iPhone 5

You may have heard that past results do not indicate future performance. Well when it comes to leaked iPhone case designs the track record is relatively good. That's why MacRumors decided to hire some professional designers to speculate on what the iPhone 5 might look like.

Pictured above is one of the renderings, based directly on leaked Chinese iPhone 5 case designs. Measurements were taken to reverse-design the Apple device that would fit inside these cases and the result is an iPad-like refinement of the fifth-generation iPhone.

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.

Those unnamed sources close to Apple are at it again, this time they told The Wall Street Journal that the iPhone 5 will not be released until October, possibly late October.

John Paczkowski of the Journal said that an e-mail sent to Gizmodo from an AT&T employee has nothing to do with the iPhone 5. The so-called AT&T employee who sent the e-mail wrote that AT&T blacked out vacations at the end of September so the company can prepare for the new launch, but Paczkowski's inside source says otherwise: “I don’t know why AT&T’s calling for all hands on deck those weeks, but it’s not for an iPhone launch." The Wall Street Journal source added that the iPhone 5 will be released in October, but didn't give an exact date.

Tech bloggers, analysts and all those unnamed secret sources seem to agree on one thing; Apple will embrace the mid-range/pre-paid mobile phone market this year. What they don't agree on is how they will do it. Will Apple follow tradition and discontinue the iPhone 3GS, or will they give it a new look and offer it at an affordable price? Some people believe that they preparing to launch two new models, the iPhone 5, and a cheaper device to attract people on a budget. Decreases in the iPhone 3GS supply chain seem to suggest that the device is on its way out. This could be a sign that Apple is clearing space for their rumored new models.

Several sources revealed to 9to5Mac that shipments of the iPhone 3Gs are rapidly decreasing in other countries and even the United States. A decrease in iPhone 3GS stock could be a sign that the device's days are numbered.

Chinese iPhone case manufacturers aren't just leaking photos of their next generation products online. According to MICGadget iPhone 5 cases are "everywhere" in China and ready for distribution. If you're willing to buy a minimum of 500 cases the wholesale cost starts at 30 cents a piece.

The cat is out of the bag, and the proliferation of similar case designs now serve as a good indicator of the shape of the next iPhone. New evidence from AT&T and Apple point to a September iPhone 5 launch date only weeks away.