Following up on news that Foxconn would soon deploy robots on assembly lines dedicated to Apple products, a report out of Asia claims the so-called "Foxbots" will have a limited role in device assembly as humans are still needed for most operations.
Hours after a video purportedly revealed Apple's rumored sapphire crystal "iPhone 6" display on Monday, another short film hit the Web, this time putting the supposed part through a battery of torture tests that included knives, keys and extreme bending.
With Apple said to be preparing a move from Corning's Gorilla Glass to an in-house sapphire solution for the display on the so-called "iPhone 6," a new part alleged to be a preproduction sapphire front panel for the device was shown off Monday in a video from Hong Kong.
Apple may be planning to trade battery capacity for slimness in its next-generation handsets, according to a Monday report from the Far East, with the hotly-anticipated 4.7-inch "iPhone 6" said to pack an 1,800 mAh unit and its 5.5-inch sibling bringing a 2,500 mAh reserve.
During a recent shareholder meeting, president and CEO of Apple partner manufacturer Foxconn said his company plans to roll out robots on assembly lines responsible for products like the iPhone, possibly in time for production of the so-called "iPhone 6."
The latest alleged "iPhone 6" parts leak claims to show the device's front glass panel, with a video showcasing its larger 4.7-inch size and how much of the display can be reached by holding it with one hand.
Another questionable rumor out of China on Thursday claims Apple will announce its next-gen iPhone on Sept. 15 ahead of a Sept. 25 launch date, while mention is made of a 16GB 5.5-inch version that will supposedly be called "iPhone Air."
With a 4.7-inch iPhone rumored to be on the horizon, Samsung is reportedly readying its first non-plastic handset for a September unveiling in what could be an attempt to stave off defections from Galaxy buyers waiting for a larger-screened option from Apple.
Apple's anticipated next-generation iPhone may use only one brightness enhancement film for its display, a change that could enable the company to reduce the size of the LCD component in the handset and create the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date.
While a glut of alleged "iPhone 6" mockups have suggested there will be lines cut out toward the top and bottom of the back panel on Apple's next handset, a new report claims those are just placeholders for small glass panels that will be included, in a design much like the iPhone 5s.
Apple certainly likes to keep its competition — and fans — guessing about its next moves, and one of the company's best head-fakes in recent years was an exclusive arrangement for a unique metal alloy dubbed Liquidmetal. News of that deal sparked fantasies of mythical Liquidmetal products built by Apple — wishful thinking that may now be repeating once again with the company's latest investment in sapphire.
A video showing what appears to be an engineering sample of a rear casing for Apple's next-generation, 5.5-inch "iPhone 6" surfaced earlier this week from Japan, showing a rounded unibody design and a two-part Apple logo.
According to a rumor out of China, Apple may release a 128GB version of its next-generation iPhone, but restrict the option to a higher-end 5.5-inch model in a bid to differentiate the "phablet" device from the company's stable of smartphones.
In what is likely just an educated guess, yet another rumor claims that Apple will launch its next-generation iPhone on Friday, Sept. 19, which would be about one year after the debut of the iPhone 5s.
Due to supply constraints, Apple's rumored 4.7-inch "iPhone 6" handset is not expected to come with optical image stabilization (OIS) components, one analyst says, though yields may be high enough to include the part in a larger 5.5-inch variant.
Already on track to capture nearly half of the smartphone market in 2014, Apple could dramatically expand the iPhone's customer base at Android's expense by adding a new model with a larger display, according to a survey released Tuesday by the investment arm of the Royal Bank of Canada.
Following rumors of a massive Foxconn hiring spree, Bloomberg on Monday reported Apple's suppliers are slated to start production of two larger screen iPhones next month ahead of a possible concurrent September release.
With the Touch ID sensor expected to come to all of Apple's new iPhones and iPads later this year, the fingerprint scanning hardware is also rumored to see internal improvements that will make the home button more durable, according to a new report.
A report on Monday claims Apple partner manufacturer Foxconn will supposedly hire some 100,000 people in a ramp up toward July production of the next-generation iPhone, while secondary supplier Pegatron is also preparing to increase recruitment efforts after netting a 30 percent share of orders.
A video posted to YouTube on Tuesday pits widely circulated 4.7- and 5.5-inch "iPhone 6" dummy models against the iPhone 5s and other popular handsets, showing Apple may be headed deep into phablet territory as the larger version is noticeably taller than even Samsung's Galaxy Note 3.
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AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Sam Oliver
Katie Marsal
Neil Hughes
