Skip to main content

Apple suppliers cranking out 150,000 iPhone 5 units per day

iphone-5-concept-white-black-vertical
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple has yet to confirm a single detail about its next-generation iPhone, but reports out of Taiwan suggest the company believes it’s going to be a hit.

Recommended Videos

According to Apple supply chain sources, production of Apple’s so-called iPhone 5 at Foxconn Electronics plants have ramped up to about 150,000 units per day, reports DigiTimes. In addition, lens maker Largan Precision, touch-screen maker TPK Holding, glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics and battery suppliers Simplo and Dynapack are all currently operating at maximum capacity, the sources said.

With this level of production, iPhone 5 shipments are expected to reach between 5 million and 6 million in September, which equals out to more than 22 million units for the fourth quarter of this year. Shipments of iPhone 4 (both GSM and CDMA versions) will drop to make room for iPhone 5.

Of course, it is still not known when Apple plans to announce the iPhone 5, let alone when anxious customers will be able to get their hands on one. General consensus of the iPhone 5 rumor mill is that the next-generation Apple handset will launch sometime in October, though it’s possible Apple will make an announcement about the device this month — a prospect that grows increasingly unlikely as the days roll on.

An October iPhone 5 launch has become so commonplace, in fact, that some reputable outlets (like AllThingsD, for example) refer to the time frame as if its been set in stone by Steve Jobs himself (or maybe Tim Cook).

Other rumors that are beginning to appear more sure include iPhone 5 coming packed with an A5 processor (possibly dual-core), and include an 8 megapixel camera. It’s also likely that the iPhone 5 will have an edge-to-edge screen, a thinner profile, and be compatible with both GSM (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon) radio signals. Sprint, which uses CDMA, could be added to the list of carriers in the US.

In addition, we were told recently by a Verizon representative that the iPhone 5 “will be 4G,” which is as much of a confirmation as we’ve seen that the next iPhone will have that capability.

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
There may not be an iPhone in 10 years’ time, says top Apple exec
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Well, whouda thunk it. A top Apple executive positing the idea that in 10 years from now, the iPhone -- your beloved iPhone (unless you have a beloved Android phone, that is) -- may no longer exist.

Before your head explodes at the mere thought of Apple abandoning the iPhone in 10 years’ time, there’s also a chance that in 2035 there will be an iPhone 27, or whatever’s Apple’s calling it by then.

Read more
iPhone 17 Air: everything you need to know
Alleged concept render of the iPhone 17 Air in black.

The iPhone 17 Air is set to become the first iPhone that's as light as a feather -- or light as air, as its name suggests. Not because it's as tiny as the oldest iPhone models, but rather it's because it's as thin as the MacBook Air that inspired it and thinner than the rest of the iPhone 17 line.

Although the iPhone 17 Air is months away from being officially announced by Apple, let alone the standard iPhone 17, the leaks and rumors swirling around the ultra-slim model have iPhone users excited about the prospect of holding it in their hands and anxious about its fragility because of its thinness. Here's everything you need to know about the iPhone 17 Air.

Read more
The iPhone 18 Pro could see a major design change
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16e showing the screen.

If the iPhone 18 release schedule wasn't enough of a shift, it looks like the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models could switch to under-screen Face ID and have only a small camera in the top-left corner of the screen. The news comes from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a leaker with an inside hook into Apple's supply chain.

"Well, I checked with the Apple supply chain a few days ago. The iPhone 18/18 Pro Max is indeed testing 3D faces under the screen, with a single HIAA hole; the iPhone 8/18 Air is a regular 2+1 hole," they write (as translated by Google.)

Read more