Proof that the infamous "Enable 3G" iPhone screenshot is a photoshop
Click here to learn how to take a screenshot on your iPhone.
Do you remember this screenshot?
It ran circles through tech-sites and iPhone blogs.
In a previous article we wrote that this screenshot is photoshopped digitally altered.
And guess what? We were 100% right.
How do we know we were right? Follow along.
It all began when the Chronic Productions Blog author had found the following string in the latest iPhone firmware:
[click here for cached link]
The post went up on May 10th, 2008.
Someone named 'SJobs' leaked Chronic's post to MacRumours.
MacRumours instantly released an article on the existence of an "Enable 3G" screen in the beta 5 firmware. However, in between Chronic's post and MacRumours' post - an actual screen shot boasting the "Enable 3G" preference was born.
Once MacRumours released this article with a photoshopped digitally altered screenshot - the wave begun. Check out all the sites this image made it's way to.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/10/newsflash-firmware-2-0-hints-suggest-apple-might-be-working-on/
http://gizmodo.com/389327/new-iphone-firmware-beta-has-a-3g-onoff-switch-i-wish-it-was-automatic
...and these are just the bigger sites. There were dozens of iPhone blogs who released similar stories.
Finally, the image made its way here.
The Fortune Magazine/CNN Blog:
http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/05/12/3g-iphone-steve-jobs-to-deliver-keynote-june-9/
The author of Chronic Productions Blog released the following statement:
[click here for cached link]
So, what does this all mean iSmashPhone? Well, the Chronic Production Blog is no longer on the internet. Whether they received a Cease and Desist Letter or simply decided to call it quits because he was accepted into the App Store Developer Program is not our concern. If you wanna check for yourself go to www.chronicproductions.blogspot.com.
Our concern, however, is the very last post written by Chronic. Notice the highlighted text.
[click here for cached link]
There it is. The original "locator" of the "Enable 3G" string himself admits that the screenshot is a Photoshop digitally altered image.
The reality is such: there is no Internet police, and there aren't any repercussions for photoshopping an iPhone screen shot.
However, when the image reaches Fortune Magazine and CNN blog, it's a whole different ball game. Editorial news sources are held to a certain journalistic standard - one which doesn't include publishing doctered images.
And remember, as Chronic Productions Blog said - the firmware may indeed look exactly like that. However, at this point, that specific screenshot that was used by countless sites is a Photoshop digitally altered image.
Editorial Note: By photoshopped we meant that it is a "digitally altered image".
Oh wow...If only they knew before they all copied the screenshot
Posted by: | May 20, 2008 at 07:03 PM
iSmashPhone,
You misinterpreted it all. The screenshot is real. The disclaimer was written to try to not offend Apple that he had posted this screenshot.
Read it again. And read between the lines.
arn
Posted by: arn | May 21, 2008 at 07:47 PM
Hello. I am sorry if the following statement seems rather blunt, BUT COULD THE DISCLAIMER HAVE HAD _ANY_ MORE OF A *WINK*WINK*NUDGE*NUDGE* TO IT?1 I even posted instructions on how to replicate it!
Noobish way:
1 - restore to a pwned beta3 (2.0 build 5a240d)
2 - ssh into it and navigate to /Applications/Preferences.app/
3 - get a beta5 (2.0 build 5a274d) ipsw, don't ask where, and decrypt the root filesystem .dmg, it should be the one that is a little less than 200mb
4 - go to the same location on that dmg
5 - copy the English.lproj folder and Network.plist onto the beta3 iPhone
6 - tap 'settings' on the beta3 iPhone
7 - go to general > network
8 - Viola!
Posted by: IamNotChronic | May 21, 2008 at 08:29 PM
Wow... you guys REALLY need to get over yourselves.
Posted by: Vaganza | May 22, 2008 at 09:02 AM
Hi, the phrases "digitally altered" or "image editing" convey more meaning than making a verb out of a product name.
The Photoshop team at Adobe is currently researching image forensics, to make it easier to detect when photographs have been altered after capture. I haven't seen any product announcements yet, but detecting forgeries will likely become easier in the future, if that context is of interest.
jd/adobe
Posted by: John Dowdell | May 22, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Good point John.
Posted by: iSmasher | May 22, 2008 at 11:26 AM
My God, you guys are dense.
Posted by: Paulo the Limey | May 22, 2008 at 02:19 PM
By gosh this is astonishing..not the iPhone dealbut the fact that you went thriugh all the trouble to pointout the commonly used word"phtoshopped" is being used incorrectly...i\I c'mon??!! k i gues I am making a big deal about you making a big deal,but John....*sigh*...good luck in this strange yet normal by the fact we so far are the only world known to man...
Posted by: Bilbo Baggins | May 26, 2008 at 11:00 AM
sorry for the broken grammar just..typin too fast
Posted by: Bilbo Bad Grammar | May 26, 2008 at 11:01 AM