Maybe it’s just me, but creating accessories for a device that may or may not exist seems like a pretty risky thing to do. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my time working for an iPhone blog, it’s that no rumor, no matter how believable it looks or no matter how many times it’s repeated, is set in stone. For a company to base an actual product on nothing but speculation and leaked schematics that could very well be fake hardly seems logical.

It is for that reason that I was surprised when I happened upon another round of “iPhone 5 cases” from a China-based website called TVC-Mall. The cases in question feature everything you’d expect if you’ve been keeping up with iPhone rumors – a longer but not wider body and display, a smaller cutout for the dock connector, a wider cutout for the camera, etc.

Without a doubt the most curious thing about these cases, though, is the warning they come with.

Notice: As iPhone 5 has not been unveiled, we can’t guarantee this product can be used in iPhone 5. If you have any questions, please contact our friendly customer service representatives.

Who would buy this thing? This could be the best designed, most beautiful smartphone accessory in the world, but there’s an incredibly high chance that the device it’s designed for will never see the light of day. What’s more, we’ve seen case makers jump the gun with just about every iPhone model, and they’ve almost always been wrong. Last year, cases for the “iPhone 5″ hit the web that featured a curved design and a change to the mute switch’s location, and obviously that didn’t happen. I suppose manufacturers are looking to avoid that awkward time in between a launch and the time when they get their accessories on the market, but rumors are hardly a trustworthy thing to base business decisions on. Last year one case manufacturer reportedly dropped $10,000 on molds for an iPhone model that never came.

What do you guys think about accessory manufacturers making cases for iPhones before they’re released? Let me know in the comments section below or in twitter @TiP_Jake.

Via: CNET