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Chinese popstar leaks iPhone 5 on Weibo?

Even with the strictest secrecy in place, it seems Apple can't trust its lastest iPhone with popstars these days.

Joseph Hanlon Special to CNET News
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon

Even with the strictest secrecy in place, it seems Apple can't trust its latest iPhone with popstars these days.

Lin posing with what he says is the iPhone 5. (Credit: Jimmy Lin)

Former-pop great Jimmy Lin has posted a series of photos to Chinese social networking site Weibo, showing him holding and using an iPhone that is noticeably larger than the current generation Apple smartphone. It has an aluminium backplate, the smaller docking port that was rumoured recently and a larger display. Also in line with the rumour mill, the 3.5mm headphone socket is on the bottom of the device that is held by Lin.

The pictures have spread quickly, thanks to Lin's 13.6 million Weibo feed subscribers.

Lin rose to prominence in China in the early Nineties, selling 10-million albums before he turned 20. He is now a race car driver, but could he also be an Apple antagonist? China is the home of replica electronics, and it would not be impossible for a stylish fake to be created for Lin's hungry Weibo readership. The fact that the homescreen always shows the same image, sets off our Spidey-senses. Or, this is the real thing, and Apple is going to need one massive feature to get us excited about a phone that looks so much like the ones that have come before it.