The rain gods may have been unkind, but the balmy weather and heavy downpour did nothing to dampen the spirits of thousands of job-seeking hopefuls who'd queued outside Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn's Chengdu and Zhengzhou factories in China. The prospective employees had lined up for "summer jobs", fuelling speculation that the recruitment is being done to boost the rumored iPad Mini and iPhone 5 productions, ahead of their fall debuts.

According to a report by Chinese website MIC Gadget, Foxconn has introduced temporary positions to ramp-up production of the Apple's new iOS devices. Details on the number of openings is not available. However, the positions are said to be filling up rapidly. The job profile dictates that candidates must have good eyesight and would need to submit a registration fee of 150 Chinese Yuan ($24) - which is a lot of money - in order to apply.

With dual launches in the anvil, the move makes perfect business sense and with a high market demand likely prior to the iPad Mini and iPhone 5 releases, large scale hiring would give a massive fillip to the production process and help avoid possible delays and device shortages. Both the 7.85-inch iPad Mini and the 4-inch iPhone 5 are slated for an October release. Apple, though, is yet to confirm any of the circulating rumors.

Speculation is rife that, currently, small scale production of the iPhone 5 is already underway at the Zhengzhou. MacTrast cited 'sources' who claimed that only five units of the new handset were produced during a recent night shift, with more than 100 workers on the employee roster. According to the report, the yet-to-be released iPhone is reportedly in the "trial production stage."

The popularity of Apple and perhaps the opportunity to get a glimpse of its tech wonders is drawing job seekers in despite the terrible working conditions at Foxconn.

With the anticipated fall debut date of the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini nearing, Apple continues to hop on-and-off the rumor carousel. Its rendezvous with the grapevine endures.