I am tempted to treat these rumors as being a little more credible than usual. You may recall that iPod Observer called it when the iPhone switched from a satin nickel finish to a glossy black plastic back.
However, I have to say, "who the hell cares?" I mean really, what have we learned from these photos? Now we know that Apple may or may not release an updated iPhone this year, which isn't much of a shocker. We also know that if a new iPhone shows up that one of the models will be black. Yawn.
We also know that it will have a new model number (A1303, if you must know), which obviously means, well, the new model will have a new model number. The back also appears to have some ridges and textured, possibly to give the iPhone a non-slip grip. That's nice, but not a particularly big selling feature.
What we really want to know is what will be inside the new iPhone. The photos depict a 16GB iPhone, but what about a 32GB model? Could this be the much anticipated and often rumored $99 iPhone we've been hearing about? What about more features or a faster processor? Anything? Anything at all? Nope, just some photos of a shell that may be the real deal or may just be some Photoshop magic.
Now, I know what you're asking, "why are you showing us these photos if you think they're so lame?" Well, that's simple; I love iPhone rumors. Don't you?