Another day, another leaked photo purportedly showing Apple's rumored iPhone 6. As WWDC 2013 approaches, the interwebs are increasingly becoming inundated with alleged "inside information" and supposed images of unreleased Apple devices, components and accessories.
On Sunday, a Taiwanese news site published photos of what it claims to be a low-cost iPhone 6. Originally, iPhone 5S appeared to be the designation for the so-called "cheap" iPhone, rumored to feature a plastic casing to help reduce manufacturing costs. However, an IBTimes article that was among the first to report on the leak out of Taiwan suggests that the reverse is true.
The photos show a handset with a USB cord attached to the Lightning connector, so whatever the mystery device actually is, it does appear to be recent Apple hardware. The dual speakers and headphone jack are also visible and placed exactly where they are located on the iPhone 5.
In fact, the "leaked" image seems to bear quite a few similarities to the iPhone 5, from its ports down to its dimensions. Coupled with the fact that no Apple branding appears anywhere on the body of the handset, the most tenable conclusion would seem to be that the "iPhone 6" shown in the picture is actually just a plain, old iPhone 5 inside of a thin, plastic case.
Even though this particular photo is probably fake, it is still highly likely that Apple will release a low-cost iPhone and whether it's designated "5S" or "6," it will be assembled from materials like plastic rather than anodized aluminum to help drive down costs.
Additionally, the Taiwanese site also leaked photos labeled "purported iPhone 5S Home Button Flex. We attempted to run the original article through a translator, but it remains unclear whether the connector is actual Apple hardware, what device it comes from and, perhaps most importantly, what point the website is trying to make by comparing the connector to the one found inside of an iPhone 5.
