MacRumors

Right on the heels of our "iPhone 4S" antenna photos, comes even more pieces to the puzzle. This image from MacPost.net offers the first look at the back cover of an upcoming iPhone. This prototype part is labeled "EVT" (Engineering Verification Test) and dated June 7, 2011.

What's most revealing about this part is that it is actually labeled with the internal model number "N94". N94 is the model number for what we believe to be a next-generation iPhone. N94 first appeared in SDK code back in iOS 4.3. At the time, the N94 was identified as supporting an A5 processor -- that's the same processor found in the iPad 2.

Meanwhile, the AT&T iPhone 4 carries the model designation N90 while the Verizon iPhone 4 is called the N92. Both current iPhone 4 models use the slower A4 processor.

We also heard about the N94 in April when BGR claimed that it had a photo of a prototype N94 that supported T-Mobile's 3G service. They showed photos of the device at the time. What's interesting to note now is that as best as we can tell, that prototype iPhone had a visible antenna break at the bottom left, and no antenna break in the top left -- just like the iPhone 4, but also just like the leaked antenna parts we posted yesterday. (Unfortunately, the other side of the device is not visible in any of the shots.)

So, here's what we think we know about the N94, based on the circulating rumors

• It looks like an iPhone 4
• Has a redesigned antenna
• Supports T-Mobile
• A5 Processor

So is the N94 the actual iPhone 5? Possibly. MacPost also published photos of associated parts which include items we've seen before. These have been labeled as "iPhone 5" parts in the past, but now seem to be associated with this particular case design. That means all the part leaks we've seen so far are for this iPhone 4-like design. If so, Reuters may have been right in saying that the iPhone 5 will look "largely similar to the iPhone 4". Could this be the cheaper iPhone 4 variant? Also possible, but that would mean Apple would be supplying A5 processors in their "cheap" version as well.

What of the tapered iPhone 5 designs that we've seen circulating? Those were sourced from a ThisIsMyNext article and subsequent case design leak and actual cases for sale. As we've said before, Chinese case manufacturers have a big financial incentive to get case designs ahead of Apple's launch, but they've been wrong before. As far as we can tell, we've not seen any actual part leaks from that rumored thinner/tapered design.

In an article on some of the challenges facing Tim Cook as he steps into his new role as CEO at Apple, The Wall Street Journal briefly notes that Apple is in the process of developing "new technology to deliver video to televisions". The article does not elaborate on what that technology might be, but revives rumors that Apple is seeking to launch a subscription package for television content.

An immediate challenge for Mr. Cook will be to advance Apple's plans in what is expected to be a key market for growth: digital video. Apple is working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service, according to people familiar with the matter. Unlike the iPod and music, where Apple has a commanding position, the battle to rule online video remains wide open and the company faces fierce competition.

Apple has of course been pushing its AirPlay technology for streaming video from iOS devices to its Apple TV set-top box, but the report's context suggests that the technology being referred to is separate from that effort.

Apple has been rumored to be interested in launching an Apple-branded television set, although many of the rumors appear to fall into the category of speculation and wishful thinking. Apple has been very careful about entering the television market, limiting itself primarily to select content offered the iTunes Store and hardware such as the Apple TV for streaming within the Apple ecosystem. The company has expressed concern over the difficult go-to-market strategy for any television offerings, citing the competitive, low-margin market for television sets and the balkanized content arrangements among media and cable companies.

Rumors of a potential "best of television" subscription package surfaced in late 2009, with Disney and CBS said to have been interested in signing on to the service. By the time the iPad launched in early 2010, those plans had apparently been put on hold due to a lack of interest from media companies.

Comex, the hacker behind JailbreakMe.com, is joining Apple as an intern. JailbreakMe.com made it extremely easy for iOS users to jailbreak their devices simply by visiting a website. He announced the hiring on Twitter:

It's been really, really fun, but it's also been a while and I've been getting bored. So, the week after next I will be starting an internship with Apple.

Forbes unmasked Comex as Nicholas Allegra, a 19-year old Brown University student from Chappaqua, NY, by Forbes. In that article, Allegra described jailbreaking as "like editing an English paper... You just go through and look for errors. I don’t know why I seem to be so effective at it."

Allegra's latest jailbreak utilized an exploit in Apple's PDF renderer to run custom software to crack iOS devices. Apple patched the bug after little more than a week, but the elegant solution, and the complete ease with which it allowed users jailbreak their phones, illustrate the talent that Allegra has.

The Forbes article ended by wondering if Apple's security team needs a new intern. It seems that they do, though Allegra didn't specify what he will be working on at Apple.

This isn't the first time Apple has hired from the jailbreak community. Earlier this year MobileNotifier developer Peter Hajas was picked up as an Apple summer intern. Unlike Hajas, however, Allegra has actually been responsible for some of the tools that have made jailbreaking possible on the iPhone.

Apple has been rumored to be building a new, cheaper iPhone 4 ("iPhone 4S") alongside the iPhone 5, for an October launch. This iPhone 4S is believed to use different components and less storage to lower manufacturing costs. It appears Apple may have also taken this opportunity to make changes to the antenna design as well.

New "iPhone 4S" part images we've received from iPatchiPods suggest that the iPhone 4S will look much like the iPhone 4, but with some notable differences in the frame.

The mid-frame images above show that this so-called iPhone 4S will have two antenna breaks at the bottom of the casing. This differs from both the AT&T (GSM) iPhone 4 and Verizon (CDMA) iPhone 4. In AT&T's iPhone, the antenna breaks are in two spots, along the lower left side and top left sides. On the Verizon's model they are both at the top sides of the casing.

The reason for the movement of the antenna breaks is to accommodate different frequencies of the different mobile technologies. This "iPhone 4S" appears to have a slot for a SIM card, suggesting that at a minimum it will support the GSM standard like the original AT&T iPhone 4. It is believed the iPhone 5 will support both GSM and CDMA, but we haven't heard anything definitive about the band support for this iPhone 4S.

Also, of note, the mute switch and volume switches are on the same side of this casing, just like the iPhone 4.

The bottom portion of the frame is shown here. As noted by iFixIt's Scott Head, what's most interesting about this part as compared to the iPhone 4 part, is the lack of any defined "Home Button" area. The corresponding iPhone 4 part shows a cut-out area for the Home Button. It's hard to draw an conclusions from this, but there has been a lot of speculation that Apple could be changing the Home Button area on the iPhone 5.

There still may be some confusion in the parts supply chain about what pieces are intended for what devices, but iPatchiPods' source does believe that these mid-frames are intended for the cheaper revision of the iPhone 4.

With Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook having been elevated to the position of CEO following Steve Jobs' resignation yesterday, a hole has been left in Apple's organizational structure. And while Cook has by all accounts deftly handled operational and other day-to-day aspects of Apple's business during Jobs' several medical leaves of absence, the company will likely at some point look to bring on a new Chief Operating Officer.

AllThingsD takes a look at the potential moves for Apple, judging current senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams as the most likely candidate. Hinting that Apple may have been beginning to deploy its succession plan as long as a year ago, Williams was promoted to his current position in July 2010 as Apple elevated his previous vice president-level position to an executive-level senior vice president position.

An Apple veteran, Williams has worked closely with Cook for over a decade and overseen some of the company’s major supply chain deals. It was Williams, for example, who orchestrated Apple’s massive flash memory purchase in 2005, one that effectively cornered the market for NAND flash and left rivals scrambling for supply. He’s also credited with leading wordlwide operations for the iPhone since the device first launched.

Williams joined Apple as head of worldwide procurement in 1998, arriving at nearly the same time as Tim Cook following Steve Jobs' return to the company. In 2004, Williams was promoted to the position of vice president of operations. At the time of his elevation to senior vice president, it was thought that Williams was being groomed to succeed Cook as COO should Cook take on the CEO role. Now that Cook's promotion has taken place, it seems natural that Williams might step into the COO role at whatever point Apple decides it needs to fill the position.

For its part, Apple hasn't commented on any potential future organizational changes, but insists that any transitions would be smooth.

Apple spokesperson Katie Cotton stopped short of denying further organization changes down the road, but she did insist the transition will be smooth.

“Apple is not going to change,” Cotton told AllThingsD. “Apple is a company and culture unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.”

Cook himself has expressed similar sentiments to Apple employees, embracing the new opportunity and promising to "stay true" to the culture and vision of Apple.

PCMag.com reports that Steve Jobs' authorized biography, initially slated for a March 2012 release but recently bumped up to a November 21st debut, will be updated to include details on his resignation as Apple CEO yesterday. The changes will not result in a delay for the book's release.

Publisher Simon & Schuster said the highly anticipated tell-all biography, written by acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson, will include Wednesday night's announcement from Jobs' point of view.

Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Tracey Guest told PCMag that Isaacson "speaks to Jobs regularly and is still working on the final chapter of the book."

The biography, simply titled "Steve Jobs", is the first authorized look at Steve Jobs' life. It is being written by former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson and is based on over 40 interviews with Jobs and additional interviews with over 100 colleagues, friends, and family members. Jobs has offered his complete cooperation with the effort, making no subject off-limits and not requesting the right to review material before publication.

Ars Technica reports that new Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent out an email to Apple employees expressing his enthusiasm for officially taking the reins of the company and reassuring employees that "Apple is not going to change." The full text of the email:

Team:

I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision I've ever made and it's been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steve's optimism for Apple's bright future.

Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steve's ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman.

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple's unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is.

Tim

Cook has gained a solid reputation for his leadership abilities and work to streamline Apple's operations. He has also clearly embraced the Apple concept as revealed by the "Cook Doctrine" he laid out over two years ago as he took on the role of overseeing Apple's day-to-day operations during one of Steve Jobs' medical leaves of absence.

TUAW's Michael Grothaus, a former Apple employee, also offers a personal impression of Tim Cook, noting the thoughtfulness and careful consideration he gives when speaking as an example of his leadership abilities "sans ego".

Tim Cook is one of those rare people who stop and think before speaking. Standing in the same room with him I realized that he's comfortable with silence as long as that silence is productive and appropriate. He's not like other tech execs who ramble almost immediately and incoherently at any question lobbed at them, as if doing so will convince others they know everything about everything.

Tim Cook is a person who has confidence in his position as a leader, sans ego. Ego doesn't take pauses. It's rapid-fire. And it's that confidence and lack of ego that allows him the time to examine the issues and questions at hand, no matter how lowly or silly others may think them, and address them appropriately.

Cook has been at Apple since 1998, and while he has played a primary role in hosting Apple's earnings conference calls, he has until relatively recently remained quietly in the background when it comes to Apple's mainstream public appearances. But the company in recent months has been making a more active role for him, most notably as the on-stage representative for Apple at the introduction of the Verizon iPhone earlier this year.

With Steve Jobs' resignation as Apple CEO yesterday, there have been many reflections on his career and the impact he had on shaping Apple, the technology industry, and beyond. The New York Times takes an interesting perspective on his attention to detail, noting that Jobs has been named as an inventor on a total of 313 Apple patents. Of those, Jobs appears as the lead inventor 33 times.

Image from Jobs' glass staircase patent

Mr. Jobs appears as the principal inventor or as one inventor among several on 313 Apple patents. Most are design patents that cover the look and feel of a product, rather than utility patents, which may cover a technical innovation like a software algorithm or computer chip.

Still, the number of patents is far larger than those granted to most other technology company chiefs, including those whose technical breakthroughs and inventions were instrumental to their companies’ success. Just nine Microsoft patents carry the name of Bill Gates, who was a co-founder of the company and its chief executive for more than two decades before stepping down in 2000. And little more than a dozen Google patents carry the names of co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, according to a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Web site.

The New York Times has put together an interactive feature highlighting Apple patents attributed to Jobs. More than 200 of the patents attributed to Jobs also list Apple design guru Jonathan Ive, indicating the close collaboration between the two in creating the vision for Apple's products.