Apple's top Taiwanese suppliers are scrambling to recruit workers to prepare to help build the next iPhone, according to multiple reports.
CNBC reported that the suppliers "have started mass-hirings," with Foxconn urging potential workers to hurry to apply but warning that they may have trouble getting through to its jobs hotline due to "so many applications" calling in and jamming phone lines.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Economic Daily News said Pegatron had also stepped up its hiring. Both companies started recruiting workers "at least a month earlier than in previous years," according to the Daily News, and Foxconn was recruiting on the mainland as early as May for the first time in two years.
The Taiwanese news outlet also said the design of the new iPhone was more complex than previous models, requiring suppliers to begin creating components earlier than normal.
And while there's never any shortage of speculation regarding an upcoming iPhone, it's unclear why a new model might be so much more sophisticated than previous versions. BGR reported last week that the iPhone 7 Plus might have a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector, and NetworkWorld suggested the model might even have a 4K wraparound display.
What's certain, though, is that Apple needs its next iPhone to be a hit. The company last month said it shipped a total of 51.2 million iPhones during the first quarter, down from 61.2 million during the prior year, and revenues fell year-over-year for the first time since 2003. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus aren't selling as well relative to other Apple models as their predecessors did, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners reported last month, and the new iPhone SE doesn't appear to be gaining traction in a major way.
For more:
- see this 9to5Mac report
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