There are a bunch of rumors and speculation making the rounds about Apple adding gold to the color options for the upcoming iPhone 5s. I've heard the same thing, but probably from different sources. I joked about it yesterday, saying we might soon have Threepio Gold to add to the existing Vader Black and Storm Trooper White lineup. But beyond rumors, speculation, and jokes - and even a gold iPhone 5s poll we ran - I find myself thinking about the idea a lot today. 
 
 For years, when it came to the high end, Apple has been a black and white company, and sometimes even black and white/aluminium was one too many options for them. Sure, the iMac under Steve Jobs had some positively psychedelic color variants, and less expensive products like iPods have been chromatic for generations, recently including the iPod touch. But a gold iPhone? 
 
 According to our own Ally Kazmucha, who's no stranger to the process, gold is among the easiest colors to anodize onto an iPhone. It involves simple chemical reaction, with the possible addition of dye depending on the exact color they want to produce. (True black, conversely, is the hardest, and takes the most time, which is likely why we currently have "slate" instead.) 
 
 So, technologically, it wouldn't be hard for Apple to make a gold iPhone. But commercially, what would be the motivation? 
 
 Given how popular gold is as an aftermarket option for color-treatments, and how many gold cases there are - including but certainly not limited to the Asian markets - it could simply be the decision to offer supply where there's demand. 
 
 It could also be the iPhone 5s problem, where Apple is facing another year where their current cycle means internal rather than external changes, in a world where competitive pressures have never been higher. Given the ignorant boring comments Apple had to endure after introducing the completely re-built iPhone 5 last year, gold would give the market the superficial appearance of change they seem to crave. 
 
 In that light, introducing a third color option, one that's incredibly easy to produce, to outwardly jazz up what's otherwise amazing but completely under-the-hood improvements at least makes a certain amount of strategic sense. But a gold iPhone? 
 
 Suggesting Steve Jobs, under whose watch the Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power iMacs were unleashed, would never have allowed for a gold iPhone is clearly ridiculous, as tying it to any stream of illogic that links it to Apple is doomed journalism. 
 
 However you analyze it, if Apple is indeed preparing to release a gold iPhone 5s, it would be a change in strategy and it would be different than what they've done before. Then again, so would be releasing a less-expensive iPhone 5c. 
 
 I wasn't sure what I'd think of the iPhone 4, nor the composite black/slate and white/silver iPhone 5 when they first leaked. I'm not sure what I'd think of the gold iPhone now. But I do think I'm beginning to understand why it might exist, and why there's smoke enough to fire up all these rumors. 
 
 Update 1: There's an image circulating that's getting covered as a gold iPhone casing leak. It looks wrong, and according to our own Ally Kazmucha, who again knows her iPhone anodizing inside and out, it doesn't come across as a legit Apple part. Could be a test of some sort at best, a fake or knock off at worst. 
 
 Update 2: Image updated to be less intense, which is more accurate. 
 
 Update 3: Here's an iPhone 5 re-anodized in gold (after-market) for comparison's sake. 
 
 Update 4: MG Siegler of TechCrunch, Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac, and John Paczowski of AllThingsD have also now reported that Apple will be releasing a gold iPhone 5s. Ben Bajarin of Tech.pinions has also been looking more into the Chinese market and concept of phones as jewelry. ||||| Yes, Apple Will Sell a Gold-Tone iPhone 
 
 Apple is adding a new color to the iPhone color palette and, yes, it is indeed gold. 
 
 Sources in a position to know tell AllThingsD that Apple, after years of offering the iPhone in either black and white, will soon offer it in a gold tone, as well. Apple-news site iMore was first to break the news last Friday, its story corroborated in short order by TechCrunch on Sunday, along with 9to5Mac. 
 
 The new color option was described to AllThingsD as an “elegant” gold tone. “Think champagne, not ingot,” a source said, confirming what seems to be some spot-on speculation from iMore last week. Sources said that the gold iPhone will feature a white face, with a gold-tone back plate and chamfered edging. 
 
 Why the new color option now? 
 
 As others have noted, gold tones are among the easiest colors to anodize, so technologically it’s an easy option to offer. It adds a bit of flash to an otherwise staid color palette that hasn’t changed in a number of years. It’s an obvious differentiator between the current iPhone 5 and whatever its successor ends up being called. 
 
 Finally, gold is becoming a more sought-after color option at the higher end of markets like China. In fact, China’s luxury goods market is expected to grow about 40 percent over the next decade. One engine driving that? Gold jewelry sales. Consider this, from an April 2013 SocGen report: ||||| The iPhone 5. (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images) Story Highlights iPhone event expected on Sept. 10 
 
 Gold would be first new hue since iPhone debut 
 
 Addition of gold as color could be big in China 
 
 If you've noticed #iphonegold showing up all over Twitter, there's a good reason. 
 
 The Internet on Monday lit up over reports that the next iPhone, set for unveiling on Sept. 10, could be available in black, white and gold. If Apple does indeed launch a gold iPhone, it would be the first color added to the iconic device since its debut in 2007. 
 
 According to reports from TechCrunch and All Things D, gold will join black and white as options for Apple's next smartphone. Both reports claim the iPhone won't feature a gaudy gold, such as you might see on a gold bar, but more of a champagne color. The phone will have a white face with a golden tone on the backplate and edging. 
 
 Apple declined to comment. 
 
 The addition of gold would not be a big deal here, but "huge" in China, says Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies. 
 
 "The market is driven by colors, and gold means prosperity," says Bajarin. 
 
 Apple is expected to introduce both a successor to the iPhone 5 and a lower-price, plastic iPhone for cost-conscious consumers at the September event. 
 
 The new iPhone is expected to have staple upgrades including a faster processor, stronger battery and improved camera. It could also include new fingerprint technology. 
 
 Apple purchased security firm AuthenTec in 2012, so Bajarin expects Apple to include AuthenTec's fingerprint technology in the new iPhone. 
 
 Because so many iPhones are either lost or stolen, and so much of our personal data live inside the phone, "Security is very high in consumers' minds right now," says Bajarin. 
 
 The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 7, which will be released with the new iPhone, has a "death sentence" feature that lets the owner send a signal to the phone if it's lost, effectively turning it into a useless brick. 
 
 "The combo of the two is a killer," says Bajarin. Additionally, "Android doesn't have anything like it — not yet anyway." 
 
 Apple is under pressure in the smartphone market, especially from Samsung and other companies that make smartphones running Google's Android operating system. The security features could give Apple bragging rights over features Androids don't currently have. 
 
 Not to be outdone, rival Samsung is hosting an event Sept. 4 where it is not only expected to unveil the next Galaxy Note smartphone, but could also unveil a new smartwatch, according to a Bloomberg report. 
 
 Yet another new huge phone from Samsung, the "Galaxy Mega," goes on sale Friday at AT&T stores for $150 with a 2-year service contract. The screen is 6.3 inches diagonally, making it almost as big as a small tablet. 
 
 Contributing: Brett Molina 
 
 Follow on Twitter: Jefferson Graham @jeffersongraham; Brett Molina @bam923. 
 
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 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/13zKnEc ||||| “Gold? All over?” M asks James Bond upon hearing how Jill Masterson died in 1964’s Goldfinger. While Bond goes on to explain that the gold coating on Ms. Masterson caused her to die of “skin suffocation”, the same fate will not befall the next iPhone. But only because the iPhone will not require oxygen. 
 
 Yes, there will be a gold iPhone. 
 
 That’s the latest I’m hearing from multiple sources after several weeks of rumors and possible component leaks suggesting the same thing. At first, I couldn’t believe Apple would break from the tradition of offering the simple choice: black and white (or “slate” and “silver” if you prefer for the iPhone 5) for their flagship device. Gold simply seemed too gaudy, perhaps even tacky. But a few compelling arguments countered my disbelief. And now, upon checking, sure enough, there will be gold. 
 
 On Friday, Rene Ritchie of iMore, made the most compelling argument for the golden iPhone yet. After hearing from his own sources that the gold iPhone seemed to be real, Ritchie checked with his colleague Ally Kazmucha, who noted that gold would be one of the “easiest colors to anodize onto an iPhone”. Much easier than say, black (which is likely why the current black iPhone 5 has more of a “slate” back color). 
 
 But simply doing something because it’s easy is not good enough — certainly not for Apple. Much more compelling is the argument that gold is one of the most popular after-market color adjustments for current iPhones (including gold cases). And gold has been in the midst of a renaissance in style after years of being banished to “gaudy and tacky” hell, as I noted above. 
 
 Perhaps most importantly, I’m told that the golden iPhone will not be a totally blinged-out gold. Originally, Ritchie included a mock-up on the top of his post that resembled an iPhone with a golden shell akin to a brick of gold bullion. I was told this image was inaccurate and that the actual gold iPhone would be much more subtle in color. Think: less “gold” and more “champagne”. 
 
 In other words, more like the old gold iPod mini. (Incidentally, this model of the iPod mini was the shortest-lived, presumably because it was less popular.) The gold tone also apparently shifts depending on how light is hitting it. 
 
 Ritchie actually said he heard the same feedback on his blinged-out golden iPhone and has since updated his mock-up to be far more subtle. Perhaps it will be more marketed along the lines of “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” — though I doubt it. 
 
 Anyway, I love the notion that this new iPhone (widely assumed to be called the “iPhone 5S”, though it’s not clear if that’s set in stone yet) may have two distinctive new physical features: a gold color and a fingerprint scanner. Hence, the Goldfinger references. 
 
 On the topic of the fingerprint scanner, after hearing a number of whispers several months ago, there hasn’t been much recently. This may suggest that plans have been altered or, perhaps more likely, that Apple has successfully quashed the leaks of what would be the flagship new feature of the device. Rarely do code leaks lie, and this was a pretty substantial one a few weeks back. 
 
 While I initially wondered if such a fingerprint scanner would be used for payments as well as security and identification, I think this post by Geppy Parziale explains why that’s likely not in the cards, at least at first. Of course, fingerprint verification paired with the iCloud Keychain credit card sync feature in iOS 7 could be the first logical step. 
 
 Finally, I think one more reason why we’re seeing this golden iPhone now may be related to the rumored “iPhone 5C” device — that is, the lower-cost iPhone. While I have no concrete information about that device, there seems to be way too much smoke around it both existing and launching in several colors, for there not to be fire. 
 
 (I also wonder if the recent push by Apple to sell more iPhones from their own Apple Stores has to do with the strategy for the iPhone 5C roll-out.) 
 
 On his The Talk Show podcast this past week, John Gruber and I talked a bit about how Apple might differentiate the rumored iPhone 5S from the rumored iPhone 5C. Beyond speed and price, color seems likely to be a key differentiator. It’s entirely possible that Apple decided to keep the focus on white and black (again, silver and slate) for the high-end model, while choosing more playful colors for the lower end. But some people, bored of black and white, may have opted for the 5C simply to add some color to their iLives. So the gold iPhone 5S (with a white front plate, one would assume) would seem to be a decent compromise in that scenario. 
 
 Also, of course, a gold option may serve to placate some of those who feel an iPhone 5S isn’t enough of an upgrade from the iPhone 5 simply because it largely looks the same. 
 
 Or perhaps those making such calls at Apple are simply more Johan van der Smut, aka Goldmember, than Auric Goldfinger. “I love goooooold!” 
 
 Update: A number of folks have noted that a gold iPhone would likely do well in the Chinese and Indian markets as well, where the color is very popular. This is especially interesting given the talk about the “iPhone 5C” being key in these markets as well, with a presumed unsubsidized lower price-point. One line of thinking was that the lower-cost iPhone would all-but replace the higher cost one in these markets. But perhaps the gold option would still be enticing enough for some buyers to lure them to the higher end model. That’s all pure speculation, of course. 
 
 Another thought: given Apple’s recent push to play up their California affiliation (the new OS X naming scheme, the “Designed by Apple in California” ad campaign, etc) maybe the gold iPhone could continue this trend. California is, after all, “the Golden State”. 
 
 Less this: 
 
 More this: 
 
 [images: MGM and iMore]
– The latest rumor about the new iPhone looks pretty solid to tech writers—they think Apple will indeed add a third color option of gold in September. The speculation began at iMore, and TechCrunch and AllThingsD have since confirmed. The latter's sources say the tone is "elegant," reminiscent of champagne, as opposed to gaudy. Two big reasons for the expansion beyond black and white? Technologically speaking, a shade of gold is easy to make; maybe more important is that gold is "huge" among consumers in China, an analyst tells USA Today.