Five employees working at an official iPhone distributor in China have been arrested after exploiting Apple’s returns policy by exchanging fake iPhone parts for real ones. The group sent 121 fake iPhone 4S BAND parts to have them exchanged for real ones worth around CN¥400,000 ($64,117), which they then used to build and sell fake iPhones.

The parts for the iPhone 5 only cost Apple $167.50, according to new estimates. The estimate makes puts the iPhone 5 parts price tag about $36 more than iPhone 4S parts were.

UBM Techinsights released their estimates on how much each iPhone 5 part costs this morning and as usual, it’s shockingly cheap. The $36 cost difference between the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S is attributed to the larger Retina screen, 4G LTE chip, new A6 chip, and the new sensors and mics.

Here’s a chart with the full price breakdown of each component:

I’ve lost count of the number of iPhone 5 parts that have leaked out of Apple’s Chinese factories. But one thing that’s been notably absent from those leaks is the device’s new processor. We’ve questioned whether it will use the same A5X chip that features in the new iPad, or whether it will get an all-new A6 processor.

Thanks to the latest leak, that has become a little clearer.

iLounge has shared the first pics of what it claims are accessories designed for Apple’s new dock connector. A smaller 8-9 pin dock connector is expected to debut in the iPhone 5 next month, and we’ve seen plenty of part leaks showing the connector itself. This is the first time we’ve seen an accessory designed for the smaller dock, however.

Production of the 7.85-inch “iPad mini” is expected to ramp up next month, according to sources in Apple’s supply chain, reaching a target of 4 million units per month. Apple hopes to build enough units to launch the device before the end of the year and serve with busy holiday season.

We’re getting to the stage where we could almost build a complete iPhone 5 out of all the parts leaks that have surfaced in recent weeks. Everything from the front panel to the slightly-tweaked home button has been shown, and now we’re just waiting for Apple to officially lift the curtain next month.

While we wait, more parts continue to leak out from supply chain sources overseas. Today hi-res shots of a fully assembled back casing for the next iPhone reveal the new headphone jack placement at the bottom of the device along with the rumored micro dock connector.

We’ve seen plenty of iPhone 5 leaked parts in recent weeks, and Apple is expected to host a huge media event next month revolving around all things iOS. On the iPad mini front, certain parts have started surfacing more recently, although we have yet to see the device’s rumored 7.85-inch display in all of its glory.

New leaked parts for what would allegedly be a smaller iPad have been released today, and a high-res shot of the dock connector reveals the smaller 8-pin design that’s also rumored to appear in the next iPhone.

As we edge closer towards the unveiling of Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone next month, component leaks have hit their peak. Last week we showed you images of some of the handset’s internals — including a number of flex cables and a display shield — and today we get our first glimpse at what appears to be the iPhone 5’s logic board.

Another morning, another big leak in next-generation iPhone components.

This morning, that leak comes to us from iColorOS, which shows pretty much the entire front assembly of the iPhone 5, including the glass display, internal sensors, home button, and volume control… as well as a new protective shielding that separates the back of the iPhone’s display from the rest of the internal components.

In addition, the iColorOS photos — which are very well done — clearly show a number of other iPhone 5 parts we’ve seen popping up over the last couple weeks, such as the new nano-SIM tray.

There’s no doubt about it: this is what the next iPhone is going to look like, friends.

Via: Nowherelese.fr

Rumors surrounding Apple’s next-gen iPhone are started to pick up steam leading up to the device’s rumored release this fall. We know that the sixth iPhone will probably have a 4-inch display, slimmer design, smaller dock connector, and launch before November.

Leaked snapshots of purported next-gen iPhone parts have surfaced in recent months, but nothing as complete and authentic-looking as a series of images published over the weekend.