Mikey Campbell
A report out of the Far East on Tuesday claims Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is hiring a large number of workers to handle production of the next-generation iPhone.
According to China Business News (via CNET), a recruitment firm responsible for Foxconn's plant in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, has started "large-scale" hires for a ramp up to build what one source called the "iPhone 6."
The person went on to say that Foxconn has already started production of the next-generation handset, and is aiming to fill assembly line positions with the mass recruitment. Currently, the plant has about 210,000 workers, much less than the 300,000 people employed there during peak manufacturing in 2012.
As the seasonal hires file onto the production floor, it is widely believed that Foxconn is preparing to enter the mass production phase of the so-called "iPhone 5S," a handset thought to carry over the design of the iPhone 5, but with upgraded internals. This "S version" would be in line with Apple's iPhone hardware update cycle, which brings design overhauls every other year.
The publication's tipster speculates that the Zhengzhou plant is working on a substantially different iPhone, with a borderless design and an aluminum and carbon fiber shell that will cut weight by 40 percent compared to the iPhone 5.
Images of supposedly "leaked" parts have surfaced on the Web for Apple's iPhone 5S, as well as a cheaper "iPhone Lite" model that could boast a colored plastic shell.
AppleInsider was first to reveal potential schematics of both the iPhone 5S and iPhone Lite, as well as 3D renderings depicting how the two handsets are expected to look.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
17 Comments
Wall Street will keep punishing Apple until it comes out with something new. They don't care if its utter rubbish, as long as it's new the stock price will rise.
Unless I'm mistaken, this would be the first rumor that a future generation iPhone, with an aluminum and 'carbon-fiber' shell, has begun production.
I am more confident than ever that Apple's plastic iPhone is really a carbon fiber reinforced plastic iPhone. The "Plastic iPhone" will not be cheap by any definition. It will be a mid range iPhone for people who want a strong device with tons of storage, that can be used primarily to send emails, make calls, and listen to music. Additionally the "large" iPhone will be the iCloud phone and will cost $100 more than the iPhone 6, but will include free iCloud service. This device will be for people who need large screen, have a lot or movies and music, but don't need the performance of the newest processor. http://www.slashgear.com/apple-looking-at-carbon-fiber-for-the-next-ipad-18114998/ http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-icloud-phone-2011-8 http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/09/26/apple-carbon-parts/
As the seasonal hires file onto the production floor, it is widely believed that Foxconn is preparing to enter the mass production phase of the so-called "iPhone 5S," a handset thought to carry over the design of the iPhone 5, but with upgraded internals. This "S version" would be in line with Apple's iPhone hardware update cycle, which brings design overhauls every other year.
The publication's tipster speculates that the Zhengzhou plant is working on a substantially different iPhone, with a borderless design and an aluminum and carbon fiber shell that will bring cut weight (?) by 40 percent compared to the iPhone 5.
Hey, Mikey Campbell.....do you think you could possibly read over (as in proofread) what you type before you post the article. It's not like you're writing a Moby Dick-like-chapter-long DED article, just a few one & two sentence paragraphs.
[quote name="iMax1" url="/t/158418/reported-foxconn-hiring-spree-could-signal-iphone-5s-mass-production#post_2359672"]Unless I'm mistaken, this would be the first rumor that a future generation iPhone, with an aluminum and '[B]carbon-fiber'[/B] shell, has begun production. [/quote] Indeed, imo all we got so far are the low cost iphone leaks.