Pictures of what looks like Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 surfaced today on a Chinese manufacturer's website.
It's nearly impossible to tell whether or not this is an actual prototype, a production unit smuggled out of Foxconn’s facilities or a very elaborate mock-up based on speculation. Apple’s production timeline and production capabilities allow the company to delay mass producing products until just a month before launch. Gizmodo’s famous iPhone 4 bar debacle occurred roughly six weeks before the phone’s official launch, meaning final production had likely just begun.
Disappointing iPhone 4S sales over the last few months could have convinced Apple to move up the iPhone 5 release date instead of waiting through a few more months of disappointing iPhone 4S sales. Or this could be a giant hoax and Apple is still on schedule for the iPhone 5’s assumed October release window.
Apple is famous for not providing accessory manufacturers with early builds of devices for fear of leaks and other PR nightmares, which can occur easily in massive Chinese production facilities. Heck, Apple has enough trouble keeping Foxconn’s president on the same page. Whether Apple moves up the iPhone 5 release date or not, no one will know in advance, and we’ll all likely wait impatiently until the release or the next leak like a house pet next to an empty food dish.
Source: Gizmodo
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