This might be jumping the gun a little bit, but China’s largest e-commerce platform, Taobao, is already accepting pre-orders for the upcoming iPhone 5. Sellers on Taobao are accepting orders for the new iPhone, some asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan ($160).
Reuters spoke with some Taobao sellers and found out that their plan is to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and then bring it to mainland China, as Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before the mainland.
Sellers on Taobao are definitely capitalizing on the rumors of the new iPhone model and the high anticipation of consumers. Despite the uncertainty of what the latest iPhone will look like and feature, consumers are eager to get it as soon as it becomes available. Taobao sellers are reportedly providing mock-ups, pictures, and technical specifications, even though official Apple details, specifications, and price for the iPhone 5 are pretty much non-existent at this point.
Apple’s next iPhone is expected to launch this fall, sometime between August and October and, although Apple hasn’t verified anything, it will reportedly feature a taller design, a larger 4-inch display and a thinner profile, among other design changes.
