Case-Mate cases for the iPhone 5 have begun to arrive in AT&T retail stores, despite the fact that Apple has not yet released the details of the iPhone 5 redesign.

These images show a silicon sleeve clearly marked for the iPhone 5, and feature a tapered design and allowance for a mute button on the opposite side to the iPhone 4.

Case-Mate aren’t the first manufacturer to take a gamble on the design of the iPhone 5, with other Asian suppliers also releasing images of their redesigned cases.

With very little evidence of the iPhone 5 actually existing, there is a chance that Apple’s October 4th media event may actually just be the announcement of the iPhone 4S. There have been numerous component leaks and inventory listings that suggest the iPhone 4S has been in production for some time, with no comparable hard evidence for the iPhone 5.