OK, without wishing to gush about the device any more than is sick-makingly necessary, I have to admit the hardware design of the thing is seriously impressive. Just look at the size (or lack of size) of that logic board, which presumably is under the metal shielding unless it's hidden away elsewhere. The device is literally ALL battery and screen.

Great hardware design, Apple.

You don't need much space for c**p.

This is certainly going to be an impressive bit of kit when it comes out. Should be a fairly exciting device (not that I'll be buying it). It also looks quite nice, especially for a prototype, although not in the state its pictured above!!

Chip?

Actually that's the main reason they've been able to shrink it down. Instead of using mutiple chipsets, i heard they use a single SoC (Apple A4, which is their own version of Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX).

While I'm not a fan of the company or its policies, I'm focusing on the hardware here which is anything but "cr**p".

The iPhone 3GS hardware is pretty much a match for the N900 every side up apart from the lower resolution screen (plus it has a digital compass...), and this new device is speculated to have a higher resolution screen in which case it may well be the equal of the N900 hardware but with a logic board a fraction of the size.

Why does that matter? Bigger battery for a start and/or smaller & slimmer device, not to mention lower manufacturing costs (in the long run). I love my N900, but it's a beast.

Credit where credit is due, it's a feat of engineering.

Lets not let alliegences ruin an otherwise open discussion about an engineering marvel.

@ Millhouse, thats one helluva small board. In reality, you have to take your hat off to Apple. I'm not a fan because they have a seriously locked down OS, but the technology that they have crammed into these new gen iPhones is unreal. And you've also got to hand it to them - that's one slim phone.... At least when you brick it with an N900, you can actually use it as a keystone for a bridge. You brick the iPhone and you could only just about use it as a coaster!

Cr**p? Crisp? I'd say it's pretty crisp personally.

Makes you wonder really, when the technology exists to allow the multifunctionality of phones like the N900 and the iPhone, how long will actually be before we are all using PC's with equivalent power to your desktop at home on the move, and you pick it up and put it into your pocket....

Intel have just released the latest processor, the i7 980X which runs 6 dedicated native cores. All with Hyperthreading technology. Meaning in Task Manager you see 12 cores. Sick.

Crop?
I need a lot of space lol for my farmville crop

it is impressive but the 3G's hardware is a match for match?

- As u mentioned, lower resolution
- Far less built in memory, and no external memory option
- Inferior camera (photo and video)
- Inferior sound quality (N900's speakers arent the best but far better than the 3G)

I think he's talking basics as in cpu and gpu.

from a hardware perspective This is better

http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/...sassembly.html

its got a removable battery, sd card slot and a 5mpix camera, in a slimmer and smaller case.
oh and a keyboard.