Apple has been on a hiring spree since summer of 2013

Mar 3, 2014 14:10 GMT  ·  By

To speed up the development (and the subsequent release) of its next-generation smartphone, Apple has commissioned the hiring of hundreds of new engineers in Asia, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The paper has it on file that “Last August, Apple used the professional networking website LinkedIn to reach out individually to engineers at HTC and its Taiwanese suppliers Inventec Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc., among others.”

Apple is preparing for “faster and more frequent product launches,” and wants to deliver not one, but two larger-screen iPhones.

The Cupertino company reportedly said in one recruiting email obtained by the WSJ that it was “building an engineering team in Taipei to drive new iPhone product development.” Apple’s main Asian base in Shanghai is also hiring new staff.

In addition to building an engineering team in Taipei, according to the Journal, Apple is also beefing up on supply chain managers to alleviate the harsh working conditions at its Asian suppliers. The company’s operational staff in China is 600 strong at the moment.

The paper further notes that extending “core research and development” is not part of the hiring spree. Apple prefers to keep these activities closer to home, leaving its Asian partners, suppliers, and regular workers to focus on making components. In short, the iPhone maker is only outsourcing brawn, not brains too.

The next-generation iPhone (or iPhones, if the rumors turn out to be true) will be deployed either at the Worldwide Developers Conference in summer, or at a later event in fall.

For the past few years, Apple has announced new iPhone models at events scheduled in autumn, sometimes in September, other times in October. The fanbase is more anxious than ever to see what Apple is coming out with this time around, as rumors of larger screens abound.

Apple’s lack of a larger-than-4-inch-screen is said to be the primary reason that led to an erosion of the company’s market share. Whether or not that’s correct, it never puts market share first, according to its management.

The new phones are also expected to sport an all-new design, though the Cupertino giant has shown great reluctance over the years towards completely reimagining the form factor. This time around, however, it might just happen.

There is no shortage of concept designs showing what the iPhone 6 might look like, but it’s very improbable that any of these dreamed-up mockups will materialize. The iPhone 6 will probably not be curved or have a transparent body, at least that much we can guess on our own.