White front plate looks all set and ready for next-gen iPhone, or not

As our extensive KIRF library shows, China's one wild country that can make almost anything you don't want, so don't mind us while we inspect this new finding with extra caution. This particular Chinese online seller not only claims to have parts for the next-gen iPhone, but also one white face plate -- something not seen on iPhones thus far. While we drool over the thought of an all white Apple handheld, there are still questions to be answered here: the seller wasn't able to explain what that silver bit above the speaker is, nor have we seen white back plates to match this. Furthermore, we were given a "maybe" for a bulk order of 15 to 20 units, which is quite a lot for something that's not even out yet, but we were told over the phone that there's always a back door to Foxconn as long as you wave cash at someone. Not that you should engage in such risky business, plus this piece's authenticity will be revealed in about three weeks' time, anyway. One more shot after the break.

Supposed next-gen iPhone cases surface in China

We're not sure if it's a result of some hard information or simply an educated guess, but it looks like the first next-gen iPhone cases (or would-be cases) are now starting to find their way before a camera. The most convincing of those comes courtesy of Hardmac, which received the image above from one of its contacts in China -- a quick search of the model name also reveals the manufacturer, Shenzhen Soonleader Electronic Co, and a few more pics (check them out after the break). As you can see, it has all the right curves, a larger opening for a flash and, if you look really closely, you can see the necessary spaces for the new side buttons. Like we said, this could well just be a case of a manufacturer looking to get a jump start, or it could be... something more.

White next-gen iPhone apparently materializes in full form

Clearly a white front plate was not enough to satisfy curiosity. Though we aren't able to verify this ourselves, Chinese site Apple.pro has a couple shots of what it claims to be the white next-gen iPhone, almost fully assembled (the front plate looks like it hasn't been snapped in all the way) and casually lounging next to the black model we've gazed upon so many times at this point. Is this enough for us to trust and comfortably change our palette preferences? Nah, but surely 15 days until expected confirmation can't be too excruciating of a wait.