According to a new report from the occasionally reliable DigiTimes, Apple’s next-generation iPhone has entered volume production at Pegatron’s plant in Shanghai. The timing is consistent with previous assertions by Japanese tech blog MacOtakara, which claimed Apple is about to ramp up manufacture of the widely anticipated iPhone 5 any day. That also lines up with the September/October timeframe pegged as most likely release window for the future product.
Sources from Apple’s supply chain in Taiwan also argue that Pegatron is waiting for orders of the sixth iPhone to offset a generally expected drop in ODM notebook shipments next quarter. The publication adds that the Chinese company has become the second OEM builder of “a new iPad version” forecasted to see shipments of “several million” units in the fall.
The iPhone 5 is believed to arrive roughly one year after its predecessor that hit the market in October of 2011. That would cement the change in the iPhone update cycle – previously, Apple used to introduce new iPhone models in the summer.
As the launch is drawing nearer, multiple pictures and videos showing purported leaked components for the device come pouring on the web. Analysts generally expect the next handset to sport a slightly taller 4-inch screen and a revamped aluminum “uni-body” design. However, while some sources pointed to an all-metal design, others described the new iPhone as having fragments of glass on its back plate. Other supposed tweaks include a relocated headphone jack, centered FaceTime camera and a smaller dock connector which will reportedly shrink from the current 30 pin to 19 pin.
