Taiwan’s Economic Daily News reports production of Apple’s 4.7-inch “iPhone 6” will begin in the third week of July, while the much-rumored 5.5-inch model will kickoff manufacturing in mid-August.
The publication noted a separate Chinese news service report that said the head of China’s Henan Provincial Commerce Department made comments that Hon Hai, better known as Foxconn, is looking to hire some 100,000 workers to cope with expectedly high demand for the upcoming handsets. That figure echoes a previous rumor from June, but today’s report adds partner supplier Pegatron is also preparing to hire some 10,000 employees for its part of Apple’s order.
Apple is widely expected to launch the two handsets before the end of 2014, although the release of the larger 5.5-inch model may be delayed due to production issues.
In a note to investors on Sunday, well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted that in-cell touch panel technology and color unevenness on the redesigned metal casings is posing problems for both models, though the issues are more pronounced with the 5.5-inch model. Kuo believes this could push back the launch of the larger iPhone 6 until 2015.
As always, note that this is a rumor, and should be taken as such with a grain of your favorite food seasoning.
