To-be-employed workers stand outside Foxconn in China's southern city of Shenzhen on March 29, 2012. (Photo : REUTERS/Siu Chiu)
More and more evidence is pointing towards an October release date for the iPhone 5. Battling pouring rains, job seekers in Chengdu in China lined up to try and land a summer job at the Foxconn plant. The recent surge in temporary, summer hiring at both the Chengdu and Zhengzhou Foxconn plants indicate that the manufacturer is preparing to mass produce new devices.
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Foxconn is part of the Apple supply chain and assembles Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The hopefuls at the plants were required to submit a $24 registration fee to even apply for the job, according to MicGadget.
If the rumors and signs are true, then Apple will plan on a fall, most likely October, release of the iPhone 5. Apple is also expected to launch an iPad Mini.
Apple has yet to confirm any details or even the existence of these two devices, however recent moves by its supply chain partners and details leaked by industry insiders have revealed that a new iPhone and iPad Mini is on the way.
The surge in hiring makes sense, as worldwide demand for the two brand new Apple products will be at record levels. An analyst from Piper Jaffrey recently stated that 80 million iPhone 5s were basically already sold based on a consumer survey the firm conducted.
The iPhone 5 should come with a larger 4-inch screen, 4G LTE support, a quad-core processor for better battery life, NFC capability for wireless data sharing and payments, and a smaller dock. The iOS 6 is also geared for a fall launch, so it's a good bet that it will debut on Apple's new flagship smartphone.
