Packaging for a rumored budget iPhone 5C shows up online

This alleged packaging of a new iPhone model was posted on a the WeiPhone forum in China on July 27. (Credit: Weiphone forum) As Apple's fall product reveal approaches, alleged images of the new iPhone parts are appearing with greater frequency.

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

As Apple's fall product reveal approaches, alleged images of the new iPhone parts are appearing with greater frequency. The latest is plastic packaging for an iPhone 5C, which appeared on the Chinese WeiPhone discussion forum. The 5C could be the rumored lower-cost, plastic-encased iPhone that could show up along with an updated iPhone 5, expected to be call the 5S.

Read:The Apple guessing game

It's uncertain whether the image is the real thing. It doesn't fit into Apple's current visual treatment for an iPhone with two characters, such as the 4S, but given the makeover Apple is giving iOS, it's not beyond reason that the designers would tinker with iPhone logos. The packaging could be similar to the plastic case that of the iPod touch than the iPhone 5. What the "C" stands for is unclear.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The iPhone 5, which is almost a year old, was the most popular iPhone sold in Apple's quarter ending June 30, but the iPhone 4 (first available June 24, 2010) and 4S (first available October 14, 2011) models sold well in emerging markets, indicating demand for a more updated budget iPhone to go along with the new, rumored iPhone 5S in the fall lineup.

Sales of the iPhone were up 400 percent in India, up 60 percent in Turkey, up 140 percent in the Philippines. China, however, was weaker in the quarter, with sell-through down 4 percent from the year-ago quarter, but Apple has earned $27 billion in revenue on a trailing basis in last 12 months. "I continue to believe that in the arc of time China is a huge opportunity for Apple, and I don't get discouraged over a 90-day kind of cycle that can have economic factors and other things in it," Apple CEO Tim Cook said.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American