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Chinese popstar leaks suspected iPhone 5 on Weibo

Summary: Former Chinese teen idol Jimmy Lin, who has over 13.6 million followers on microblogging site Weibo, posted a picture of him using the yet-to-be-unveiled iPhone.

Cyrus Lee

By Cyrus Lee for View from China |

"It has been confirmed today that the iPhone 5 will indeed become longer," Jimmy Lin stated on his Weibo update on Saturday.

"It uses the same iPad aluminum alloy and a 4-inch screen, which has become thinner so it feels almost the same on [your] hand," Lin said in Weibo, with a photo collection of the suspected new iPhone.

Jimmy Lin -- iPhone 5

Lin added that the headphone jack also has been placed at bottom of the handset, and as reported, the iPhone 5 will use a smaller 19-pin connector instead of current 30 pin connector.

The blog, which was posted at Sep. 1 evening, has been shared over 160,000 times by the morning of Sep. 3 in China and drew nearly 40,000 comments.

Lin, a Taiwan-born popstar and actor, became a superstar across Greater China overnight at the age of 17 when he released his debut album in 1992. His album sales exceeded 10 million when he was only 20 years old, according to Chinese reports.

Currently, Lin is a professional racecar driver and entrepreneur in Taiwan, where iPhone's contracted manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group is also based.

Topics: iPhone, Apple, iPad, China

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21 comments
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  • WoW same old, same old

    I can only hope this is a fake, as another iPhone sporting that ancient UI and clunky look really isn't needed.

    It's the equivalent of a new model car with stage 3 cigarette lighter, dynatuned wheel covers and lowered door handles ;-)
    Tony_McS
    Reply 9 Votes

    • It's a counterfeit

      Brought to you from the latest back alley in the middle of Shanghai
      Cylon Centurion
      Reply 5 Votes

      • Apple doesn't seem to mind

        So why should anyone else?
        HypnoToad72
        Reply Vote

        • If it throws off the competition

          Good for them. Unlike those bogus Apple stores in China they closed down.

          I guess they really didn't seem to mind that, either... //sarcasm//
          Cylon Centurion
          Reply 1 Vote

    • Maybe you need to buy

      A Metrosexual Windows phone. You know the not quite heterosexual phone. you seem to fill the bill: A metro sexual is often associated with getting manicures, facials, & massages, as well as using "products" and shopping at nice clothing stores.
      Troll Hunter J
      Reply 1 Vote

      • LOL! So defensive and insecure!!!

        Who the hell even mentioned Windows Phone dumbass? Nobody!!! Yet you jump in and start attacking with some Windows Phone troll. You couldn't be anymore defensive and insecure if you tried.
        jhammackHTH
        Reply 1 Vote

        • Was he talking about you?

          The metrosexual?

          lol...
          Cylon Centurion
          Reply 1 Vote

  • I hope this is fake, otherwise goodbye apple :(

    This is just plain boring if this is real, for Apple's sake I hope it's a fake, the 4S is far more attractive than this thing. If Apple don't give us something new and fresh I can see them losing marketshare, come on Apple, make us believe this isn't real, please.
    simmomelb
    Reply 4 Votes

    • they wont lose marketshare

      and wont gain either.
      polarcat
      Reply Vote

  • Looks legit

    Whomever gave him the prototype will be up sheet creek.
    BTW, it has not come to the point of realization that Apple does not believe bigger is better. they will not make a larger screen than the 4 inch which is puny.

    I was set to get the Note 2 but the lack of publicity, the degrading and insulting Samsung Customer Support is enough for me to bite my tongue and go for quality rather than functionality. I will have no choice but to get an iPhone 5 and tether it to some other Android Jelly Bean tablet that is made by anyone else other than Samsung.
    Spaztic888
    Reply Vote

  • KIRF

    That iPhone is not a working prototype. Keeping it real fake.
    DreyerSmit
    Reply Vote

  • Wait!

    Wait, it looks like the calendar app actually shows the current date now..! Progress. ;) And they aped Microsoft's live tile idea... badly.
    Han CNX
    Reply Vote

    • Always did

      The calendar app always showed the current date.
      DarthRidiculous
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Be prepared to be disappointed

    iOS6 is boring, so the elusive (so far) iPhone5 will be a huge disappointment
    owllnet
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Point of talk

      That's right, owl. It has that ancient UI and clunky look. It's the equivalent of a new model car with stage 3 cigarette lighter, dynatuned wheel covers and lowered door handles ;-)
      Robert Hahn
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Hmm

    this looks dissapointing... don't think ill trade in my 4s anytime soon... ofc plenty of other apple lemmings will buy anything just to be able to say "hah i got the latest model".. (I fell for that trap once with Siri and siri turned out to be junk so... ye never again :p)
    DJK2
    Reply Vote

  • hopefully....NOT

    I've been waiting for this new phone since the 4s came out and decided NOT to get it because it was the same thing going from the 3g to the 3gs. need some better improvements here......and a taller screen doesnt do it for me
    necrojojo
    Reply Vote

  • Looks like Apple is slowly returning to the Pre Jobs days

    As soon as their current momentum runs out, they will be done. Another company that fails to know history. RIM and Palm were both #1. Then their products froze in time with very little change from year to year, thinking they had the killer product that would stand the test of time. Both of them were knocked off by the bigger and better product. Apple is sadly now heading down this road.
    DarthRidiculous
    Reply Vote

  • Hmm.

    "Lin added that the headphone jack also has been placed at bottom of the handset, and as reported, the iPhone 5 will use a smaller 19-pin connector instead of current 30 pin connector."

    Wonder why the connector change? Hopefully not just to "legacy-ize" previous models. Then again that would be just like Apple.
    edsusta
    Reply Vote

    • I still remember when the iMac came out...

      ... and thought "well, that's pretty much the end of ADB, on-board SCSI, and serial ports unless you wanted to play with dongles or get a PowerMac or an older model."

      While the 30 pin is going to stick around for a little while longer (iPad refresh and phasing out older model phones), it's days are definitely numbered if this turns out to be THE phone. However, I'm thinking not - Apple would either return to the oval-shaped cutouts for microphone and speaker they've used since the original iPhone, or they'd use speaker grills similar to the MacBook Pro design.
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote
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