14 DAY TRIAL // Sources in the Far East have revealed to DigiTimes that Apple is automating battery manufacturing starting this year. If the rumor is true, the iPhone 6 could be the first Apple smartphone to use robot-built batteries that may be less prone to flaws.
Sources from the upstream supply chain reportedly said that “Apple is planning to have its iPhone batteries fully manufactured on automated production lines in 2014 to reduce its manpower demand.”
Other brand vendors are likely to follow in its footsteps and demand that their batteries be made by robots, the sources added.
“Apple has already automated its Mac Pro and iMac production lines. Other than materials and final assembly, manpower is not required for the rest of the manufacturing,” according to the report.
Another key advantage of moving into automated production is the ability to set up a manufacturing facility anywhere. But the sources note that, since most of Apple’s components come from China, the company isn’t likely to set up camp for battery manufacturing anyplace else.
The sources don’t mention this, but automated battery assembly might actually pose another great benefit – fewer flawed units.
On occasion, an iPhone with a factory-damaged battery might explode, swell up, and leak acid, even catch fire. More often than not, this is the result of human error but also poor calibration of machines (which can also be considered human error).
Apple’s iPhone 6 is said to feature a bigger screen, which likely involves a bigger chassis and a larger battery (to power up the faster processor and the bigger display). However, the phone might also be thinner than the current generation of iPhones.
Apparently there isn’t any news regarding the actual battery technology used by Apple for its upcoming smartphone, which means the company will continue to rely on traditional Li-Ion cells.
Battery life is hard to expand when processors constantly become faster, screens become larger and brighter, and the user is more and more engaged with the device.
iPhone 6 will have a sapphire crystal display, according to another rumor, and its design is expected – by some – to be a complete departure from the current iPhone 5s. Others are more reserved and believe the iPhone 6 will still look a lot like its predecessor, featuring only small design changes.
The winning feature is, of course, the bigger display, something that Apple fans have waited for a little too long.