Gold iPhone 5S concept image by iMore
Rumours of a champagne-gold iPhone abound today, and arguments in its favour are popping up everywhere – but is Apple really about to stray from its usual black and white offerings?
It started last Friday when, as rumours reached a peak, iMore’s Rene Ritchie posited an argument as to why Apple would make a gold iPhone.
Ritchie discovered that gold colouring is actually one of the easiest to apply to the iPhone through anodising, with true black being one of the hardest. He has also observed that gold is a very popular colour for after-market colour adjustments and iPhone cases, and that this colour is said to be particularly popular in the Chinese and Indian markets.
An early mock-up of a gold-coloured iPhone was brash and gaudy, but more recent images paint the device in a subtle champagne-gold hue, much like a colour previously used for the iPod mini.
TechCrunch’s MG Siegler yesterday posted that he has heard from multiple sources that the rumours hold weight, assuring, “There will be gold.”
As well as ease of manufacturing and appealing to key markets, a gold colouring for what we expect will be an iPhone 5S will help to differentiate this model from the rumoured lower-cost iPhone 5C range, maintaining its luxe appeal.
Up to now, iPhone devices have been offered only in black or white colours but the iPhone 5C is expected to come in a bright new range of colours, so why not expand the colour of the flagship model also?
Ritchie also speculates that updates to the iPhone 5S may focus on internal components, and an exterior makeover may help the new device stand out in the eyes of buyers.
The next iPhone is also rumoured to come with a biometric fingerprint scanner and is expected to be unveiled on 10 September.
