iPhone 5s hardest to manufacture says Foxconn Executive

Recently tech journalist and bloggers noticed a very interesting change on Apple's online store. Namely, the iPhone 5s model used to take a week or two to ship, but the time has been significantly reduced now to only 3 to 5 business days. The reason behind this is that Foxconn Electronics has allocated a lot more manpower and energy into their iPhone 5s production line and they are now able to ship as many as half a million units every day.

Judging by the news from Taiwan the iPhone 5s has officially taken the crown as top priority even in front of other companies. On the other hand, the production of the iPhone 5c has decreased and slowed down. Nonetheless, the news we are focusing on today are the recent statements of a Foxconn executive for the Wall Street Journal which reveal a lot of information about the iPhone production line and about the difficult process behind the manufacturing of the iPhone 5s.
 

iPhone 5s and Foxconn: In Numbers

The factory as Zhengzhou has employed around 300,000 workers who are all dedicated to just making the iPhone 5s and various components for other Apple products. That's a giant number and I honestly wasn't expecting to read that 300,000 people are part of the iPhone 5s production line!

The executive also revealed that the company needs 600 workers per production line for the 5s model, while only 500 were needed for the older iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5c. This followed by a statement about how the iPhone 5s is rather complicated to manufacture and that it was honestly a fairly difficult challenge for the company at first.

Complex Doesn't Equal Quality, in Fact...

A lot of people then went out to say that the iPhone 5s must be "the best" considering how complex it is to manufacture. However, I really disagree about this and I hope many of you will take my side on this one! The fact that it is hard to make doesn't really tell us much and in all honesty it can only be a bad thing.

The new iPhone 6 needs to be less complex so that it can be faster to manufacture. This means that we will have smaller waiting times and better availability not just in the US, but worldwide!

iPhone 6 Release Date in Q3 2014 with large, curved display

Recently the media has been building hype by constantly telling us how the new iPhone 6 release date is just around the corner and that Apple wants to jump the gun and beat Samsung and LG in the "battle of curves". If you don't know the story, then I recommend you look up a phone my the name of LG G Flex. It is an Android-powered smartphone with a curved body and a "self-healing" back body. You can apply a lot of weight and pressure on it and the device will become flat, only to go back to its curved form. The "self-healing" feature means that it will automatically repair small scratches on the back body using a similar technology that some vehicles are using. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, let me continue!

The LG G Flex

This G Flex also comes with amazing hardware specs and it is a true flagship device. It features 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage that comes with included SD card support. Then, there is powerful Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset with a Krait 400 quad-core processor that's running at 2.26 GHz. For the  GPU LG chose Adreno 330 which is currently the latest technology available from Qualcomm when graphics are concerned. You would have to be a horrible fan-boy/girl to say that the LG G Flex doesn't sound amazing.

However, this doesn't mean that everyone needs or wants this latest technological marvel, especially not for the price of a brand new, high-end tablet (with money to spare)! Apple doesn't need a "large curved" screen for their new iPhone 6 unless the consumers really want it. So, do they? There is no reason to expect this nor to feel like it is the most logical response on their end. Yet, the rumors keep popping up and suggesting this stuff, so let's go over through the latest info.

Sapphire Glass & Curved Display

 

Basically, what the press and the "respected insiders" are saying is pretty much the same as we've been hearing for the past couple of weeks. This if of course that the new iPhone 6 will come out early next year, that it will have a large screen and that there is possibility of using sapphire glass for the displays. The flavor of the month at the moment is "curved display" and media is still spinning the first story, but adding this extra rumor into the mill.

LG G Flex Shows How Its Done; Apple Please Take Notes!

LG is currently making a couple of new, powerful devices including the new Google Nexus and the LG G Flex, a smartphone that has a curved screen. Now, I don't really care about this feature/ gimmick/ patent that this company has created, but I am really impressed by the specs and performance of this new device. In general, LG seems to be a completely new/reborn brand which will have a lot more value and reputation as time goes by. In this article we will discus some interesting lessons that Apple could learn from this and possibly use for their own iPhone 6. Of course this isn't some silly LG G Flex vs iPhone 6 battle, but if you like silly stuff follow my blog, there will be a lot of it in the near future.

 So first of all let us talk a bit about LG and their current strategy and position on the market. The company has recently released a Q3 financial report which states that they have made 27% more money than they did last year in Q3 which is a major improvement. They are hopping to make even more by the end of the year. This all sounds amazing, but honestly LG isn't making such a major killing as the figures seem to tell you at first glance. In the Q3 period they shipped a total of 12 million smartphones which earned them a total of $196 million in profit. This doesn't really compare to Apple or Samsung which are the top two manufacturers on the market. However, there is reason to fear that LG is coming their way!

Powerful LG G Flex - A Real Flagship

 Currently, it is still unknown whether or not the G Flex will be just a test device or an actual flagship/product but so far the device and its rumored hardware looks really amazing. The inside configuration of this smartphone is something that Apple should examine closely because this device has beaten every single smartphone on the benchmark test provided by AnTuTu. Have a look at the photo bellow:

What I expect from the iPhone 6

 Now that I've seen the iPhone 5S I will say that it was exactly what I expected and that I will not be trading in my old iPhone 5 for it. Instead, I will be waiting for the iPhone 6 and it is the next phone that I will be adding to my arsenal. So, in this article I will list the specs and features that I expect from the next generation i-device. Anything less than this and I will be a bit disappointing, but my expectations aren't anything too exciting and are actually really realistic.

Display and Screen

 I was a bit skeptic when the new iPhone 5 had a 4-inch screen. However, since I've also been using Android devices (I am a web and mobile developer) a part of me has grown to like a bigger display. While I find a 5 inch (and larger) display very unpractical I would gladly see a 4.5 inch iPhone 6. However, I would certainly dislike anything larger than that. If you want a larger screen than that, get an iPad or something! Seriously!

Improved Camera Optics

 A lot of people criticize Apple for not playing the megapixel game and for offering 8 Mpx on their latest devices. Personally, I never cared for the actual resolution of the photos and this is what I use my digital camera for. Instead, I would like to see the quality of the camera optics improve. Photos in low-light condititions could be better and the new iOS 7 should bring in some powerful new software for the camera app. Higher quality image stabilization is also a feature I look forward to seeing on the new iPhone 6.

Better Battery Life

 I cannot say that the battery life of the iPhone 5 was horrible, but this is a general complaint I have about any smartphone. I just want batteries to get better and for the software to be better optimizedso that it doesn't burn so much power. This is an endless request, but so far Apple has satisfied my wishes.

Better WiFi & NFC

 The new iPhone 6 needs an upgrade to Wi-Fi 802.11ac but Appleis probably waiting for the IEEE to approve the new WiFi specifications later this year. Since the latest MacBook Air has this tech we can be sure that the new iPhone will also follow. As for NFC chips, I personally don't need it but it is one of the features that a flagship such as the iPhone 6 should have.

 

128 GB?

 I see other blogs and tech portals talking about this but I don't really care much about it. The current 64GB model serves just fine and cloud storage is something I am certainly taking major advantage of. However, an SD card would certainly be really nice, but is highly unlikely.

iPhone 6 With a Big Screen Comming in 2014?

 As CNET reports, Citi recently made a note to Apple's investors with some general ideas about where the company is going with their products. The investment bank commented that the iPhone 5C will be a very possible new addition to the family this year and that an iWatch could possibly land in stores by the end of the year. The company has also made some interesting comments regarding the release of the iPhone 6 which are very intriguing to say the least.

iPhone 6 concept design

 So, let us cut right to the iPhone 6 news shall we? According to this source the next generation iPhone 6 release date is likely to be somewhere in the first half of the next year. Aside from using better technology and stronger hardware, this new device should be also quite larger than previous models have been so far. It is a high probability that Apple is looking to expand their offer by providing larger devices, but they are expected to stay true to their previous user base by providing phones that do not exceed the 4-inch display margin.

 Another important note passed on by Citi is that the newly expected iPhone 5C will probably have a $450 retail selling price. Since an average smartphone costs are ~$225 this is rather expensive and it can hardly be considered a low-budget device. However, we all knew that Apple isn't exactly interested in creating a low-budget product, it is more a case of "lower" budget.

 What do you guys think about these news? Leave us a comment down bellow!

iPhone 6 Processor Already In the Works

 While the latest iPhone device was great, Apple still left a lot to be desired and everyone is hopping that the upcoming iPhone 6 will not leave us hanging dry. Luckily, rumors are already spreading that Apple is working on a next-gen processing chip for their new devices. Reports suggest that Apple has picked the A8 chip architecture powerhouse, which uses 20nm processes nodes.

Say goodbye to the old generations!

 The source of the news is DigiTimes and their reporters state that Apple has awarded a three-year contract to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). While most people haven't heard of TSMC, it is actually a big name in the tech industry since many famous Western companies outsource their work over to them. In the past 24h their stocks went up by 3.5% which no doubt due to the news of the new contract. Anyway, TSMC has been contracted to manufacture the A8, A9 and A9X processing chips. These will be used in 2014 for a new series of devices. This would suggest that the iPhone 6 will not be coming out this year and that the upcoming iPhone that we heard about is actually the iPhone 5S.

Are the iPhone 6 Leaks Real? The Prototype Is Revealed!

 Now, if there is anything I have learned from reading tech blogs that is that rumors and leaks are usually not true, however I have to say that this iPhone 6 leak looks rather interesting. So what is it? Did an “insider” or anonymous source announce something juicy? Not quite, in fact, it is even better! We have several leaked images that are supposed to be the leaked iPhone 6 prototype. However, the devices looks so similar to the latest iPhone 5, that I would rather say that this looks more like a iPhone 5S then a whole new device.

Source: Mac Rumors

 Previous rumors confirmed?

 Rumors from a few weeks ago suggested that the new iPhone will be coming by the end of September to replace the iPhone 5. It appears that the latest Apple flagship has done great, but the sales are slowly dropping. Even Samsung and their Galaxy S4 are having trouble when it comes to keeping up the competition.

 After all, technology is advancing very quickly these days and a phone that has been out for three months is already considered a bit outdated. However, the iPhone 5 is still a bit ahead of the game and thus Apple won’t be needing a new flagship for at least a few months. Thus, one must ask, why are there rumors of a new model already?

 Either way, there is a lot of detail floating around the Internet and the leaked photo above seems to be in-line with these stories. The website Mac Rumors has done a great job at analyzing the photograph posted above. The green boxes indicate the parts which confirm previous stories, while the red boxes are placed around the parts which are unknown.

 The back case of this prototype was leaked as well and here is the photo:

Source: Mac Rumors

 Both of these photographs suggest that the new iPhone (iPhone 5S or iPhone 6?) will finally have the much rumored dual-flash camera. Aside from that it appears that the logic board has been improved which should result in faster performance according to some reporters. However, from what I know about these things, this is something that they cannot conclude from photographs alone and this is just an empty speculation.

 What I find most interesting however, is the CPU unit on the first photograph. The processor has the Apple logo, but it has no markings or numbers. Is this proof of a new generation of processors? I wouldn’t bet on it as the print looks rather old and worn-out to be honest.

 Another interesting thing is located on the second photo in the small red box. The text is supposed to represent the model version and reads “A1214" which is a pattern never before seen on an iPhone. What is that supposed to mean? Well, original iPhone and iPhone 3G bore "A12XX" model numbers and this changed with the iPhone 3GS that carried numbers in the "A13XX" range. This once again chanted with the iPhone 4S that moved into the "A14XX" tier, which continues with the current iPhone 5. This means that “A1214” would be something that a very old iPhone would carry and certainly not the iPhone 6 and/or iPhone 5S. Of course, it could just be dummy text.

 Either way, I am almost 99% sure that this can be labeled as a rumor. However, it looks like a very nice early concept prototype for the iPhone 6 and this is something that makes me rather happy!