fsjk85 at the Australian Whirlpool forums was playing around with his camcorder's NightShot function when he found something interesting -- a hidden data matrix code on the left side of the iPhone 3G. We're guessing that's where Apple imprints the serial and IMEI numbers of each handset since it can't exactly hide them under a removable battery (cough), but we'll leave it to the rest of you to decode this sneaky tag and solve the mystery once and for all.
Update: We just got a much higher-res image of the code -- check it after the break. [Thanks Ben]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted Sep 18th 2008 12:13PM
I says, "I wish I were a REAL BOY."
Or, "I wish I was a real phone".
"JFK was assassinated by the government. Osama Bin Ladin broadcasts from a bunker under the White house. Jimmy Hoffa's real name is Michale Huffington. Saddam Hussein is a gas station attendant in Texas. The Iraq war was conjured up to steal sand, not oil.
North Korea doesn't really exist. Sarah Palin actually is a Pig. Religion was made up to serve as a foundation for social cohesion, the control of women, the control of land, the justification of slavery, a quick and easy way to make thousands of dollars on Sundays for people who don't want to work, and as a tax shelter for an unlited number of corporate criminals...
I can't make out the rest
I actually know someone who's part of the iPhone squad at Apple. He basically explained to me that the chip is there to display the message "PWND" on the display whenever it is placed next to the HTC Touch HD.
Flashpoint - Good stuff.
Frankie - Frankie...
@FlashPoint
haha wayy to good :-P
I bet it is a digital version of job's DNA for... resurrection?
flashpoint, you forgot about the moon landing hoax.
Is this an attempt to keep the iphone mystic alive for fanboi's?
Those two DMCs sure don't look the same -- maybe Gates got in on the DNA fun.
"Or, 'I wish I was a real phone'"
Dude, how can you mess that up when the guy right above you has it correct: WERE. I wish I WERE a real phone.
"Dude, how can you mess that up when the guy right above you has it correct: WERE. I wish I WERE a real phone."
Were is used to refer to a third party. Example: "You were wrong."
Was refers to the narrator. Example: "I was right."
Thus: "I wish I was a real phone."
However, it still isn't a funny comment (no offense Argot).
Sorry jpeks, but you are incorrect. Please read: http://www.englishforums.com/English/WasVsWere/nmqx/post.htm
Sorry to reply to the top, but i tweaked the image to make it easier for all of you to decode.
Check it:
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/thaelf/iPhoneBarcode.jpg
It's Apple's secret link to http://www.iphone-hacks.com
Crazyness, wasn't the IMEI just printed on the bottom back of the old iphones?
I know- can you say genious?
They make a huge profit off of battery replacements because they don't need to have it easily accessible/replaceable for the IMEI code. Simply brilliant, highly profitable business practices Apple! Sure the customer has to pay more, but that's kind of the point, am I right?
I can say "genious" but it's not a real word so I'm not sure why I'd say it.
The serial number and IMEI number are printed on the SIM card slot, I believe. Not sure what this could be.
Oops, sorry for the spelling. But you know, it is actually very intelligent of them from a business standpoint, nobody can argue that point.
It seems a bit odd. The vast majority of carriers require you to register your IMEI with them if you're getting a contract. Certainly it's used as a form of security measure as well - since it's unique to the phone.
It's probably just another serial number - or like a batch reference (where else do you see those things - on parcels - so it's probably just a record of which lot it was produced in).
"The vast majority of carriers require you to register your IMEI with them if you're getting a contract."
Do you think that someone could sign up for another carrier with this code? That would be so sweet. No unlocking, just looking.
why does everyone go nuts over spelling mistakes? it's not like you didn't know what he meant.
No maveric101! Don't do it! Get out while you're still neutral! Run!
maveric101 - I totally agree! Spelling is over rated.... I guess it just makes people feel good to point out other peoples mistakes.
@Matt Smith, you left out an apostrophe.
Man, did that make me feel good.
Disd sonmeonre sayu antythingh abouyt sopellung?
@Benson
that's what she said
@Matt Smith
Correction: spelling is overrated.
It was, but it was engraved in, along with the Apple serial number.
I imagine that this is due to the fact that the original iPhone was a $599 device when it first came out and the 3G is near enough nothing in most markets given the right contract.
Its cheaper to just write it to the phone's ROM and (maybe) in this QR code (or whatever this is), thereby saving on costs.
"maveric101 @ Sep 18th 2008 2:39PM
why does everyone go nuts over spelling mistakes? it's not like you didn't know what he meant."
Because certain "words" such as "genious", "loose" when it should be "lose", the misuse of your and you're etc. are becoming commonplace and it's annoying as hell. I'm no grammarian, but I am quite sick of the massacre of the English language being acceptable.
Teh internets is making people stupid.
As if infra-red light would make this visible...
neat.
yup .. sneaky sneaky
Actually, it could. Try experimenting with near infrared bandpass filters sometime. It's possible for something that absorbs visible light to also be transparent to near-infrared and/or infrared light.
it says: Proudly manufactured by Chinese Children
China children have nimble fingers and will work unlike American children who have chubby fingers and are too lazy to get off their fat asses. and I think it is Jobs DNA.
+1
But i'm also a fanboy so blahblah chinese get pain and american design bah blah
ha...clever place to put it...its hella crazy tht it took a night vision camera to find it too
(searchin for some snarky comment to say, but...bleh..i'll leave it to those of u with a full nights sleep under ur belt...)
Whoa.
It's actually true. You can see it is on the same spot as shown in iFixit disassembly: http://static4.ifixit.com/igi/PidOJN3NMK1ZypTG.large
Cool.
Greetings:
This is the way they can track everyone with an iphone.
Hey I just tried it. Mine has an autobot symbol there. Should I look into that?
If it gets Megan Fox going after you, then hell yeah.
It cant be an autobot. Autobots usually took the form of a vehicle, while decpticons would take the form of any object, to "deceive". nerd.
Mike Davis, is your keyboard's apostrophe button broken?
@ Mike Davis: Pot calling the kettle black much?
Mike Davis: Blaster.
If you're going to be nasty, at least get your facts straight.
Trickiness...I wonder if they would actually ever encode a secret message in that. I can't wait till someone decodes it.
Maybe a "you win" or something...
Looks like a QR code, or whatever they are called
It's a Data Matrix Code.
-Taylor
It's funny, because even though it looks -like- a QR code, it actually -is- a data matrix code.
It says " THIS BLACKBERRY IS INVENTED BY MCCAIN "
Its actually a code that wakes you from a life of living in The Matrix.
The Red and Blue pills went out of style...
yeah the blue pill now gives you a boner...
Or an heart attack
@MadPenguin
That's why I still get the blue pill.
@Passarinhuu
that's why I still get the blue pill
This guy just showed the world his IMEI.
And? The IMEI is largely irrelivant from an operational standpoint. You account is associated to your SIM, not the phone.
Ok genius. Post your IMEI and i will show you what can happen.
Most people use the night vision feature of their camcorder to film grainy, amateur pr0n tapes... nice to see someone taking camcorder night vision mode to the next level!
I think that was his intention. you often read and hear about people loving their iPhone. I think he was going to make a sequel of the Paris Hilton video , but starting his iPhone.
That would he HAWT!.
I kept looking for the "Video after the break" and link to said video but it's not in the article. It must be too hawt for TV.
I used mine to look at the Wii remote sensor bar.
Groovy.
This is not porn but pron. Nice to see a hidden secret with these. Finally something Different. Even though I plan to be apple free forever(unless they make a kick ass gaming console), I can appreciate this:
The Mark of the Beast!
The IMEI is printed on the Sim tray on the new 3G iphone along with the serial #
what happens if you need a replacement for the sim slot
oki: Then you probably did something very stupid.
Isn't it entirely possible that this is just a duplicate IMEI? Car manufacturers etch the VIN number in no less than 5 places on a car, why not put the Serial/IMEI or any other identifying numbers in more than one location? just a thought.
so ?
also... i am trying to count the number of times i actualy bought a spare battery... to replace that oh so neded removable one already in the phone...
the answer is zero.
seem the only time i need the battery to be removable is when i for some reason need to remove the sim...a very large batterycover that turns out to be.
Its not that you would need to have a spare battery, its the fact of the matter. If you are laying down 200+ dollars on a phone, then it DAMN sure better have the option to remove the battery without voiding the warranty.
Most people don't replace iPod/iPhone batteries because Apple has them trained to buy a new device every 1-2 years. What's the sound a sheep makes?
I guess i dont need to know why you find it so (DAMN) important to remove the battery. - if its not to replace it.
Baa?
Free phones? You mean you actually get phones for free and don't pay any monthly charge? WOW. I can haz?
What the hell does this have to do with the op?
I was wondering how Batman could Turn all cell phones into Microphones!!!!.....no more 1-900 numbers for this boy
It says: This is the product of el jobso and mccains lovemaking.
Hubba Hubba.
I'm pretty sure Jobs has a thing for Al Gore, not McCain.
Seriously? This gets its own article? A FUCKING STICKER?!
SJ has you guys right where he wants you.
You're right, the last thing that a gadget blog would be interested in is a coded sticker on a smartphone which can only be found, much less read, using infra-red light. That's not something that technologically minded people are going to find cool.
Dude, if you're that excited about a glow-in-the-dark sticker, then you have more important things to worry about other than your horrible attempt at sarcasm.
"horrible attempt at sarcasm"
People seem to agree with him more than you. I Know I DO.
No im with Socatume.
This IS interesting. It just so happens to be on the device that is apparently "cool to hate".
Go back to your hole.
The iPhone is a great device but I honestly cannot, for the life of me, figure out what all the buzz is about a secret sticker on it. I've never seen a similiar article posted about a sticker on any other device. Give me a break.
@ lowest ranked
Maybe it's because they haven't found it yet?.. duh..
Again I say.. no one's asking you to read this article.
Why don't you just take a seat?
Someone sounds a bit stressed. Let it out ... tell 'em why you're mad son, tell 'em why you're mad.
Serenity Now!!!
You know, according to the Seinfeld episode, if you say that too much one day you'll just snap and go mad.
:)
MY GOD THERE COMING! RUN for it martyyyyyyyy
Of course it says all those humorous one liners! Why wouldn't it?!
RFID Tag.
I feel like this will be used for the next nicolas cage treasure hunting movie.
zOMG! I'm so LOLZ!!! ROFLMAO... u should totally write scripts.
LOLOLOLOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think my iPhone3G sez "All your base are belong to pozzitron"
@pozzitron_fanboi
Wow. And to think- you corrected my spelling earlier! Damn.
@Flashpoint
First Paragraph: False/funny
Second Paragraph: True/Funny
Any Bioshock fan knows this is the Apple equivalent of the trigger phrase, "Would you kindly..." that forces you to spontaneously purchase each software upgrade at $10 a pop. It's Steve Jobs way of making you do stuff against your will just like Andrew Ryan, Atlas and Frank Fontaine
- 1
You tried too hard.
+1 But got so far...