Taobao sellers ahead of the game with iPhone 5

Apple Inc's next-generation iPhone has not been released yet, but opportunistic sellers on China's largest e-commerce platform, Taobao, are already accepting pre-orders, complete with mock-up pictures and purported technical specifications.

The hotly anticipated iPhone 5 is widely expected to be released sometime between August and October this year, although Apple has been tight-lipped about it. Sources have said the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen than previous models, while Taiwan media reported the phone's voice recognition software, Siri, would have more powerful functions.

Sellers on Taobao, a unit of Alibaba Group, are accepting orders for the iPhone 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan (US$157). One seller, "Dahai99888," who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, a cool 6,999 yuan.

Some Taobao sellers told reporters they planned to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and bring them to China's mainland. Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before they are released on the mainland.

The sellers could not promise a specific delivery time.

The pre-order activity comes despite mystery surrounding the iPhone 5 and highlights the intense demand for new Apple products in China.

Apple has not confirmed the specifications, details or price of the latest iPhone, but the Internet rumor mill has been in overdrive, churning out photo renderings and pictures of purported iPhone 5 engineering samples and speculating endlessly on its technical specifications and functions.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

"Demand is high. Yesterday someone just bought two phones. Altogether we have about two dozen orders," said one seller on Taobao who went by the nickname Xiaoyu.

On Alibaba.com, the business-to-consumer platform of Alibaba Group, hard-shell cases and soft silicone cases for the iPhone 5 were peddled by sellers, most located in southern China. The majority of cases indicate an elongated iPhone 5 with some showing an earphone jack located at the bottom. One verified Alibaba.com seller "guaranteed" the cases were accurate, saying the company's boss received the dimensions from "certain channels."

The sellers have been right before. In early 2011, cases for the yet-to-be-launched iPad 2 appeared on Alibaba.com, showing accurately the placement for a rear-facing camera.