Gizmodo reports on an image released by a third party Chinese case manufacturer claiming to have the iPhone 5. Like I’ve said many times, after last year’s “iPhone 5″ build up, leaked cases, schematics and rumors, I’m not going to go along with any of it. The fact is, all the “leaked” parts could easily have been mocked up by a manufacturer who’s heard the rumors, and just gone along with them.

The iPhone in the image above looks exactly like all the speculation has suggested. Essentially, it’s an iPhone 4/4S that’s been stretched out to fit in a larger display. It also has the centered front facing camera, the smaller dock connector, and the headset jack at the bottom.  The fact is, this could be a prototype built by Apple. It could also be the result of rumors being taken as guaranteed and whipping up a quick sample. It could also be the real deal, but, I still don’t think this is it.

If we look at all the iPhone rumors over the past few years, exactly how many of them came to pass? Maybe 50% if I’m being generous. This year we’ve heard rumors of a new “mini dock” connector, a longer display with a different aspect ratio measuring 4-inches diagonally. We’ve also heard about a two-tone Aluminum back (similar to a very old prototype). There are others like 4G connectivity. But on the hardware side, every rumor has its box ticked. That never happens. Ever. So, excuse me for not being convinced by this.

What do you think? Is this the next iPhone or not?