This is typically the time of year when iPhone rumors really start heating up and it seems that 2013 is no exception. The latest on the Apple front comes in the form of an image recently posted on a Chinese discussion board which allegedly shows a bin full of plastic packaging for what most believe will be a budget iPhone.
Follow up: A more recent report about Apple's supplier Pegatron would have inadvertently confirmed the existence of plastic iPhone '5C' model.
The plastic shells look convincing enough but the real interesting part here is the name plastered on the side of the package: iPhone 5C. The writing is stylized such that it doesn't fit Apple's traditional naming convention but when you consider Apple's upcoming redesign of iOS, the idea of a brand or logo change isn't exactly out of the question.
Plastic packaging for an iPhone would be a first as well but it's worth pointing out that the iPod touch is sold in a plastic shell. What the "C" could stand for, however, is anyone's guess at this point. Some believe the letter could stand for "Color," as the cheaper iPhone is rumored to be available in a number of different colors for the first time ever.
The only thing we know for certain about the next iPhone is that it will arrive with iOS 7 pre-installed. Described as the biggest change to the operating system since the introduction of the iPhone, the redesign comes courtesy of designer Jony Ive. It includes new icons, a new color pallet, revised fonts and the use of translucency throughout in addition to a number of other changes.