Yesterday, as part of a report detailing a rumored timeframe for iPhone 5 pre-order and launch dates, 9to5Mac included an image of what appears to be an iPhone display assembly production line that had been posted to Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. The photo was also posted to the forums at Chinese site WeiPhone.com with a different watermark, so it is unclear what the original source of the image is.
While the image is not of high enough resolution to make definitive statements about the display might look like, the front panels appear very similar to those of the iPhone 4 but may be slightly larger. Suggestions of an elongated home button area have also been made, although it looks to us more like a sticker in the general vicinity of the home button hole due to an irregular shape and an inconsistent appearance from panel to panel presumably due to slight differences in the placement of the sticker.
M.I.C gadget reports that a reply to the original message on Sina Weibo claimed that the picture must have been taken at display manufacturer Wintek's facilities, although it is unclear if that is a specific claim or simply speculation.
It seems impossible to make any definitive statements about whether the display assemblies shown in the photo differ from those used in the iPhone 4, and so we are primarily posting the photo for interest and discussion.
Top Rated Comments
There may be more curvature on the sides where the buttons resides, but it's hard to tell from the picture.
The displays are attached to a microscope, they don't look like computer monitors.
Unless it's iDust, which as we know has magical properties.
Hope that camera's clean.