The Taiwan branch of Apple Daily (a broad newspaper not focused on Apple Inc.) has published a video of a scratch test for the iPhone 5C (Google Translate). This is the iPhone 5C that Apple hasn't even announced yet, but enough specimens seem to be leaking to encourage someone to scrape a key against one just to see if it scratches.
The newspaper claimed that it was given the device by “sources,” and intimated that it had other specimens, as well. The story said that the device is a little bigger than the current iPhone 5. The article also mentioned that the iPhone 5S, another unannounced product, will have a dual LED flash, something mentioned by previous leaks elsewhere.
While there is no way to know if the device is a legitimate Apple product leaked to Apple Daily, odds are that it is. Not only does the device match the other leaked images of the multicolor device that have been dribbled all over the Internet, it withstood quite a buffeting inside a bag of change, screws (because who doesn't carry loose screws in their pocket?), paperclips, and keys, in addition to some one-on-one friction time with car keys, and it held up just fine.
That indicates to me that the back of this thing is made from plastic that cost more money than you can shake a stick at to develop, rather than something that was knocked out by a local gray market copier faster than you can say, “OHMYGOD I CAN HAZ MONEY?”
Watch the video at Apple Daily, if you haven't already, but here are some linear screenshots.
1 Part Unannounced iPhone 5C, 1 Part Wallet, 1 Part Keys, 1 Part Change, 1 Part Paperclips, and a Dash of Loose Screws
(For best results, Loose Screws should be both literal and metaphorical)
Rinse Thoroughly
Scrape it with each individual item just to be sure
Then show how it is unharmed
Pretty cool, right? If this is legit—I believe it is—Apple has a plastic back for its low(er)-cost entry into the smartphone market that is very scratch resistant. That will be a big selling point for the company.