Roger Fingas
Apple's two main assembly partners, Foxconn and Pegatron, are said to have begun extra hiring for iPhone production early this year, allegedly owing to the complexity of the "iPhone 7."
The manufacturers started recruiting at least a month earlier than usual, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News, quoted by CNBC. In the case of Foxconn, it was reportedly the first time in two years that Foxconn began hiring in the Chinese mainland in May.
The extended time will be used not just to get a headstart on production, but to provide workers with the increased training needed to deal with Apple's design, EDN said.
It's not clear in what way the "iPhone 7" might be so complex as to require a longer production cycle, since the standard 4.7-inch model is expected to be largely similar to the iPhone 6s, albeit with better internals, relocated antenna bands, and the possibility of it ditching a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. If it is fully waterproof, as some rumors have claimed, that could be one explanation.
Another is the "7 Plus," which may have a dual-lens camera and even a Smart Connector on top of other improvements. Dual-lens cameras are still rare in the smartphone world, and Apple's Smart Connector format has so far only been used on the iPad Pro line.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
25 Comments
By "more complex" I hope they also mean harder to copy.
Not early enough.
I mean, heck... Why is there still a 2-3 week wait for the SE?
Is Apple still “ramping-up” production on their 9 month old A9 processor? No? How about on their 4 year old case? No? Maybe it’s the anodized beveled edge vs. the polished beveled edge that has thrown them for a loop?
Everyone that has been freaking out about how boring the 7 is supposed to be is going to feel pretty silly.
I doubt Foxconn is hiring extra people to handle the extreme boringness.