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Fortune interviews iPhone 5C 'leaker' Sonny Dickson
Speaking at the All Things D conference in May of 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook assuredly said that Apple was "going to double down on secrecy on products." The problem, however, is that Apple's supply chain is so vast that keeping new and exciting products under wraps ahead of a big reveal is extremely hard to do, especially given the public's voracious appetite for even the tiniest morsel of Apple news. Next Tuesday, Apple will, by many accounts, unveil two brand-new iPhone devices. Thanks to a series of leaks over the past few months, it's widely assumed that Apple next week will introduce an iPhone 5S with a fingerprint-authorization sensor alongside a lower-cost iPhone dubbed the iPhone 5C. What's more, leaked photos suggest that the iPhone 5C will be available in an assortment of colors. So despite Cook's efforts to "double down on secrecy," stories surrounding Apple's next-gen iPhones have nonetheless leaked out. So just who is responsible for all of these leaks? Well, while a single individual isn't typically responsible for every leak, Fortune recently took a look at a leaker who has provided a plethora of leaks regarding upcoming iOS products. While the name Sonny Dickson may not sound familiar, you've likely seen his work if you've perused any Apple rumor blogs as of late. Over the past few weeks, Dickson has put out pre-release photos purporting to show various color models of the iPhone 5C along with photos depicting champagne- and graphite-colored models of the iPhone 5S. While it remains to be seen how accurate Dickson's latest leaks are, he has historically been able to acquire authentic parts for unannounced Apple products. So how does Dickson operate? Well, he told Fortune that many of his sources work for Apple in China, some of whom he's forged friendships with via the Chinese-language site Weibo. Like many young men his age, Dickson got interested in Apple with the release of the original iPhone in 2007. Starting out as an iOS developer, he made a small name for himself extracting information hidden in the code of Apple's beta software. His first notable score in the parts trade came last year when he got his hands on what turned out to be the logic board of the unreleased iPhone 5. But he hit it big this summer with the first leaked photos of what he says are parts for four unannounced Apple products: the iPhone 5C, the iPhone 5S, the iPad Mini 2 and the iPad 5. Naturally, with each passing "scoop," Dickson became more widely known and it was only a matter of time before Apple took notice. Indeed, Dickson was the man responsible for putting up internal Apple training videos on YouTube before they were removed following a copyright claim from Apple. Dickson told Fortune that computers in Cupertino visited his website more than 900 times in the last month. Not surprisingly, Dickson doesn't appear to have any moral conflict about the information he posts. "Some people think I may be breaking the law," Dickson explains, "but they don't really know what I do. I'm not breaking any laws that other people don't do."
Nano-SIM for next iPhone makes appearance ahead of launch?
First we saw a supposed leak of the next iPhone's nano-SIM tray, and now we're seeing alleged photos of the nano-SIM itself. iFun posted an image of what it says is a new T-Mobile nano-SIM that has just started arriving at the German carrier. The package apparently came with a message telling carriers that these SIMs are for smartphones about to go on the market, and that they're not to be given to customers -- yet. Cupertino, of course, tweaked its nano-SIM design earlier this year, and this photo does come ahead of an Apple announcement event rumored for next week.
Leaked photo allegedly shows iPad mini's dock connector flex cable with headphone jack on bottom
Granted, the existence of a 7-inch iPad mini is far from confirmed, but the latest "evidence" to fan those rumor flames is a photo of what appears to be a dock connector flex cable that connects the smaller dock connector, headphone jack and home button connector. The photo appeared on the site Nowhereelse.fr, which also recently published photos that purportedly show the next-gen iPhone's tiny docking connector. Other reports have indicated that the iPad mini's headphone jack will be located on the top of the device (as it is on the current version of the tablet) as opposed to on the bottom, which would contradict this latest leaked photo, but this new layout corresponds to rumors about the iPhone 5. The one semblance of certainty in all this? iFixit's Kyle Wiens weighed in to say that the component "is consistent" with Apple parts.
Apple actually not looking for additional iPad manufacturers, still BFFs with Foxconn?
Earlier this week, DigiTimes alleged that Apple was considering an additional manufacturer to produce the supposedly looming -- but really more mythical -- next generation iPad. Fast forward to now, and the Taiwanese publication reports that Cupertino has had a sudden change of heart. Foxconn -- who is currently the sole producer of the slate -- has reportedly convinced Apple to keep its manufacturing exclusive until the end of this calendar year. All isn't lost for Foxconn's competition though: the rumormonger suggests Pegatron still has a shot at a ten million production run for the next iPhone, and whatever iPad's 2012 will bring. Unmentioned in the report, however, is whether enough salt exists in the world to cover the next round of claims, later this week.
iPhone 5 to have 8 megapixel camera and improved antenna, same old design?
To date, we've heard scant few details about the next-generation iPhone, except for a rumor that it may or may not have a bigger screen, and that it almost certainly won't pack an NFC chip. Now, one analyst is reporting the design will remain unchanged, though its innards will get a slight boost. Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities (who has been dead-on in the past) talked with sources in Apple's supply chain to learn that the iPhone 5 will boast the same A5 processor as the iPad 2, along with an 8 megapixel rear camera, improved antenna design, and that Qualcomm baseband for both GSM and CDMA models we've seen bandied about (technically, the one in the current Verizon version is already GSM-capable). His sources also claim that Apple will begin mass production of its next-gen phone in September, which aligns with what we already heard about Apple moving to a fall launch -- and because of the ongoing disaster in Japan, the company might not have sufficient supplies to launch a new iPod touch at the same time. Typically we take many Apple rumors with a grain of salt, but these tidbits all sound plausible. And given that Kuo has been right before, we're especially inclined to believe him -- even if the truth is more ho-hum than magical.
The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly
It's no secret to us (or our readers) that Apple's products tend to generate what some might consider insane amounts of interest for weeks, months, and even years before they're launched or even announced. Whether you love the company or hate its guts, you can't deny that Apple is particularly prone to being fodder for the rumor mill. It comes in all forms: leaked photos (be they real, fake, or merely imaginative fan creations), analyst speculation based on "what if" scenarios for investors, "insider" reports from Asian supply chains, and a fair amount of conjecture via the press, both mainstream and blog alike. Here at Engadget, we've always been pretty proud of our ability to decode fact from fiction, and we try not to add too much noise to the echo chamber in which the gadget world seems to sometimes live. That said, we do cover plenty of rumors -- and the Apple Tablet (in its many rumored form factors) may just be the biggest and most twisted of them all. Apple's been kicking around the idea of a tablet since at least... oh, 1983. From real, physical prototypes to out-there ideas such as the Knowledge Navigator -- the company (who did not, alas, invent the idea of a tablet PC) has, somewhat unsurprisingly, seen fit to investigate the possibility for almost as long as it's been around. For one reason or another, though, they've never actually produced a device which saw the light of retail day (well, besides the Newton). Perhaps that's part of the fascination that Apple fans have with the product -- it's been rumored so long, and seemed on the verge of actual arrival so many times that it's become a Holy Grail of sorts for the tech community. The rumor timeline 2004 - 2006: The early years 2007 - 2008: Backburner 2009: The heat is (back) on 2010: The year we make contact? Wrap-up Follow the saga Evidence that any tablet actually existed or would come to retail, however, has always been slim at best. In the entire lifespan of Engadget, not one viable photo of a real-looking prototype has ever emerged, and not one source within Apple itself has ever really hinted that it was at work on such a product. Oh sure, there have been dozens -- possibly hundreds -- of people "familiar with the matter," but almost no one who would or could go on record to talk about the tablet, and in the end, it's always seemed like a non-starter. The Apple Tablet rumor started in earnest around 2002 -- before Engadget was even around. By the time we arrived to the party, the idea that Apple might be working on a tablet or slate PC was pretty firmly entrenched into the psyche of the avid gadget geek, but again, perilously little evidence existed to support the idea, or shall we say... the hope? And here we are, in January of 2010, on the verge of yet another expiration date for the rumored launch of an Apple Tablet (though let's be honest -- this thing is starting to feel pretty real). We thought now might be as good a time as any to take a look back -- back through the rumor timeline of one of the gadget world's longest-standing, and seemingly best-loved unicorns. Join us for the ride, won't you?
Dissecting the top 5 Apple myths
One of my favorite podcasts is Stuff You Should Know [iTunes link]. Hosts Josh and Chuck (call him "Chuckers") are smart, funny and professional.* There's an article on the show's companion site this week that explores 5 myths about Apple. I encourage you to go and read it, but here are some highlights. "Apple is going out of business." If we had a dollar, nay, a penny for every time we heard that, we'd all be eating caviar in the South of France. While the funeral dirge may have been warranted in the '90s when Gil was building beige boxes, things have been going swimmingly since Steve returned with the iMac in tow. That doesn't stop pundits from making claims of Apple's demise, however. But they're greatly exaggerated. Myth number four on their list is that Apple can't survive without Steve Jobs. This has been a hot topic since Steve took medical leave and opinions are as numerous as stars in the galaxy. Our take in a nutshell: Apple will be just fine without Steve. We won't spoil the rest of the list for you, so go ahead and check it out. *Maybe I'll get a shout-out on an upcoming show for this post. What do you say, guys?
Apple prototyping "iPhone lite" and MacBook Mini / media pad for Verizon?
Hot on the heels of yesterday's reports of Apple and Verizon dealings comes some tantalizing, but still unconfirmed, new details from BusinessWeek. According to the publication, the gang in Cupertino has prototyped two devices for the carrier. The first one is a smaller, less expensive device that's been dubbed as "iPhone lite" by someone who's apparently seen it in person. The other is called a "media pad" (Joggler, anyone?) for music, photos, HD video, and placing calls over WiFi. Details are scant beyond that, and while that pad sounds a lot like an iPod touch to us, we can't help but wonder if it has something to do with those 10-inch displays that Quanta's rumored to be manufacturing. Don't put too much stock into this, as the reports could end up being all for naught, but one thing's for sure: you can bet the suits at AT&T are keeping a very, very close eye on this. In other, even sketchier and likely unrelated rumors, a listing for "MacBookMini" has popped up in Adium's statistics. While we wouldn't normally think anything of this -- as TUAW correctly notes, anyone can edit their computer IDs -- it was from these pages that we first heard the name MacBook Air. Chances are this is nothing, but with all this talk of 10-inch screens and media pads, it kind of makes you wonder. [Via TUAW; image courtesy of Frunny]Read - BusinessWeekRead - Adium stats
Latest Apple rumor: super-slim 12-inch MacBook Pros on the way?
Macworld Expo 2007 is only a few weeks away, and so the Apple rumors are starting to fly, although this one apparently won't come to fruition until closer to February. According to MacScoop, "sources believed to be very reliable" say that Apple is currently working on a super-slim widescreen 12-inch MacBook Pro (17-inch model, pictured), which would still contain the optical drive and that dual-core processor action we've heard so much about. The details on this particular rumor are similarly skimpy -- all we've got is a potential price point of somewhere around $1,700 or $1,800, and that if this product exists, it apparently won't be out until February 2007. As usual, folks, we suggest that you remain as skeptical as we are about this bit of gossip for the time being. Believe it or not, the rumor mill's been known to be wrong from time to time.
Taiwan manufacturer gets order for Apple "iPhone" handset
Hon Hai, aka Foxconn Electronics, won't comment or confirm, but the cat seems to really be out of the bag now. This latest batch of iPhone reports feels like less of a rumor than previous iterations. According to this Forbes article, Hon Hai has "secured contracts from Apple Computer for 12 mln mobile handsets that also function as music players, the Commercial Times quoted industry sources as saying." Yes, that's 12 million. Also, that "Apple will launch the mobile handsets in the first half of next year."Financial analysts everywhere are going to be speculating (or continuing to) on what this move could mean to AAPL. We happened upon the Bear Stearns IT Bytes newsletter from earlier today and they've done a bit of extrapolating. They say the "iPhone" (we really don't know if that's what these handsets will be called, but we'll continue to refer to them as iPhones to keep things simple) should/would be priced around $300 and sales could earn shareholders an EPS (earnings per share) of about $0.70 on $6 billion in incremental revenue. They are assuming between 20 million and 29 million handsets would ship during 2007, implying a potential market share of approximately 3% of the total mobile phone market. Furthermore, they guestimate that an iPhone would "cannibalize iPod (mostly nano) sales" and assumed that iPhone would eat into around 30% of existing overall iPod sales.I'm an AAPL shareholder myself, but all those numbers and forward-looking statements make my head hurt, so I'll stop now. What was more interesting about the IT Bytes newsletter and other Bear emails I've seen is that Bear Stearns is aggressively promoting the iPod itself (and AAPL by association) by including a picture of the iPod in every single email they send (html + an attachment). The iPod is unmistakably a part of their BearCasts logo. It's not a generic digital audio player. It's a 3rd 4th gen an iPod, no doubt about it. The logo is all over their website as well. That strikes me as an endorsement. I'm just sayin'...Thanks, Mike!
iTunes 7.0.1 points to the iPhone, life moves on
Throwing an iPhone rumor to the gadget-obsessed is a fair bit like burning paper in a fireplace -- sure, things will flare up for a few seconds, but shortly thereafter the flames calm back down again. We recently caught wind of the fact that the new iTunes 7.0.1 update is packed with a bunch of text strings that say things like:" 4301.022" = " ^0 was not copied because the video format is not supported by the mobile phone ^1 ."; and so forth, implying that an iPhone is forthcoming. Now remember, we've seen similar language embedded in Apple software before, but we've yet to see an actual product, although the internet's Magic 8 Ball as of late seems to be pointing to Macworld Expo 2007. But then again, we've heard for months now that our friends in Cupertino are working on such a device, with everyone and everything from analysts to patent filings saying as much; so we're just hoping that Apple is waiting until it's good and ready to release it. For all you Apple and iPhone fanboys, take a moment to do a little jig, and then resume your daily routine.Read - iLoungeRead - Mac Rumors
iPhone signal emanating from January's Macworld 2007
Think Secret has weighed in on the iPhone rumor saga once again, with a suggestion that Apple's cell phone will be released during the San Fransisco Macworld Expo in January next year. The tipster has apparently gained Think Secret's trust in the past by correctly predicting that the iPhone wouldn't launch earlier this year in March. The reasoning behind why the iPhone didn't launch last March (manufacturing issues), and why it will launch in January (they've fixed the manufacturing issues) is predictably dry, totally unverifiable, and therefore irrelevant, giving TS even more reason to spice it up a little. This time around they're telling us that the iPhone will have some k800-esque specifications (3 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch display) along with a totally obvious feature (iTunes support without the 100 song limit), but they also mention that there may be as many as three different models in the range, thereby cleverly maintaining the possibility that it might not have any of these specs after all. In fact, none of this could be true: there could be more manufactured manufacturing delays that cause the iPhone not to launch in January, or Apple could have a revelation and decide not to include one of the vague features. Like every other Apple rumor, we won't know until the day arrives: January 8th, save the date.
The latest gossip: eMac wants a nip/tuck
AppleInsider, one of our primary sources for that contraband we like to call "Apple rumors", is claiming to have the word on a new education Mac to replace the now defunct eMac. Apparently the all-new eMac will be based around G5 processors and.... wait. That article's from two years ago! We can only conclude that when AppleInsider brought us news of the G5 eMac that they were joking. Obviously, now they're being serious.This latest rumor features several key points: There was an education based Mac in the past and there isn't one now. AppleInsider connects the dots using complex logic to predict that Apple is making a new education Mac. Teachers and schools will be buying computers in the summer to be ready for the next semester. When people want to buy things, you should try to sell things. Apple went Intel, so the new eMac will feature an Intel chip. Not a G5 or any of those crappy PowerPC things - who ever liked them anyway? The eMac's bulky enclosure was its most expensive part. Apple will therefore choose NOT to lose money on an expensive, pointless and bulky enclosure for the next eMac. A tough choice to make. Thanks to that aggressive rumor scrounging that AppleInsider does on our behalf, they obtained the extremely specific information that the new eMac *might* be available to the average consumer. But it also might not. For extra entertainment, place the word "duh" after every bullet point.
Time to pick apart another blurry image
Ok, folks, here we go again. Another blurry, nondescript photo of a supposed Apple product has made its way to the web (and what a coincidence, just a day after Apple announces a press event). This time, MacDailyNews is playing host. An anonymous tipster writes:"I was only able to snap one quick shot of this as I was only in there for about 30 seconds. I sort of stumbled upon it - can't say more about how or why...there are a bunch of ports (and maybe a button or two) neatly arranged on the back (?) of the cube in a line along the bottom edge. It's about 8-inches square and 8-inches tall - a perfect cube. It seems to be made out of a similar material as a Power Mac - aluminum perforated with a round hole pattern, but they're smaller holes than found on a Power Mac. The top is the same material as the sides with the addition of the Apple logo, even though it doesn't look like it in the photo - I had to snap it quick, sorry." First of all, thirty seconds is a long time to spend taking a single picture. When was the last time you spent a full thirty seconds on a single photo? Plus, if you've got all that time and this killer exclusive, why not get a shot of the ports on the back? And why must all of these things be blurry? Are we the only ones who think this looks like a doctored Apple Design Award? Finally, the Apple logo seems to be missing its leaf. Have at it, Photoshop pros.And if you think we're going to launch a "Create Your Own Blurry Photo of a Secret Apple Product" contest, you've got another thing coming.Update: I think Kevin's comment nailed it: You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile! Apple is in league with the Borg!
