iPhone 3G has a hidden data matrix code

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]

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 12:20PM]

I says, "I wish I were a REAL BOY."

[Argot @ Sep 18th 2008 12:21PM]

Or, "I wish I was a real phone".

[Flashpoint @ Sep 18th 2008 12:39PM]

"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

[Frankie @ Sep 18th 2008 12:40PM]

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.

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 12:44PM]

Flashpoint - Good stuff.

Frankie - Frankie...

[oki @ Sep 18th 2008 12:52PM]

@FlashPoint

haha wayy to good :-P

[EricR @ Sep 18th 2008 1:09PM]

I bet it is a digital version of job's DNA for... resurrection?

[Falcom @ Sep 18th 2008 1:59PM]

flashpoint, you forgot about the moon landing hoax.

[OneLove @ Sep 18th 2008 2:08PM]

Is this an attempt to keep the iphone mystic alive for fanboi's?

[EricR @ Sep 18th 2008 3:46PM]

Those two DMCs sure don't look the same -- maybe Gates got in on the DNA fun.

[Information Central @ Sep 18th 2008 5:12PM]

"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.

[jpeks @ Sep 18th 2008 6:50PM]

"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).

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 7:03PM]

Sorry jpeks, but you are incorrect. Please read: http://www.englishforums.com/English/WasVsWere/nmqx/post.htm

[Apple @ Sep 19th 2008 4:21AM]

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

[iPhoner @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:33PM]

It's Apple's secret link to http://www.iphone-hacks.com

[ryne @ Sep 18th 2008 12:21PM]

Crazyness, wasn't the IMEI just printed on the bottom back of the old iphones?

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 12:31PM]

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?

[burriot_avatar @ Sep 18th 2008 12:34PM]

I can say "genious" but it's not a real word so I'm not sure why I'd say it.

[JustEaton @ Sep 18th 2008 12:44PM]

The serial number and IMEI number are printed on the SIM card slot, I believe. Not sure what this could be.

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 1:02PM]

Oops, sorry for the spelling. But you know, it is actually very intelligent of them from a business standpoint, nobody can argue that point.

[Josh @ Sep 18th 2008 1:03PM]

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).

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 1:08PM]

"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.

[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.

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 3:08PM]

No maveric101! Don't do it! Get out while you're still neutral! Run!

[Matt Smith @ Sep 18th 2008 3:33PM]

maveric101 - I totally agree! Spelling is over rated.... I guess it just makes people feel good to point out other peoples mistakes.

[Benson @ Sep 18th 2008 3:53PM]

@Matt Smith, you left out an apostrophe.


Man, did that make me feel good.

[Malweran @ Sep 18th 2008 4:39PM]

Disd sonmeonre sayu antythingh abouyt sopellung?

[HOOPER @ Sep 18th 2008 4:44PM]

@Benson

that's what she said

[Steve-o @ Sep 19th 2008 8:48AM]

@Matt Smith

Correction: spelling is overrated.

[edocronian @ Sep 18th 2008 6:29PM]

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.

[happy_penguin @ Sep 18th 2008 7:25PM]

"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.

[Evan @ Sep 18th 2008 12:21PM]

As if infra-red light would make this visible...

neat.

[Knives_Out @ Sep 18th 2008 1:43PM]

yup .. sneaky sneaky

[Ryan @ Sep 19th 2008 12:04AM]

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.

[stefan @ Sep 18th 2008 12:22PM]

it says: Proudly manufactured by Chinese Children

[Das Boot @ Sep 18th 2008 2:02PM]

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.

[Derry Quinn @ Sep 18th 2008 2:08PM]

+1

But i'm also a fanboy so blahblah chinese get pain and american design bah blah

[genesic @ Sep 18th 2008 12:25PM]

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...)

[7on @ Sep 18th 2008 12:24PM]

Whoa.

[TundeB @ Sep 18th 2008 2:06PM]

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.

[Robert @ Sep 18th 2008 12:34PM]

Greetings:

This is the way they can track everyone with an iphone.

[farfisa @ Sep 18th 2008 12:25PM]

Hey I just tried it. Mine has an autobot symbol there. Should I look into that?

[Kizorblade @ Sep 18th 2008 12:33PM]

If it gets Megan Fox going after you, then hell yeah.

[Mike Davis @ Sep 18th 2008 4:43PM]

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.

[Aaron @ Sep 18th 2008 5:39PM]

Mike Davis, is your keyboard's apostrophe button broken?

[NoAndThen @ Sep 18th 2008 6:15PM]

@ Mike Davis: Pot calling the kettle black much?

[CJ @ Sep 19th 2008 1:33AM]

Mike Davis: Blaster.

If you're going to be nasty, at least get your facts straight.

[Jarhead111 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:26PM]

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...

[Thomas @ Sep 18th 2008 12:26PM]

Looks like a QR code, or whatever they are called

[Taylor @ Sep 18th 2008 1:29PM]

It's a Data Matrix Code.
-Taylor