iPhone 4th-gen "midboard" on sale at Chinese retailer?

Remember the iPhone HD SIM tray spotted in China last month?  Well, if you're looking to piece together your own next-gen Apple device, you'll be keen to see China Ontrade's latest purported component: it's tipped to be the "iPhone 4 Generation Midboard".

The vendor claims they'll be able to ship the OEM part within 5-12 days, as well as that they have "final pictures" of the iPhone 4th-gen back cover that they'll be adding to the site soon.  As for the midboard itself, it's said to be 113.5 x 57.3 mm which makes it slightly shorter and slightly narrower than the current iPhone 3GS.

Normally we'd be indecently sceptical about any leaked Apple parts – in fact we are now – but as Gizmodo points out, China Ontrade were spot on when it came to the iPhone 3G's display assembly.  They had access to that part a month ahead of Apple's official launch; that raises the question of when this fourth-gen device might drop, considering a new iPhone handset isn't expected on the market for another eight months.

[via Gizmodo]