Apple's Yerba Buena Decoration Shows Stretched iOS Icons, Possibly Hinting at Taller iPhone 5

finalyerba
Photo by Luis Gutierrez, Developer of Super Apps

Apple has finished decorating the front facade of the Yerba Buena center in preparation for their September 12th media event. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 at that event. At initial glance, the front decoration seems to show no obvious clues as to their announcements.

However, one eagle eyed MacRumors forum visitor believes the facade show stretched iOS icons. Zaym points out that you can see stretched versions of iOS icons including Game Center, iTunes, Music and App Store in the image and provides an example image.

After taking the above image and skewing it and shrinking it, we've verified his findings. Several icons are clearly recognizable in their un-stretched form:

stretchedicons2
Game Center (upside down above), iTunes and Music icons:

iosicons
Of course, speculation on the reason for the stretched icons points to the long-running rumors that Apple will be introducing a taller iPhone with a 4" diagonal screen. Our complete iPhone 5 roundup details everything we expect in the new iPhone.

Update: Another take on the icons from roosternugget:

apps

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Update Now: iOS 26.2 Fixes 20+ Security Vulnerabilities

Friday December 12, 2025 11:11 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and macOS 26.2, all of which introduce new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. Apple says that the updates address over 20 vulnerabilities, including two bugs that are known to have been actively exploited. There are a pair of WebKit vulnerabilities that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code or cause memory...

Top Rated Comments

ibarrett94 Avatar
173 months ago
Where are you guys getting your drugs? They must be good.
Score: 123 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bennyboy34 Avatar
173 months ago
Some people REALLY pay attention.
Score: 80 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NOV Avatar
173 months ago
Wow! A larger iPhone, now that would be a surprise!
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adcx64 Avatar
173 months ago
This blows my mind. Very clever.


Edit: I've looked at this a few times and still cant believe how brilliant this is.

Also: Being that Game Center is upside down, could another new App we haven't seen yet be upside down too?
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
173 months ago
I think this is evidence that each launch page will only have one row of icons, but that each row will be very tall. Icons that aren't updated will be stretched to 5x their ordinary height.


Psh, this is evidence of a 3-story iPhone.

People wanted a bigger screen, and they're getting one.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
173 months ago
I think this is evidence that each launch page will only have one row of icons, but that each row will be very tall. Icons that aren't updated will be stretched to 5x their ordinary height.

Edit: Better than MR's distorted picture, just look at the original picture from edge on (IE: open the image on an iOS device and put the charging port to your nose. Adjust the angle until you can perfectly make out the icon.)

If you're standing right against the facade of the building and look up, I imagine the icons will look right. Maybe that's all Apple was really going for when they made the banner.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)