Apple iPhone 6 Won't Be Made Entirely By Foxconn Robots

Despite all the rumors, your next iPhone won’t be entirely built by robots.

Over the weekend, Taiwanese manufacturing company Foxconn Technology Group (TWSE:2317) announced that it would deploy robots in its factories ahead of Apple's much-rumored iPhone 6 launch. The announcement led to rumors that Foxconn would use its “Foxbot” robots to fully automate its factories in response to a number of employee suicides and riots that have occurred at its plants throughout China.

But a Tuesday report from Taiwan’s United Daily News suggests that the planned installation of 10,000 Foxbots may play a smaller part in factories.

According to the United Daily News report, the Foxbots will play a supplementary role to the assembly line. They will be relegated to fastening screws, positioning components and polishing devices. While robots will be able to replace these simpler roles, humans are still considered a necessary part of the production process that assembles internal hardware components precisely and provides quality control.

Foxconn factory production may eventually shift toward a higher reliance on robots, but that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. The Taiwanese manufacturer reportedly recruited as many as 100,000 people to work assembly lines that are expected to produce the iPhone 6.

While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has yet to confirm the existence of a new iPhone model, several parts were leaked online in recent weeks, including the front glass cover of the rumored 4.7-inch iPhone. Apple is expected to launch the next-generation iPhone sometime in September.