The iPhone 5 case Hard Candy is offering for pre-order.
(Credit:Hard Candy)
Case maker Hard Candy is betting that Apple will announce two new iPhones today, and it’s already selling cases for those devices.
According to Cult of Mac, which spoke with Hard Candy CEO Tim Hickman, the case maker received dimension data “from three sources” that show an iOS-based device featuring a 4.44-inch screen and wide home button underneath the screen. the device, according to Hard Candy, will be about 4.83 inches tall and 2.63 inches wide. Its thickness comes in at just 0.28 inch.
The device’s screen size is notable, considering that theiPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch display. Over the last several months, rumors have been swirling that suggest the nextiPhone will come with a bigger display to match competitors boasting 4.3-inch screens.
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However, there’s no telling if the dimensions Hard Candy has received–and is betting 50,000 cases on–is the next iPhone. Hickman told Cult of Mac that he doesn’t know for sure if it’s an iPhone oriPod Touch, but he expects Apple to unveil the new device at its iPhone event later today.
Then again, Hickman might be wrong. he acknowledged to Cult of Mac that Apple did not provide the data to him, which makes his commitment to produce so many cases a risk. However, he told Cult of Mac, he is “confident” that it is an iOS-based device, and similar risks in the past have paid off.
Hickman is so confident, in fact, that his company’s site is already offering iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 cases for sale. the Bubble Shell iPhone 5 case, which shows an image of what Hickman believes the iPhone 5 will look like, is available on pre-order for $34.95. the Bubble Shell case for the iPhone 4S, which appears to be quite similar to the iPhone 4 in Hard Candy’s mockup, is also available for $34.95.
We’ll find out for sure if this bet paid off later today when Apple takes the wraps off its plans at the iPhone event scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. PT. be sure to check back at 9:30 a.m. PT for CNET’s live coverage of the event.