Alleged Photos of iPad Mini and iPhone 5 Surface
Jul 11, 2012 09:37 AM EDT by Brad Chacos, LAPTOP Contributor 
Photos of the iPhone 5 and a mockup of the iPad mini may have surfaced, courtesy of supposed engineering samples straight out of China. According to Gotta Be Mobile, which scored the exclusive, the recently posted images were obtained via “a trusted source inside the Apple supply chain.”
These aren’t working samples, but they reportedly show the measurements, exterior design and port layout of the gadgets. The iPhone 5 sample is a sculpted piece of metal and bears a close resemblance to the iPhone 4S, with one big difference: it’s about a fifth of an inch taller, at around 4.72 inches. That extra length would allow Apple to increase the iPhone’s screen size, as has been widely rumored. If the engineering sample checks out, Apple’s going longer, but not bigger: the width of the iPhone 5 mock-up is roughly the same as the iPhone 4S’s.
The plastic iPad mini sample, which is called an “early design sample,” is a bit more interesting. Pictures of the bottom of the device show that it uses a smaller 19-pin dock connector that has been the subject of several rumors. A pair of speakers sit on either side of the dock connector, centered on the edge of the device, which presumably would make it easier to hold the tablet without covering the speakers with your hand.
The iPad mini’s mold doesn’t include measurements, but Gotta Be Mobile did a pixel-by-pixel analysis of the comparison shot with the iPad above and determined that the iPad mini is about 8.4 inches by 5.6 inches.
Overall, we’re just looking at unconfirmed hunks of plastic and metal and there’s no guarantee these aren’t well done fakes. Apple hasn’t even acknowledged that it’s working on an iPad mini. What do you think: are these snapshots of Apple’s future?
via Gotta Be Mobile
