'Thousands' apply at Foxconn ahead of rumored iPhone, iPad mini build

Reports from China claim that thousands of job seekers are lining up outside of Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn's Chengdu plant in hopes of landing a position at the factory as summer hiring ramps up ahead of rumored next-generation iPhone and smaller iPad launches.

According to Chinese electronics blog M.I.C. Gadget, "thousands" of people gathered in front of Foxconn's Chengdu plant to vie for a large number of "summer job" slots that have only one stipulation: applicants must have good eyesight.

Sources claim that openings still remain but are filling up fast and note that a smaller "iPad mini" may possibly be rolling off the assembly line. This is contrary to a previous report which had the rumored 7-inch tablet set for manufacture at Foxconn's plant in Jundiai, Brazil.

Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory is also hiring workers and sources there say the plant is currently producing Apple's next-generation iPhone albeit on a very small scale. The insider claims that the production line's over 100 workers rolled out a mere five units during a recent night shift, and goes on to explain the upcoming iPhone is said to be in the "trial production stage."

Source: M.I.C. Gadget

While AppleInsider cannot validate these claims, the report is consistent with earlier rumors that said Apple's sixth-generation iPhone is currently being manufactured.

Apple's rumored next-generation handset is expected to launch some time this fall with a larger 4-inch display and newly-designed "uni-body" chassis. A smaller version of the company's popular iPad is also widely rumored to debut later this year with recent "leaks" pointing to a 7-inch screen and slightly modified case design. A report from The New York Times claims the so-called "iPad mini" will be priced below $499 to meet entry-level market demand.

17 Comments

daharder

said about 11 years ago

Well... A person's got to have an income.

wurm5150

said about 11 years ago

In China right now, thousands are lining up to apply for job to make iPhones.. Elsewhere around the world in the fall, thousands will be lining up to buy an iPhone..

solipsismx

said about 11 years ago

It's a good thing they made the conditions better by reducing the number of higher-pay overtime hours these people can work. I'm glad they're all happy to have that extra idle time.

festerfeet

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

It's a good thing they made the conditions better by reducing the number of higher-pay overtime hours these people can work. I'm glad they're all happy to have that extra idle time.

This was a case of do-gooders not understanding what the 'poor suffering' workers wanted. Some wanted less hours, some wanted higher hours and unsurprisingly all wanted a better higher hourly rate (but who doesn't?). So really all most wanted was a choice! This has now been removed to the detriment of the people these idiots were trying to protect.

As for the crowds queuing up outside, that isn't unusual but I haven't been over to that side of town this week but might drive by tomorrow if I have time to have a look/see if it is any different from usual.

What is interesting is this plant is heavily used by Apple, more so than some of the others and they are expanding big time, expected workforce needs are increasing between 100,000 and 250,000 over the next 18 months - depending on what local paper you chose to read. If this is mainly for iPad production (which it currently is) then Apple/Foxconn are pretty confident about the markets capacity.