Wednesday, March 9, 2011

64GB iPhone 4 prototype spotted in China? (Updated)

If 32GB just isn't enough to carry your entire collection of Police bootlegs and Greatest Hits compilations, prepare to look enviously upon this bastion of storage salvation. It's a 64GB iPhone 4, a supposed prototype leaked by a Foxconn employee. M.I.C. Gadget scored a quick video of the phone, even prying off the back cover revealing internals that certainly look official. The back is curiously designated "XXGB," which thankfully does not indicate a turn to Roman Numerals, while the model number and FCC ID are similarly X'd out. Other details, like a missing silver ring around the camera lens, indeed make this look like a prototype, but of course the question now is whether this plucky little handset will ever follow its dreams of becoming a production model before getting relegated to obsolescence.

Update: We went over to the Sin Tak shopping mall in Hong Kong to get up close and personal with this mysterious device. Shockingly, the folks wanted a hefty HK$13,500 (US$1,734) for their phone, but this alone doesn't really prove whether it's a legit Foxconn prototype. We also got some folks to run the numbers through Apple's system, and while the serial number is invalid, the model number indicates that this device was manufactured in early 2010, which probably means at one point Apple intended to release a 64GB version of the iPhone 4, but then changed its mind. Ah well, let's see what this summer will bring us.