A Taiwanese report says that Apple had told its suppliers to boost initial iPhone 14 production from 90M units to 95M, an increase of more than 5%.
In response, lead iPhone assembler Foxconn is said to have substantially increased its recruitment bonus for iPhone workers …
Taiwan’s United Daily News reports.
The smartphone market may be sluggish, but Apple is bucking the trend. Recently, it has expanded total initial orders for the iPhone 14 series to 95M, an increase of about 5% over the original expectation.
The report suggests the move is a result of both Apple’s optimism over demand for this year’s line-up, and improvements to component availability.
UDN says that a number of key Apple suppliers has spoken of increased demand for their products during the peak timeframe for iPhone production.
Foxconn, more formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is said to have responded by offering greatly increased recruitment bonuses to iPhone workers as mass production kicks off.
The actual figure cited appears to be a typo, so the likely increase is from around $1,500 to about $2,250 – a rise of 50%.
While some are dismissing iPhone 14 reports as a “tok’ year, in which there are relatively few reasons to upgrade, that’s likely not the case.
The replacement of the iPhone 13 mini with an iPhone 14 Max – a larger screen version of the base model – is likely to significantly boost sales. There are many who prefer large-screened phones but don’t need the Pro features, and are not willing to pay Pro prices.
On the iPhone 14 Pro side, the Android experiences suggests that the always-on display of the Pro models is likely to prove popular. We’re also expecting significant camera upgrades, including a 48MP sensor.
We expect actual image resolution to remain the same (with the possible exception of bright daylight photos), but with worthwhile quality improvements.
Although the sensor is 48 megapixels, it is possible that output images from the iPhone will still be 12-megapixels in resolution. Apple may opt to use a smart scaling algorithm that takes the raw 48-megapixel data and creates a 12-megapixel output image, with more detail and less noise. This is called “four cell merge output mode” and used today by some high-end Android phones.
Of course, this type of sensor does offer the option of using all 48-megapixels when light conditions are good enough for noise not to be a factor, as in the case of a sunlit landscape.
On the video size, the sensor will allow 8K video recording. While there are virtually no 8K displays at present, this will allow for increased options in the edit, such as digital zoom and pan. Many videographers currently shoot in 4K for 1080p output for this reason.
With US-Chinese tensions high, Apple is also aiming to start iPhone 14 production simultaneously in China and India, the first time that a brand-new iPhone has been made in India from day one. The news follows reports that China is exacting revenge on the US for Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Apple warned its suppliers that China is enforcing a customs regulation that could lead to import and export requests being refused.
The iPhone maker told suppliers that China had started enforcing a long-standing rule that Taiwanese-made parts and components must be labeled as made either in “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei,” the report added, citing sources familiar with the matter.
This is reportedly causing disruption for shipments of iPhones and/or iPhone components.
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