not fake. I have posted the plist file on MMi

[wickedpheonix @ May 21st 2008 5:58PM]

I am gonna laugh my ass off if Steve doesn't give us a 3G iPhone.

[retro77 @ May 21st 2008 7:24PM]

me too

[brad @ May 21st 2008 6:01PM]

Oh My GOD! New iphone...stop the presses!

Everybody is so happy over ONE improvement (3G..Which should had been there to start), but did we all forget? Everyone and their brother was cracking, hacking and bricking their precious Jesus phones last year...so much more improvement is needed besides 3G.

Mostly I am just sick of everyone (bloggers) so jived about this second coming. Don't you realize that you have to pony more money over to apple for one little advantage of speed.

Come on people steep away from the guy in the black turtleneck saying 'boom' promising you to be light as air (macbook) as you jump off the cliff.

Keep you money and give it to a charity that can do some good for your fellow humans!

[Nick @ May 21st 2008 6:14PM]

But 3G isn't the only new feature. It's just the one everyone has been pining over, regardless of that fact that many people in the US still don't have access to a 3G capable network.

Anyway, you can debate the merit of the new stuff that was announced in January, but you can't deny that that new features are coming. Including:

3rd party support (One of the big reasons people were hacking there phone, and still might be because of the restricts that will still be enforced even after June)

Exchange push support/administration. (A large step into the Corporate market)

[Michael @ May 21st 2008 6:53PM]

yeah, i could do that...or i could buy a 3G iphone and just be cooler than you

[toleraen @ May 21st 2008 6:54PM]

@Nick

But aren't those software tweaks that 1st gen iPhones will get as well? I have to agree with brad, it's scary to see so many people ready to drop another $400 just for 3G. Granted I've had my 3G phone for a year and a half so it doesn't seem that exciting to me...

[BYOPC @ May 21st 2008 8:03PM]

i dont know about the charity part, but the rest is right. this shit makes me sick

[Brendan Sheehan @ May 21st 2008 6:02PM]

It doesn't matter whether Engadget thinks it's still coming, it's still coming regardless.

[Vidit Bhargava @ May 21st 2008 6:01PM]

yeah....i wondered how could Apple give so much functionality like 3G on/off, data roaming on/off and for god's sake VPN???
Apple cant do all that to their fanboys...they know the fanboyz cant take so much in one go.

[d @ May 21st 2008 6:07PM]

SDK is also coming, solving many reasons why the iPhone gets hacked. While the SDK does leave something to be desired, it gets us closer to what we want. Either way, this is more than one improvement.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ May 21st 2008 6:05PM]

Can't wait. Getting pretty excited now. Wow, I hope I don't sound like a lamer, lol.

[THJ @ May 21st 2008 6:15PM]

No, but the CaPs iN YoUr NaMe dO.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ May 21st 2008 6:16PM]

Oh, snap! Haven't heard that one yet. Thanks.

[antiver @ May 21st 2008 6:07PM]

* Hack Responsibly

[Giles @ May 21st 2008 6:12PM]

Yeah it is getting rather annoying about all the speculation and hype concerning the new iPhone. I'm no Apple hater, but please tone it down with all the new iPhone posts...

[BuddyBoy @ May 21st 2008 6:20PM]

Especially such non News as this.

[chucky3456 @ May 21st 2008 6:20PM]

This is probably why Chronic Dev disappeared as of late :) He knew he was posting BS and when Engadged picked it up he knew someone would prove him wrong.

[Jason G. @ May 21st 2008 6:29PM]

If you read the article real carefully, it seems Chronic Productions got in a bit of trouble, and I think this disclaimer about the screenshot being photoshopped actually might be covering his (her?) ass. It probably IS real, and now that they're in the iPhone Developer Program they have to have plausible deniability.

But honestly, there's no way to verify if any of this is true or not. Is the image fake just because Chronic Productions says so? That lacks as much investigation as the original image posting did.

[John @ May 21st 2008 6:34PM]

This is not fake, here's the code to prove it (its from firmware 2.0):

WdefaultUlabelSgetSset YENABLE_3G\PSSwitchCell\is3GEnabled:_set3GIsEnabled:specifier:”\isStaticText]3G_TEXT_GROUP “_PSTitleValueCellW3G_TEXT” !_requiredCapabilities\isControllerVbundle°Ytelephony\EDGESettings“#°◊
%&'()+,-XdefaultsSkey_PostNotification°_EDGE_ROAMING_TOGGLE _com.apple.commcenter_InternationalRoamingEDGE_5com.apple.commcenter.InternationalRoamingEDGE.changed”/° ”23°_EDGE_STATIC_TEXT—“ 7^VPNPreferences“9°:Twifi”< >°:_AirPortSettingsWNetwork

[Splunkster @ May 21st 2008 6:43PM]

The screenshot was fake, but the settings files are real.

[fred @ May 21st 2008 6:38PM]

If it's fake, then why did you post it? You've just gave the 13 year old with a copy of GIMP exactly what he wanted.

All of these "the 3G iPhone will be here soon" postings reek of blogvertising. And Im 99% sure this was posted just to have an excuse to bring it up again.

Hell if it's that damn good, then let Apple spend it's ad dollars telling people it's coming, unless you guys love the idea of giving Apple free advertising just for kicks.

[Derek @ May 21st 2008 6:54PM]

this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk1rUtQJxMg&eurl=http://www.modmyifone.com/forums/general-iphone-chat/166181-iphone-2-0-5a274d-jailbroken-unlocked-3g-video.html) shows that 3G option in action on firmware 2.0

is that fake too?.......

[Matt @ May 22nd 2008 12:01AM]

seems to me that its just a jailbroken normal iPhone

[John @ May 21st 2008 7:02PM]

The obligatory daily iphone 3G rumor post...

[retro77 @ May 21st 2008 7:27PM]

I wonder if they are going to add simple features like recording video and to be able to send/receive picture text messages. You know, simple stuff, that every other phone out there has.

[Zak @ May 21st 2008 7:34PM]

Because recording video is not important to most people, and MMS? Really? Because there's this new fangled thing called email, maybe you've heard of it. You can actually send pictures with it. Shocking, I know.

[retro77 @ May 21st 2008 7:39PM]

@zak: ya I heard of that stuff. But do all your friends know not to send you picture text messages? Or do you have to force everyone around you to sending picture emails because you decided to buy an iPhone. Data charges for sending a picture email is more expensive than picture text messaging.

Also I take video with my phone. Like when I got my engine running in my '67 Mustang, I took a damn video to show my friends!

Oh and don't come back saying that you can just buy the unlimited data plan, thats still more expensive than buying text message packages that allow you to send like 5000 a month for a mere $10US.

[Chad @ May 21st 2008 8:22PM]

If MMS were a highly request feature, it would be in by now. The fact is that compared to the people that use SMS, those that use MMS are in a very small minority. Out of the 500 or so in my iPhone address book, perhaps 2 use MMS.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 21st 2008 9:52PM]

Just because certain people enjoy sending naked videos of themselves via MMS, it doesn't mean everyone does. I'm sure that the feature is nice to have, but it would hardly be a deal breaker for the majority of the world. The 3G iPhone is rumored to have MMS features to go along with video-conferencing, but then again rumors aren't quite reality.

[ENF @ May 21st 2008 7:37PM]

New 3G iphone pics:
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/youare

[Richard Lai @ May 21st 2008 9:04PM]

Awesome! That's good shit man. :D Really can't wait now.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 21st 2008 9:43PM]

Man, that was beautiful photo. I had a really good chuckle, but it looked nothing like the 3G iPhone.

[Richard Lai @ May 21st 2008 10:34PM]

@Steffen Jobbs: well, it doesn't look like it was photoshopped at least. Whoever came up with this is quite creative anyway.

[mattyohe @ May 21st 2008 7:42PM]

Not fake at all. Download the SDK for yourself. Look in the plist for Network Settings under the Preferences app.