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iPhone 6 Photos Tease A Favorite Android Feature

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Two new iPhone 6 photos offer a look inside an iPhone 6 part that teases the potential for Android style notifications through a backlit Apple logo on the rear of the iPhone 6.

Although this is a tempting feature for some potential iPhone 6 users this leak does not confirm Apple’s plans for a new light up Apple logo on the back of the iPhone, even if the parts are legit.

Several alleged iPhone 6 photos show the back of the iPhone 6 with an opening in the logo area, but this new set shows a fill in place that is thin enough to allow light to pass through.

Alleged iPhone 6 photos show a logo cover that some believe means a notification LED in the logo.

Alleged iPhone 6 photos show a logo cover that some believe means a notification LED in the logo.

This leads Uswitch to conclude that this may be part of a new iPhone 6 notification system that lights up the Apple logo for incoming calls and other notifications. Many Android phones include an LED somewhere on the device that flashes different colors to indicate incoming notifications and outstanding notifications.

There are many things Apple could do to improve notifications from iOS 7 to iOS 8, but adding a light up Apple logo to the iPhone 6 is low on the list of ways that Apple could deliver meaningful iOS 8 notification features.

It is very possible that this is a real iPhone 6 part. The overall look matches other leaks and Sonny Dickson is adamant that this is a part for the real iPhone 6 and that the iPhone 6 release date in two months will prove him correct. Dickson stops short of confirming the opening on the back of the iPhone 6 part is for a backlit logo that Apple will use for notifications.

The Apple logo could pull double duty on the iPhone 6, but there's a better option than notifications.

The Apple logo could pull double duty on the iPhone 6, but there’s a better option than notifications.

This is very plausible. We are now in the time when iPhone 6 parts leaks should start to appear with some frequency and with more details and information than the early leaks as Apple starts iPhone 6 production and it becomes harder to contain the parts coming from a variety of suppliers.

Apple famously uses a backlit logo on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Aside from the aluminum, this is one of the easiest ways to tell someone is using a MacBook. Apple does not use a special LED or light source for this backlit Apple logo, just the glow from the screen that is already on when someone is using the MacBook.

The design of the iPhone necessitates a battery and logic board packed into the frame between the LCD and the back of the iPhone. This rules out using the screen to light this logo up, which means Apple would need to use an extra LED to add this feature. LED lights do not use much battery life, and adding one that lights up the Apple logo on the iPhone 6 would make more sense than using a screen to backlight the logo. While it is possible that Apple will add a notification LED to the back of the iPhone 6 it seems like a non-essential feature.

Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President of Design at Apple is a fan of simplicity, describing the endeavor in an interview as, “The quest for simplicity has to pervade every part of the process. It really is fundamental.” In the Steve Jobs Biography, Ive speaks about removing the non-essential parts of a product, ” You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.”

The iPad used the logo for WiFi signals, and we could see a similar use on the iPhone 6. Image via IFixit.

The iPad used the logo for WiFi signals, and we could see a similar use on the iPhone 6. Image via iFixit.

Steve Jobs reportedly challenged Ive to determine if a part is absolutely necessary, asking, “Do we need this part? Can we get it to perform the function of the other four parts?” With that in mind, a clearer purpose for the iPhone 6 logo is to facilitate radio communication that the new design with more metal complicates.  

In 2010 Apple patented a method of using a logo on the back of an iPhone or iPad to facilitate radio communication. The original iPad used the Apple Logo on the back for better WiFi connectivity. This feature seems more likely than a backlit Apple logo or an Apple logo that borrows the notification LED found on Android smartphones.

 

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