It's been quite some time since we've heard any new or interesting news about Apple's iPhone plans. The newest case design leak didn't offer any new info about the iPhone 5 that we didn't already know, and I'm getting bored of hearing about the larger home button. However, 9to5Mac did have some interesting news to spread about the rumored low-end iPhone, and some possible bad news about the iPhone 5.

According to 9to5, the new low-end iPhone 4 look-alike is flying off the production line, and Apple should be armed and ready with 10+ million for the holiday season. The iPhone 5 isn't as lucky, and is seeing continued design and production delays. 9to5 believes that the iPhone 4 clone will be in abundance while the iPhone 5 will see shortages until 2012.

The next iPhone 5 is rumored to have a larger home button that would make it possible to use gestures to perform actions without even touching the display area. Some reports even pointed to a home button area that did not involve a physical button, but instead had lighted indicators embedded in the bezel. These designs could be reality if a leaked iPhone 5 screen protector is the real McCoy.

At first glance the wide home button cutout appears to be the only difference between this screen protector and current models. The folks over at unwire.hk compared this product to an iPhone 4 in the photo above and the next generation screen protector is actually wider.

One of the major league mobile case manufacturers temporarily made an iPhone 5 product website live ahead of schedule. Apple hasn't even officially announced the product yet, however Case-Mate posted a page detailing several different case designs wrapped around a brand new next generation iPhone. According to the images, the next Apple smartphone will have a thinner design and aluminum back.

Unfortunately the leaked images don't reveal much of the front side. Still, it would appear as though the mute switch was moved to the opposite side of the device as has been previously seen in other leaked case designs. The cases were pictured in at least three different styles with multiple colors.

Apple should stock up on Kensington's new BungeeAir iPhone alarms. This case doesn't protect your iPhone from falls, but warns you via a wireless security tether when you get a certain distance away from your phone. The distance can be decreased or increased to your liking with the BungeeAir app. This is the perfect invention for people who love to leave iPhone prototypes in California bars!

The 3-in-1 accessory for the iPhone is a wireless tether, battery and case. You just put your iPhone inside the case, attach the tether to your keys or pants, and you will never lose your iPhone ever again... Or at least that's the theory. If you still manage to forget your phone, the case automatically invokes the iPhone's passcode security. You can then locate it by using the "find" button which sounds another alarm on the device.

I keep trying to think of a scenario where I would want to park my car while standing next to it. I guess an automatic parking app could come in handy for tight fits that offer little door room. 9to5Mac discovered a video of auto-parts supplier Valeo parking a car using nothing but an iPhone.

At the end of the video, a Valeo representative stands outside a Volkswagen Sharan and parks it using an iPhone (:55 mark). The Automatic Park4U system doesn't control steering, that's left to several sensors that can parallel park with just 22 inches of clearance.