Proliferation of Chinese iPhone 5 cases might be due to $3100 paid for a "lost" prototype
Those numerous iPhone 5 cases of every color and material chillaxing in China? Their proliferation might be due not to leaked schematics, or at least not only, but rather another case of intentional leak from a Foxconn factory.
M.I.C Gadget, which specializes in reporting about Chinese gadget knockoffs and other semi-legal shenanigans in the region, has received a tip that the abundance of iPhone 5 cases months before release of the actual thing is due to a prototype gone missing from Foxconn's Shenzhen factory.
The displaced phone was allegedly then pawned off for the equivalent of $3100 to one of the case manufacturers, but the person wiped the software beforehand, thus rendering the GPS tracking useless. What sounds a bit off about this story is that the prototype was allegedly housed in a chassis to look the iPhone 4, and the cases hint at a taller and wider next iPhone, but the reports are that Foxconn has already penalized management for losing a prototype, so there might be a grain of truth in the story.
There is not much point in speculating if and how it happened though, we should know as soon as next week if those cases have been the real deal all along. One thing is for certain, though - Foxconn will have even less remorse now for replacing one million workers with robots, unless they turn out to be from the model that loves party times.
source: M.I.C.Gadget
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