Is the iPhone 6 release date coming up? We’ve heard plenty of speculation that the device could be available this year and even that production will ramp up in August ahead of a September launch. As it turns out, key Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) supplier Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TPE:2354) appears to be on a hiring spree right now, possibly to prepare for a ramp-up of production for the iPhone 6.
Details On Foxconn’s Hiring Plans For The iPhone 6
CNET was one of the first English language sites to report the hiring increase at Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TPE:2354), and it sites a report on a Chinese language news site. The report indicates that a recruitment firm which works with a plant based in Zhengzhou in Henan Province is recruiting workers en mass in preparation for the production of the next iPhone, a.k.a., the iPhone 6 or possibly the iPhone 5S. Foxconn has a big facility in Zhengzhou.
The Chinese report does refer to the devices going into production as the iPhone 6, although CNET’s Brooke Crothers said it appears to be speculation because Foxconn has not confirmed the device’s model number.
Foxconn’s Staffing Levels And A Second Device
Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TPE:2354) plant sources said the facility in Zhengzhou now has about 210,000 workers, and staffing levels peaked in 2012 at 300,000, according to BrightWire News. The report in China Business News also refers to a separate device that might be different from what’s going into production. It features a “borderless” design, which may be the edge-to-edge screen so many have speculated about for the iPhone 6. The device also has a shell made of aluminum and carbon fiber and a weight that’s 40 percent smaller than that of the iPhone 5.
Questions Remain About The iPhone 6
So now the rumor mill is undoubtedly kicking into overdrive as speculations abound regarding that second possible device. Does it mean the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 will both be going into production soon? And where does the low cost iPhone come into the mix? It very well be that both of them will be available by the end of the year, as so many have speculated.
