We've seen a number of supposed iPad 3 parts recently, and this latest one shows the front glass and digitizer assembly with the layout remaining largely the same as that of the iPad 2, with no changes to the Home button, front-facing camera position or ambient light sensor arrangement. If the pictures, which come by way of Sina Weibo, are accurate, the only recognizable change is the ribbon cable on the side of the glass, which extends roughly half-way up the device as opposed to the iPad 2 which has a shorter cable with a sideways orientation.

A separate post from the same person claims the rumored A5X SoC includes a dual-core processor instead of quad-core, in addition to the iPad 3 coming with full support for Siri, which has so far remained exclusive to the iPhone 4S.

Other recent component leaks indicate a thicker, more tapered back, a logic board with possible A5X chipset and the supposed Retina display put under a microscope.

Additional notes indicate Apple plans to release iOS 5.1 alongside the iPad 3, which is expected to be announced on March 7th with a Retina display and possible 4G LTE. BGR previously heard rumors of iOS 5.1 hitting on March 9th, which could be when Apple plans to deliver devices to consumers, but we'll have to wait for the official announcement next month.

Source: Sina Weibo via Apple.pro, MacRumors

Gorilla Glass 2 won't say anything about any connection to Apple or Apple products, but live at CES 2012, they're more than happy to share details of their new, 20% thinner, every bit as strong new Gorilla Glass 2.0. Now 20% may not sound like a big deal but a lot of device weight comes from adding glass components to devices and when you shed off 20% you're removing not only thickness but weight as well, giving manufacturers the ability to create lighter, thinner products.

It'll still be a while before devices turn up making use of Gorilla Glass but it's something to keep in mind the next time you hear a company stake claim to the thinnest, lightest of any product. It could be because of Gorilla Glass 2 and you may never know it!

Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes is once again beating the drum on rumors they spurred up back in May about Apple prepping a curved-glass design across iOS devices including the iPhone 6 for 2012.

Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad

As always with rumors from Digitimes we urge you to take this with a 3.5-inch grain of salt. Apple supposedly purchased upwards of 300 glass cutting machines earlier in the year that they've stored in warehouses until production yield rates meet their requirements, and glass makers have had a hard time entertaining the idea of producing curved glass for Apple because of capital costs.

We'll have to wait until next year before we see if Apple pushes out an iPhone with a curved-glass display... or if they're just using them for all the windows on their new mothership HQ.

Source: Digitimes

Perhaps to save weight, the glass screen of the iPad 2 is 27% thinner than the glass screen on the original iPad yet this new test by iFixYouri shows it might be even stronger. Or to quote them:

“That glass was redonkulously strong!”

The increase in strength seems to come from greater flexibility. They performed a number of tests, including drops, without breaking the glass. Video after the break.

[9to5Mac and iFixYouri]

According to a translated Chinese source (I know, a little sketchy to say the least) the iPhone 5 will revert to an aluminum back panel, in place of the latest generation's entire glass affair. The picture above is a concept however we would expect Apple to also provide a flash for the camera!

The source claims that Apple will dump the glass panel due to problems with scratching, breaking and the weight of the panel. The iPhone 5 is claimed to more resemble the latest iPod touch design. The original iPhone also had an aluminum rear panel and many still believe this model had the best build quality.

The antennae will also face a redesign according to the same source; the new placement will be on the rear of the phone via a resin made Apple logo. The side exposed antennas will be abandoned. This is not much of a surprise after all the bad press Apple received over the death grip/touch.

What do you think? Would you prefer an aluminum back panel? Do you like the iPhone 4 glass back panel? Let us know in the comments!

[MacRumors]

You didn't really think we'd let you get through a day without setting the iPhone 4 down next to the iPhone 3GS, did you?

The verdict? Well obviously we prefer the iPhone 4, but we will say that the lack of a curved back has us flipping the device around quite a bit post-pocket-pull. But the iPhone 4 is thinner, feels nicer to our hands, and... well there are a lot of "ands," the last of which is ...and you'll have to wait for our full review for our full opinion.

Ok, we'll let one thing out now: while you may have pooh-poohed the Retina display from what you've seen before, when it comes to viewing text there's just plain nothing else like it out there. We've included a detail shot of the Retina Display up against the iPhone 3GS's display after the break (along with the rest of the gallery) and we're pretty sure it'll put most arguments to rest. Yes, it's not necessary to read web pages or ebooks, but seeing electronic text at this level of refinement changes you, deep down, and suddenly all other electronic text looks like amateur-hour.

There has been a good deal of debate about the strength and durability of the glass front and back plates on the new iPhone 4. I have to admit, I worry that this doubles the chances that I will scratch, crack or break my iPhone 4. Others feel that the iPhone 4 glass will be exceptionally durable with one person even mentioning that the glass will be bullet proof, similar to the glass on military tanks. I am not that optimistic.

Apple talked about the iPhone 4 face/back glass properties in their promo video:

"We developed a custom glass that’s comparable in strength to sapphire crystal but about 30 times harder than plastic. This glass is not only used on the front of the phone but on the back as well."

Sapphire has a rating of 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which is quite strong. Diamond (the strongest mineral) has a rating of 10. That being said, even a diamond is not shatterproof. If hit with a hammer a diamond will smash to dust. It can also chip or be damaged from a drop on the floor.

We've seen other chemically treated screens before, like Corning's Gorilla Glass, that promise very high levels of durability. Yes, there is a video of the iPhone 4 glass being bent about 20 degrees, and that is quite impressive. Though once the glass is assembled onto the iPhone 4 aluminum frame, when is this attribute ever going to be needed? If I drop the iPhone 4 on my tiled floor, its cute bending trick is completely useless to me.

iFixyouri state that they had their hands on iPhone 4 faceplates (no the whole phone, no the internal parts, just the faceplate). It's unknown if what they had represents the final production version of the glass, but they decided to drop test it anyway, face down, on a hard floor from 3.5 ft. After three drops the purported iPhone 4 glass shattered. They also claimed that the iPhone 4 has a design flaw which will cause it to be more prone to glass damage. This flaw is that the glass actually sits above the stainless steel bezel as opposed to the iPhone 3G, which has the glass almost flush to the aluminum and is hence more protected by it.

If the iPhone 4 glass were shatterproof, wouldn't Apple have said so? Wouldn't Apple have demonstrated that in their video? We watched the glass bending, why not see it being struck or dropped and not breaking? (Perhaps even better yet we would have seen Steve pick up a AK47 unleash a round or two on the iPhone 4 and then gingerly pick it up dust it off and say, “now folks that’s magic.”)

Perhaps this glass is strong, perhaps stronger than any of the iPhones in production but shatterproof?

What do you expect from Apple's new glass? Have at it in the comments.

[ViaiFixyouri]

Following up on the crazy that was yesterday's iPhone G4 (iPhone HD/iPhone 4G) hardware leaks, Daring Fireball looked into the glass-like backing of the device, and brings up an old Apple patent for fancy, futuristic ceramics:

Multiple sources familiar with the next iPhone have confirmed to me that the back is made out of some sort of fancy glass — and looks pretty much exactly like what’s pictured at Engadget. [...] reader Antoine Hebert emailed with this 2006 Apple patent, for high-durability ceramic enclosures. Glass-like appearance and feel but far stronger and more scratch resistant. And: radio transparent.

We know the current, hi-tech plastic back on the iPhone 3GS (and iPhone 3G before it) is so durable it will not blend, so will glass-like ceramics be equally tough? Tough enough to survive a fall?

Meanwhile, 9to5Mac points us to a Korea Times where Samsung seems to confirm Apple will be using their own system-on-a-chip (SoC) for the 4th generation iPhone, like it does with the Apple A4 for the iPad.

If that chip is as blazing fast as we hope it will be, maybe ceramics is a better choice for the backing anyway. What do you think?

Welcome to From the Forums. If you are curious as to what all of the hot topics are on the TiPb forums, this is the place to be. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

Our first thread of the day includes a poll and comes to us from cobra302 - Glass up or down? Are you one of the brave few who actually set their iPhone face down?

Like c0mpguru mentions in the following thread, MMS is finally coming to your iPhone on September 25th. Most of you should be excited judging from the anger and outrage from this long delay but we want to know have your feelings changed what so ever toward AT&T?

So you are having an issue with your iPhone and need some help? Perhaps you have some time to kill and feel like helping others with their iPhone issues? If you answered yes to either of these questions then please stop by and visit our dedicated iPhone Help forum.

See you on the forums!

Apple has finished their investigation in the case of the exploding iPhones/Pods and the results are not shocking - the battery malfunction theory has been rejected. It was first rumored that defective batteries were more than likely the cause of the devices going boom but as it turns out, excess force was the reason - according to Apple.

"The iPhones with broken glass that we have analysed to date show that in all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone."

With 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods sold to date, Apple claims there are zero confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports of overheating they have investigated are in the single digits.

So are you buying what Apple is selling? Could these isolated incidents actually be due to excessive force in every case or could there still be something up with those batteries? What do you think?

[Via Mac Daily News}