Is this the casing for the new cut-price iPhone?

An image purporting to be of the new iPhone's casing suggests that, as widely speculated, Apple is ditching aluminum in favour of white polycarbonate for its new entry-level smartphone.

Although it's more than possible that the images, picked up by a number of dedicated Apple blogs including 9to5Mac, are nothing more than a hoax, they appear to tie in with earlier reports that the cut-price version of Apple's iPhone would be taking design cues from the classic iPod.

The poster, Tactus, also claims to have the inside track in terms of the device's specifications. It will use the same system architecture and screen as the current iPhone 4S -- therefore it will have a smaller display than the current iPhone 5 and, as well as brilliant white, will be available in black, blue, red and yellow, just like the current range of iPod Touch devices.

Meanwhile, in terms of tablets, more details have emerged on the fifth-generation iPad, courtesy of KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He claims that the new tablet will indeed be 25% lighter and 15% thinner than the current model and will mimic the design of the iPad Mini -- a rumour that has been circulating for some time and appears to have been backed up by recent images of the back plate and front casing display cover.

In a note to investors seen by Mac Rumors, Ming-Chi Kuo said: 'We think the tablet will, at 7.5-8.0mm, be 15% thinner than iPad 4. The new device will likely be about 500 grams, or some 25% lighter than iPad 4, run on an A7X processor, and sport cameras with similar specs to the iPad 4's (front HD, rear 5MP). The casing shape and color (silver and black) and narrow bezel design will be similar to the iPad mini's.'

He also claimed that the device won't be ready to ship until August of this year, despite earlier suggestions that it could be launched as early as the end of April.