Apple iPhone 5 assembly has begun

Citing a "Chinese source", Japanese site Macotakara is reporting that assembly has begun on the Apple iPhone 5. Contract manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron have started work on putting together Apple's next-gen handset with the former responsible for 85% of the units produced and the latter assembling 15% of the iPhone 5 models that will hit the market.

The finished units are not being packaged because allegedly, Apple is not yet ready to install iOS 5 on the devices. Regardless, the report says that sources have implied that the Apple iPhone 5 will still be ready for an early October launch in the U.S. as we reported, with an Asian launch scheduled for later next month or early November.

While Macotakara doesn't have a spotless track record when it comes to the Apple iPhone 5-in May the site reported that a SIM-less model of the device would be launched in August-this new information dovetails with other reports that Pegatron would start shipping the assembled phone this month. And with reports that Pegatron will supply Apple with 10 million iPhone 5 units, simple math reveals that would mean 57 million units will be produced by Foxconn.

As we told you, based on leaked photos of case designs and other information, the next gen Apple iPhone 5 is expected to sport a bigger screen in the range of 3.7 to 4 inches that will run from edge-to-edge. An A5 dual-core processor is thought to be under the hood while an elongated home button reads gestures. On the back, an 8MP camera is speculated to be on board.

source: Macotakara (translated) via AppleInsider