iPhone 5 design leaked in China?

Apple iPhone rumors are reaching new heights (again) as a much-talked-about iPhone 5 case posted on Alibaba, one of China’s leading international business-to-business trading sites, has suddenly been taken down; but not quickly enough to stem excitement in the tech community about the company’s anticipated release.

Although it might be a shanzhai product, a leak of a real Apple design like this isn’t without precedent. Prior to the iPad 2′s official release in March, Alibaba carried a number of iPad 2 cases, which took into account new key design features like the iPad 2's thinner design and FaceTime video cameras.

In a similar turn of events to the Alibaba iPhone 5 case, the leaks of the iPad 2 cases were removed from Alibaba’s site at the request of Apple’s legal team.

The iPhone 5 case in question was listed under the title "Newest design crystal case for Apple iPhone 5," which hints that the next generation iPhone could include some big changes, according to PC Magazine.

The major improvements? The unconfirmed case has a wider edge-to-edge screen, which could hint that Apple plans to change the screen ratio on its smartphone to make it closer to the iPad. It also shows that the camera flash might be repositioned.

• More on CNNGo: iPad 2 goes on sale in China

Even if the rumors don’t quite add up to anything, China will still be at the forefront of the Apple accessory world, with the most recent advance being the Xun Ying Tech release of an accessory that allows your iPhone 4 to take up to three SIM cards. The gadget is retailing online for RMB 799.

A step up from the Apple peel released last year, which turned an iPod touch into an iPhone.

Who needs an iPhone 5 case when we have new gadgets like this?