A South Korean newspaper published quoting the head of human resources at Foxconn's Taiyuan, China factory as saying that the next generation iPhone will hit stores October. The human resources head allegedly told South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper, "We just got the order. It [the release] will be around October."

The latest Apple launch date rumor contradicts a report early last week by about a Foxconn recruiter confirming a June release date. Tech website AppleInsider said April 2 that a Japanese-language TV program has recorded a Foxconn recruiter in Taiyuan, China as saying that Apple will release its next-generation iPhone in June.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) released the iPhone 4S in October last year but launched the previous iterations of the smartphone in June. The sixth generation iPhone is generating unprecedented hype because it is expected to have 4G LTE support (like the new iPad), a quad-core processor (although a dual-core chip with quad-core graphics processor like the new iPad is more likely), and a 4-inch-plus screen.

The Maeil Business Newspaper, quoting an unnamed industry source, said in March that Apple has started placing orders to suppliers for an iPhone with a 4.6-inch display. The previous iterations of the iPhone each had a 3.5-inch display. Business Insider reported in November last year that the late Steve Jobs was working on an iPhone with a 4-inch-plus screen but canned the project on fears that a new size would create a two-tier iPhone ecosystem. But the Tim Cook-run Apple may be forced to join the bandwagon as Samsung, HTC and other Android device-makers have been selling phones with bigger screens.

According to report today by Business Insider , Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, following a tour of tech suppliers in China and Taiwan, said in a note that the iPhone 5, with its significant improvements, will dwarf previous launches "In our view, this will be the most significant iPhone upgrade with a four-inch screen and a new, sleek look that we believe will require a Unibody case."

Aside from the hardware changes, the iPhone 5 is apparently getting significant software updates. Tech analysts from the iOS 6 News Blog predict that the new iOS 6 operating system will bring with it an even more sophisticated voice recognition system.

To contact the author, e-mail: c.fernandez@ibtimes.com.au