Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/14/apple_iphone_at_large/
Apple's eagerly anticipated 'iPhone' may have made an unscheduled appearance in public this week - on the front page of a Paris newspaper. French publication 20 Minutes on Tuesday splashed a picture of the device on an edition of the paper timed to coincide with the opening of Apple Expo Paris.
French phone-oriented website PDA France snapped the cover (http://www.pdafrance.com?www.reghardware.co.uk), revealing a black, iPod-like handset with numeric pad, call make and break keys and an iPod Shuffle-style clickwheel-esque navigation control. There's what appears to be a memory card slot - Mini SD? - on the device's left-hand side.
(http://www.pdafrance.com?www.reghardware.co.uk)
Image courtesy PDA France
On the back is a square recess, presumably for the camera, which matches the iSight webcam lens on Apple's latest desktop and notebook Macs.
A hoax? An artist's impression? We're tempted to think either might be the case, but PDA France is adamant that the image was credited by the magazine to Apple itself.
We're still not completely convinced - it's easy enough to create a fake magazine front page and add such touches for verisimilitude.
The cover was published before Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the company's latest iPod designs and the iTV set-top box. It had been speculated in some quarters that the company would also show off the much-rumoured iPhone, though in the end, no such revelation was made. ®
Why the Apple phone will fail, and fail badly (23 December 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/23/iphone_will_fail/
The book is open for a Macworld launch of the iPhone (23 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/23/betting_on_the_iphone/
Google and Apple in iTV content talks (18 September 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/18/google_apple_talk_itv/
Macs in better service than PCs shocker (15 September 2006)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2006/09/15/which_computer_survey/
Apple iPhone 'on track' for early '07 intro, mole claims (15 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/15/apple_iphone_coming_jan/
Apple goes iPod mad (12 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/12/apple_ipod_itv/
iPods now doubling as alcohol breathalysers (12 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/12/ibreath_for_ipod/
Apple patents convergent handheld ... thing (7 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/07/apple_handheld_thing_patent/
Apple mobile due early 2007, analyst claims (6 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/06/apple_iphone_in_six_months/
Synaptics gets touchy-feely with smart phone concept (21 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/21/synaptics_touts_onyx_concept_phone/
SoftBank denies Apple iPhone partnership (15 May 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05/15/softbank_denies_apple_iphone_deal/
Apple 'iPhone' coming tomorrow/delayed to 2007* (31 March 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/03/31/apple_iphone_speculation/
BenQ exec claims Apple's iPhone 'definitely coming' (23 March 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/03/23/apple_ipod_phone_benq/