iPhone 5S: Production Nears as Foxconn Hires Thousands

Work is reportedly ramping up at Foxconn, where thousands of workers are joining the company in an effort to ramp up for the impending iPhone 5S production, which could start in the next 60 days.

Multiple reports claim the company which partners with Apple to make the iPhone is hiring 10,000 workers a week to man the assembly lines, marking the end to a hiring freeze started in February.

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg both report that the Foxconn hiring is for the next model of the iPhone, largely expected to carry the iPhone 5S name. An un-named Foxconn executive is quoted as telling the WSJ.

 We have been very busy recently as we will start mass-producing the new iPhone soon,

We previously heard from The Wall Street Journal that iPhone 5S production would start this quarter, in preparation for a summer iPhone 5S release. This news lines up with rumored iPhone 5S release dates and with a June iOS 7 launch at WWDC 2013.

Bloomberg’s report backs up the news, claiming, “The extra workers will assemble the new device as well as existing models and have been added at Apple’s request to boost capacity,” according to an un-name executive.

If iPhone 5S production does start up in the next month or two, Apple will likely be ready to launch the iPhone 5S in summer or early fall. Previous reports peg the iPhone 5S release for July in China, which could line up with production rumors but could prove tough given the typical beta period for iOS versions which we expect with iOS 7.

Read: iPhone 5S: Five Things to Know Pre-Launch

Other sources, including the often reliable Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities claims the iPhone 5S may face a delay that could push the launch as late as October. Apple launched the iPhone 4S in October in 2011, but moved the iPhone 5 launch up to September in 2012.

Despite claims of a Galaxy Note 2 size iPhone 5, most analysts and observers expect an iPhone 5S that looks similar to the iPhone 5 with small enhancements. One major claim is that the iPhone 5S will feature a fingerprint reader underneath the home button which could assist with security and with a mobile payment service. At least one analyst believes the fingerprint feature will not arrive until the iPhone 6.