50,000 new workers have descended on the world-famous ‘iPhone City’ of Zhengzhou, as manufacturing partners ramp up for the launch of the iPhone 16.
As is tradition, every year Foxconn, Apple’s main supply chain partner, has put out the call for thousands of new staff — this year drawn in by bonuses and an increased hourly wage of US$3.63 an hour.
Reports collated by SCMP indicate Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has pulled in 50,000 new workers in just two weeks to cope with demand.
iPhone 16 launch looms
“The flagship factory is known for aggressive hirings ahead of major product launches, giving a high turnover rate for its workforce of more than 1 million staff,” the report notes.
Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro at an event next month. While hardware improvements are tipped to be marginal, the headline upgrade should be the advent of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18. While it’s not expected to be ready at launch, introducing AI to the iPhone will mark Apple’s first big foray into the world of artificial intelligence.
AI features in iOS 18 include tools for proofreading and rewriting text, notification management, photo editing, and generative features for creating images and emojis. Tools already available in the iOS 18 beta also include AI voice recording and transcribing, summarization, and creating Memory Movies within the Photos app.
While Apple Intelligence remains in its infancy and hasn’t even been released to the public yet, expert insight suggests that Apple could one day charge for some of its more advanced features. One such prediction this week suggests that any such charge for the service could still be at least three years away, but analysts warn prices could climb to as high as $20 a month.
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