Sonny Dickson

Move over, Alexa: Apple is reportedly finalizing design for its rumored Siri/AirPlay device

Australian leakster Sonny Dickson shared on Twitter this morning some pretty interesting development concerning Apple's rumored standalone Siri device. According to Sonny'a tweet, Apple is currently finalizing designs for its Alexa competitor which he claims is expected to be “marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device.”

The description might indicate that the rumored device could be positioned as an inexpensive HDMI dongle focused on streaming, AirPlay and Siri, akin to Google Chromecast. Bloomberg reported last September that such a device was in prototype testing.

iPhone 8 (iPhone 7s?) design drawing shows vertical cameras & Touch ID on the backside

Apple is testing at least ten different iPhone prototypes and Bloomberg said yesterday that one of the designs being considered features an aluminum back rather than a glass one, and slightly larger dimensions. Today, Australian leakster Sonny Dickson tweeted out an image of what appears to be a technical drawing for an aluminum iPhone 8 prototype (could it instead be an iPhone 7s prototype?) that shows vertically aligned dual cameras and a fingerprint sensor on the backside.

Check out stealth case for iPhone prototypes Apple uses to prevent leaks

More than six years ago, an Apple engineer mistakenly left an iPhone 4 prototype on a bar stool in a nice German beer garden in Redwood City, California. The rest, as they say, is history.

The random dude who originally found it didn't really have a clue he'd gotten hold of Apple's biggest secret at the time as the prototype device was cleverly disguised as an ordinary iPhone 3GS.

Australian leakster Sonny Dickson gave MacRumors a closer look at a special stealth case Apple uses to prevent leaks and conceal handset prototypes during transport between its Cupertino headquarters and manufacturing partners in China.

Early click wheel and icon-based iPhone prototypes shown in new video

After sharing images and a video of an early-stage prototype iPhone software based on iPod's click wheel interface, leakster Sonny Dickson is back at it with another wonderful piece of Apple history.

A new video posted on Dickson's website pits a pair of early iPhone prototypes against each other: Tony Fadell’s “P1” device based on the click wheel UI and ex-iOS chief Scott Forstall's “P2” project.

Rumor: Apple seeding first iOS 10.3 beta on January 10 with new ‘Theatre’ mode

Apple is going to begin seeding iOS 10.3 betas next week, reports Sonny Dickson. The noted tipster tweeted out over the weekend that iOS 10.3 beta 1 is currently scheduled to be released to developers on January 10 with an all-new 'Theatre' mode.

Dickson doesn't go into detail on exactly what 'Theatre' mode is, but does say that it will feature a popcorn-shaped icon in Control Center. It's possible this is a stealth mode of sorts, with either a dimmed display or dark UI assets for less distraction.

Sonny Dickson posts nice-looking iPhone 7/Plus photos, but are they genuine?

Noted Australian leakster Sonny Dickson, who made a name for himself by supplying a steady stream of photos showing genuine components for unreleased Apple products, has been pretty silent lately. Silent, but not inactive.

Yesterday, Dickson re-joined the rumor game by tweeting out a pair of quality images that appear to show off a 4.7-inch variant of the iPhone 7 next to its 5.5-inch brethren. Both devices are in Rose Gold and have a tweaked camera design on their backside.

Leaked photos of iPhone 6 logic board with NFC chip appear

Sonny Dickson, known for his accurate leaks of iPhone and iPad parts, is back to fluster faces at Apple today with newly released images of the logic board from an iPhone 6, complete with an NFC chip made by NXP, as previously reported. Courtesy of Feld&Volk, the leaked photos show several additional chips on the iPhone 6's logic board besides NFC, including the AVAGO chip and Apple's A8 processor, which is supposed to be 2.0 GHz, quite a bit faster than the 1.3GHz A7 chip.

More evidence that iPhone 6 and new iPads may ship with fully reversible Lightning cable

This past Friday, a pair of images appeared ostensibly showing off an upcoming Lightning cable variant featuring a reversible connector on the USB side.

Now additional and fairly credible-looking shots have surfaced, supporting the thesis that the new Lightning cable will feature a brand new, smaller and fully reversible USB 3.1 Type-C connector.

More importantly, the latest batch of images for the first time depict a bunch of Lightning to USB cables in their retail boxes, serving as the strongest indication yet that the upcoming new iPhones and iPads will most likely ship with the new cable. One publication was even able to verify that iTunes recognized the cable as an officially sanctioned product...

How iPhone 6 may be suited for one-handed use

Shortly after Apple released the iPhone 5s in September 2013, KGI Securities' Ming Chi-Kuo speculated that a future larger-screened iPhone won't go beyond five inches for Apple, in the analyst's own words, would be foolish to abandon its “unwavering principle of one hand use”.

A year earlier, Apple for the first time publicly articulated its philosophy in an iPhone 5 television commercial dubbed 'Thumb', which pictures a user comfortably operating the four-inch device using only their thumb.

So, what engineering and design feats might the handset employ in order to make it suitable for one-handed use? Read on for the full reveal...

New iPhone 6 rear shell photos show protruding camera lens and round True Tone LED flash

Although everyone's favorite parts leaker, Australia-born Sonny Dickson, has remained mostly mum in terms of iPhone 6 component leaks this year, Tuesday morning he took to Twitter to share high-resolution photos of an alleged iPhone 6 rear shell which seem to match up nicely with the leaks we recently saw.

In addition to the antenna breaks at the top and the bottom replacing the glass cutouts seen on the iPhone 5/5s, the images appear to depict an iPod touch-style protruding lens for the device. Also clearly visible on the photos: a circular dual-LED flash module that Apple calls 'True Tone' flash...

Video: limited bending stress test of iPhone 6’s claimed sapphire cover

Our favorite parts leaker, Australia-born Sonny Dickson, is back at it again with a new video that seems to offer a look at an alleged sapphire-strengthened cover glass, presumably for Apple's next iPhone.

As you know, all iPhones models incorporate Gorilla Glass designed and produced by U.S.-based company Corning.

That being said, pundits have been calling for a sapphire iPhone ever since Apple earlier in the year confirmed prepaying over half a billion dollars to GT Advanced to secure multi-year supply of sapphire glass on an exclusive basis.

For those unfamiliar with sapphire, Wikipedia is your friend. In a nutshell, the precious gemstone's hardness is second only to diamond, making it a no-brainer for the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6...

Apple gets help from Chinese authorities to fight iPhone 6 leaks

There has been an abundance of iPhone 6 rumors and leaks over the past several months, ranging from alleged photos of the back cover and backlight panels to 3D printed mockup models and purported cases for the 5.5-inch smartphone. But the leaked information could be coming to a halt, as the well-connected Sonny Dickson tweets that Apple has enlisted the help of 200 security officers in China to catch anyone suspected of selling iPhone 6 accessories…