We're starting to get close to Apple's rumored Sept. 10 iPhone event, and so it should come as no surprise that the leaks concerning new iOS hardware are picking up. More images have surfaced today that claim to show off both Apple's lower-cost plastic iPhone 5C and the gold/champagne iPhone 5S.
First up, a Sina Weibo user has posted an image of what may be a pile of plastic iPhone 5C units at a factory in China. The photo includes a caption that says, "The low-end iPhone 5C to be launched for Chinese consumers in September doesn't look much different than the Xiaomi Phone 2, right?"
While it's always possible that these are knockoffs, Engadget did some digging and found that the photo was taken in Pegatron's Shanghai factory, which happens to be the same place that a recent China Labor Watch report revealed is responsible for assembling devices like the iPhone 5 and a "low-priced plastic iPhone." The employee is/was apparently part of Pegatron's quality control division, and her Sina Weibo account previously hinted that the factory that employed her also assembled Apple's Mac mini hardware.
Moving on to other unannounced Apple hardware, a large set of high-quality photos that purportedly show a trio of gold iPhone 5S rear shells has been shared by Sonny Dickson. Dickson has been responsible for many iPhone parts leaks in the past, and he claims to have received these champagne 5S shells "direct from [a] source in Apple’s Asian supply chain." The back panels line up with the ones that we saw earlier this week, complete with white top and bottom panels and a pill-shaped cutout near the camera that's expected to house a dual-LED flash.
The gold iPhone 5S is unlikely to feature any spec differences from the black and white models, but the champagne-flavored device is still garnering quite a bit of attention because it marks the first time that Apple may offer its iOS smartphone in a color other than black or white. Obviously the golden iPhone won't appeal to everyone, but if this new hue is the real deal (and several reports have suggested that it is), I'm betting that it'll draw quite a bit of attention from consumers simply because it adds a bit more color to Apple's flagship smartphone.
What do you think of the gold/champagne iPhone 5S? Will you buy one if Apple does add the device to its shelves?
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