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!

Leaked iPhone 5C Photos

 Press photos of the upcoming budget smartphone from Apple known as iPhone 5C have been leaked according to T3 and their design corresponds to many of the rumors. Aside from this the overall look of the device also fits the cases and accessories that were leaked as well. Is this just an organized promotion or the worst kept Apple secret? Either way, the latest leaked iPhone 5C photos still leave much to be desired.

Leaked iPhone 5C press photos

 Like several other leaks this one was also provided by Romanian retailers but the details of how they obtained these photos have not been revealed. The iPhone 5C has been in the public eyesight for a long time now and it appears that the release is getting closer as the hype builds up and the rumors swirl.

 The current news on the wire, however, is that this budget phone will not be so affordable and that it will take the iPhone 4S place in the lineup. The general idea is that by mid 2014 Apple will create a series that will look something like this: iPhone 6 > iPhone 5S > iPhone 5 > iPhone 5C. The idea is that they plan to slowly stop the production of older models which means that we will finally be rid of the 30pin connector!

 As far as the price and the release date of the iPhone 5C you can say that there are as many leaked photos as there are pricing options which is obviously quite a lot. The general opinion is that this phone will be aimed towards the market in China where Apple is looking to improve their market share after a devastating drop. The price of the phone can be anywhere in the $399 to the $499 range which obviously means that it will not be such a "budget" device.

 Either way, it seems like the release date for both the 5C and the iPhone 5S will be somewhere in mid September. This is based on expert analysis and leaked rumors that suggest that Foxconn has already received the order and started the production of two brand-new models. However, as there are no possible ways to confirm these rumors we will back away from any further dialog and just wait it out.

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!