Apple Has Delivered the iPhone 5 in Locked and Sealed Boxes to Carriers?

In a report which argues for a September release of the iPhone 5 as opposed to an October release, the Guardian says that boxes in which the new iPhone hardware is encased have been delivered to carriers for testing.

The next iPhones go for their testing inside locked and sealed boxes so that the carriers can carry out checks on their network compatibility in their labs. It's very high security, as you could guess; my understanding is that barely anyone inside the carriers gets to open those boxes, and even when they do the hardware is encased in a dummy body which means there's no clue to what the actual phone will do. This, by the way, is what led to "Antennagate": there simply hadn't been enough people outside Apple who had tried the iPhone 4 at length in its real form to discover the problems with its reception.

The Guardian says that with the new iPhones in the system it should only take a few weeks for approval, after which manufacturing will begin. The site thinks barring a manufacturing problem that Apple will launch the new device as early as possible to maximize sales ahead of the holiday season.


Read More [via Jean-Baptiste]