iPhone parts

Scratched up the aluminum back on your iPhone 5? Now you can get a replacement back plate in white or black for $99. The same folks over at iPhone5mod that have brought the illuminated iPhone 5 Lightning cable to market are offering the rear case replacement parts.

The rear panels pictured on the product page look identical to production iPhone 5 parts except they are missing country-specific certification information normally found printed below the iPhone name. iPhone5mod is using original Lightning connector chips in its 8-pin cable, and claims the back iPhone 5 cover is also 100 percent original.

Good news for those looking to buy replacement parts for a non-existent iPhone. The home button for the next generation iOS device is here, and it will cost you five bucks. The parts come to us direct from Shenzhen, China's TVC-Mall. The home button comes in white or black.

The only difference between the next generation iPhone home button and the iPhone 4S part is a wider recessed base around the outside of the central button. The current part has two tabs sticking out of the sides, instead of a rectangular base around the entire edge.

Suppliers never stop selling parts, even if the device they're made for hasn't been released yet. We've seen iPad 2 parts leak out in advance of the tablet's official release and now it's the iPhone 5's turn. AppleInsider reports that an importer is selling a light proximity sensor flex cable for Apple's next smartphone.

The part is claimed to be genuine as the importer's home offices are practically next door to an Apple factory. When it comes to the proximity sensor itself, the design of the iPhone 5 part differs slightly from the current model, which could point to a redesign in the exterior of the next generation hardware.

A teenager and his parents earned $130,000 selling white iPhone 4 kits, but they have also earned the privilege of being sued by Apple. The company filed a complaint against the owners of WhiteiPhone4Now.com for selling unauthorized conversion kits including leaked parts from the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China.

The site went down after Apple sent them a letter to cease and desist operations at the beginning of December 2010. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is one high-profile customer of the site who converted his own iPhone 4 to white using one of the bootleg parts kits. Apple filed a voluntary dismissal in court at the same time it filed the complaint.

iDealsChina has revealed an image they claim is China's first iPhone 5 photo. Seen below, the part is wrapped in plastic and looks to have a familiar iPhone screen profile. 9to5 Mac explains the part may be a digitizer panel for the next generation Apple iPhone.

The black bezel on the part is noticeably thinner on all sides, matching previous reports from DigiTimes and others claiming that Apple is developing a 4-inch screen for the iPhone 5. A larger Retina display would compete with a variety of Android devices that already offer 4-inch screens.

The dimensions of the next generation iPhone already made news when alleged photos of a 4G replacement touchscreen and digitizer were released. The newer version was 1/4 inch (6 mm) taller than its predecessor and appeared to have space at the top or even a cutout for a possible front-facing camera.

Now a video of the same part has hit YouTube, and the appearance of the replacement LCD and digitizer assembly looks very similar to the photos we've already seen. Soundtrack selection notwithstanding, this video clearly shows an elongated iPhone screen. That being said, Apple has been known to change specs on its products anytime before launch and will never let on before an official unveiling.

Will the next iPhone model be taller than its predecessors by a quarter inch (6 mm)? If these photos are to be believed, iResQ has received fourth-generation parts that show an iPhone with additional space at the top of the device.

iResQ acquired the parts as a sample from what they describe as a "reputable source" and note the fact that Apple could still change the design of the next generation iPhone before official release. Pictured above are parts from a 3GS on the left and a 4G iPhone on the right.

Twitpic user Carniphage has posted a mockup to MacRumors of what the next generation iPhone 3.0 might look like, based on the "4G" bezel that appeared on the website of a Chinese parts seller. Here's the artist's rendition:

Great work, especially using only a few photos of the black iPhone bezel as a basis for the concept. The shape of the black bezel is clearly different from the iPhone 3G, with the speaker much closer to the edge of the device.