iPhone Case Pics Spark New Release Date Rumors

It’s been a while- relatively- since a new iPhone has been available to Apple fanboys, but rumors of a fall launch are heating up with the circulation of pics purported to be of a new case developed to fit a device with a sleeker, slimmer profile.

The photos, originally leaked on 9to5Mac, came from a source that successfully leaked pics of the iPad 2 case molds the weekend before the device hit. Original rumors that new versions of the iPhone would taper from thick at the bottom to thin at the top seem to not tally with the pics- if they are accurate molds- but there is one notable difference from previous generations of the iPhone versus the iPhone 5.

It appears that the iPhone 5’s home button is getting a total revamp, transforming into a “band-aid shape” located where the original round button is now. Another feature seemingly detailed by the new pics is a decoupling of the volume buttons and the mute switch, with the latter remaining on the left side and the former moving to the right.

Whatever it is Apple may or may not be releasing at some undetermined point in time, possibly this fall or possibly some other time, predictably, there is a dude who is first in line to buy whatever it is Apple spits out. A guy named Rob Shoesmith has pitched a tent- probably metaphorically as well as literally- outside Covent Garden’s Apple Store hoping to be first in line to tell Apple Geniuses to shut up and take his money.

Shoesmith has even set up a blog to request a few things from media types and companies who are aware of his mission- trifles like energy bars, drinks, a personal assistant and a butler to get him through the painful wait for the new Apple release.

Will you be lining up to shell out another $200-500 for a new iPhone when and if they’re released? Are you tired of the iPhone 4 already?