iPhone 5 Release Date: Ciccarese Design Teardrop-shaped Mockup Makes us Want it Now (PHOTOS)

The actual release date of Apple's next generation smartphone, dubbed iPhone 5, could be months away but a lovely teardrop-shaped mockup of the holy grail by Ciccarese Design makes us want iPhone 5 now.

As the current design of iPhone 4S is uninspiring (and identical to iPhone 4), the mockup comes as a refreshing change.

Inspired by the Magic Mouse, Ciccarese has designed the rumored iPhone 5 in a lovely teardrop shape. It cannot be denied that the white face plate and a metallic back-plate add more brilliance and luster to the device. There are three buttons on the left for volume and ring/silent, but the sleep button has been moved from the top of the smartphone to the right side to help the device achieve a teardrop shape - thicker in the middle and tapering around the edges.

According to the renderings, the back of the new iPhone is smooth and well-rounded. The rear-facing camera has been moved to the middle of the phone (including the LED flash), whereas the Apple Logo beneath the camera mount has an eerie white glow.

Ciccarese is passionate about making concept designs for Apple devices, even though the devices don't exist. Besides iPhone 5, the studio also has designed the mockup of iTV, an 8-inch iPad Mini and iPhone Air.

Meanwhile, the rumors about the next generation iPhone have hit a fever pitch, with most of them suggesting the iPhone 5 will boast NFC, Lytro camera, waterproof coating, quad-core processor, a physical camera button and more.

Click here to find out more details about the iPhone 5's rumored features. And don't forget to check out the mockups to see why we are lusting for the iPhone 5 so much. Also don't forget to leave comments on whether the mockups deserve the ADI Golden Compass award o whether they should be dismissed as downright fugly.

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