Earlier today, Chinese watchdog group China Labor Watch reported numerous labor violations at Pegatron – one of Apple’s Chinese manufacturing partners. Aside from the labor violation complaints, however, the report also details some interesting claims about Apple’s rumored low-cost plastic iPhone.
In their full report regarding the alleged labor violations, the group describes active work on a “scaled-back, less expensive” version of Apple’s iPhone.
From the report, around page 27(PDF link, via AllThingsD, 9to5Mac):
Today’s work is to paste protective film on the iPhone’s plastic back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market by Apple. The new cellphone has not yet been put into mass production, so quantity is not as important. This makes our job more slow paced than in departments that have begun mass production schedule.
The introduction to the document also notes that the factory’s assembled products “include iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and low-priced plastic iPhones.” To date, Apple has yet to announce plans for a low-cost iPhone, despite numerous resources (many of them highly credible) claiming that this is the case. Numerous part leaks, most notable depicting the design of the device’s rear shell in multiple colors (1, 2, 3, etc), including video, have also surfaced in recent weeks and months.
The report serves as the closes confirmation to date that the budget iPhone does indeed exist, and has not yet entered mass production. Adding to the report’s credibility is the fact that China Labor Watch is a respected non-profit group, which has been operating for more than a decade, and has zero track record of generating baseless rumors.
Over the weekend, an image surfaced apparently showing a bin of packaging boxes bearing the iPhone 5S moniker. While the authenticity of that image has since been outed as a likely fake, the name is thought to be authentic, according to a report from BusinessInsider. While it’s unclear what the “C” in the name might stand for, some have speculated that it likely stands for either “cheap,” or “color” (referencing the leaked multi-color shells).
iLounge also referenced the “iPhone 5C” name back in April, adding additional credibility yo the claim (they were also the first to report many of the design details that have since been corroborated by other sources).
Whatever Apple decides to call their budget iPhone, there’s little question at this point that it does in fact exist, and will likely be released this year.
