14 DAY TRIAL // Images purporting to show technical specifications pertaining to the upcoming iPhone 5 have been taken down, likely at Apple’s demand, which may just suggest they were accurate.
Posted last week on Alibaba.com, a Chinese online electronics retailer, images of an ‘iPhone 5G’ case showed a handset boasting an edge-to-edge screen design, and a relocated LED flash.
Recent rumors are saying the same thing - Apple is increasing screen real estate with its fifth-generation iPhone.
Photos of the alleged iPhone 5 camera sensor and LED flash also emerged last week.
They seemed to corroborate claims that Apple was working to keep the two components apart, far away from each other by placing them on separate corners of the handset.
The current configuration features the camera and flash on the same top-left corner of the back side of the iPhone.
Whether it was a real iPhone 5 case or not, whatever Alibaba.com had on sale is no longer available.
Interestingly enough, the same thing happened earlier this year, when the site posted photos of iPad 2 cases.
Apple’s legal contacted the retailer and asked them to remove their offerings. The iPad 2 was later confirmed boasting design specifications that matched those of the cases advertised by Alibaba.
We wouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet - after all, many such leaks have a 50% accuracy - but one can’t help wonder who is behind all this, knowing how it all went down in March.
We’d also like to point out that the advertising material for said ‘iPhone 5G’ case said it was a ‘perfect fit,’ which may just be the main reason why Apple looked into their offerings.
To claim the accessory is a perfect fit for an unconfirmed Apple product is, in no way, going to be overlooked, neither by the tech media, nor by Apple.
They also said the maximum order was for '1000' pieces, which means there were plenty to go around, therefore we won't assume they sold out.
Expect more such reports to emerge, as more manufacturers will be enticed to show off their own ‘iPhone 5G’ cases in the months leading up to the handset’s launch.