14 DAY TRIAL // A recruiter for Foxconn Technology Group has spilled the beans on the potential release date of the iPhone 5, telling TV Tokyo reporters that the company’s recent hiring spree is directly tied to the fifth-generation Apple smartphone.
Earlier this month, reports from The China Morning News and M.I.C. Gadget revealed that Foxconn was building “a new base for iPhone 5 production” in Taiyuan, the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in Northern China.
The giant electronics manufacturer was said to be hiring about 20,000 new workers.
Although the news was regarded more like a rumor rather than actual confirmation that the new iPhone was entering production, it was easy to speculate that Apple had ordered Foxconn to start work on the new handset.
And now it seems we have our confirmation. A person involved with the recruiting for 18,000 individuals that will handle iPhone 5 assembly has told TV Tokyo reporters that the device will, most likely, be launched this summer.
"Because it seems it will go on sale in June," the recruiter said, in response to a question, according to a Japanese translation of the original interview (in Chinese).
For those who are familiar with the language, this particular portion of the conversation starts around the 7:10 mark, according to CNet.
Should Apple be launching the device in June, as previously speculated by several rumor sites and blogs, the company has managed to keep a tight lid on the developments surrounding its impending iPhone refresh this time around. The last two models got leaked months before going on sale.
Sadly, the TV Tokyo interview fails to churn up any additional details, such as some of the technical specifications.
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, rumored to be held June 11-16, should be the time and place for the iPhone 5 unveiling, if this leak proves accurate.