Foxconn's iPhone 5 Production Already Hitting 150,000 Units Per Day?

Artist's rendition of iPhone 5 with 3.7" display
DigiTimes reports that Apple's suppliers for the next-generation iPhone are ramping toward full production capacity, with manufacturing partner Foxconn already said to be producing 150,000 iPhone 5 units per day.

Suppliers in the iPhone 5 supply chain in Taiwan have geared up production recently with volume shipments of the new Apple smartphones to begin soon. Production of iPhone 5s at OEM maker Foxconn Electronics has reportedly reached 150,000 units per day, according to industry sources.

Lens maker Largan Precision, touch panel maker TPK Holding, reinforced glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics and battery vendors Simplo and Dynapack are all operating at full swing currently, the sources indicated.

iPhone 5 shipments are said to be set to reach 5-6 million for the month of September and over 22 million for the fourth quarter of the year. Interestingly, the report notes that while Pegatron has reportedly been tabbed to handle about 15% of the iPhone 5 production load, the company may not begin deliveries until next year.

The report makes no mention of any distinction between the iPhone 5 and the so-called "iPhone 4S", as some sources have indicated that Apple will introduce both a revamped iPhone 5 as well as a cheaper device codenamed "N94" based on the existing iPhone 4 design. Apple has already had considerable success with its cheaper iPhone models carried over from previous model cycles, as evidenced by the fact that the iPhone 3GS continues to rank as the second-best selling smartphone in the United States, behind the iPhone 4.

Details on the iPhone 5 remain scarce, with conflicting information pointing to either an only slightly larger display of up to around 3.7 inches on a device similar in size to the iPhone 4 or a significantly larger but thinner device with a display likely around 4 inches.