In the run-up to the release of the iPhone 4S, the rumors and media hysteria surrounding the prospect of an iPhone 5 reached a fever pitch. Well, just five months later, a new piece of information points to an iPhone 5 release in the very near future.
The new iPhone rumor comes via a television report by TV Tokyo in which a Foxconn factory worker is captured on video telling a Chinese questioner that the company is looking to hire 18,000 new workers to prepare for the release of the iPhone 5 in June. The conversation was held in Chinese and translated into Japanese by the network, and then into English by Japan technology blog Mac Otakara (Mac Treasure).
The report has already set Japan's Twitter community on fire with talk of a new iPhone, which would technically be the sixth-generation smartphone from Apple. And, given the new naming convention attached to the iPad—"the new iPad," rather than the widely anticipated "iPad 3"—it's quite possible that we'll never see an actual "iPhone 5." As Apple looks to shift its incredibly popular line of mobile devices toward a more mainstream profile, the tradition of retail model numbers and letters may eventually be dropped from all but the most but the most recent versions of the company's software packages. (For more on that, see 'New' iPads Are Always Exciting, Numbers Aren't.)
Another data point that may add weight to the notion of an impending iPhone 5 release is the recent visit from the company's CEO, Tim Cook, just last week. Many assumed the visit was singularly focused on addressing recent concerns related to worker treatment at the Foxconn factory, but was it also iPhone-related?
These latest iPhone rumblings comes just a couple of months after a rumor surfaced in January that Foxconn was ramping up production on the Phone 5. Of course, there have also been reports about a fall 2012 release, so stay tuned.
For more, see PCMag's full review of the iPhone 4S and the slideshow below.
