Claimed iPhone ‘4S’ antenna band emerges

Photos showing an antenna band claiming to be for a next-generation iPhone have been published online. The photos, posted by 9to5Mac, show the part in question resting in between matching parts from both GSM and CDMA iPhone 4 units. The new part appears to be a mix of the two, sporting antenna breaks—black lines—in the same places as the CDMA iPhone antenna band, but also having a SIM slot in a position similar to that of the GSM model. The report argues that these similarities suggest that any iPhone model using this band would likely support both GSM and CDMA networks. As a note of interest for case makers, the new part also appears to have its ring/silent switch and volume buttons located in the same position as the corresponding parts on the CDMA iPhone, making it unlikely that further modifications to existing iPhone 4 case designs would be necessary for compatibility with this particular model.