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For us old enough, we can say that leaks have continued after every apple 'crack down'. I remember a story like this popping up now and again, even back in the Jobs days. We still got leaks.
 
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Those look like good standard practices for any manufacturing enterprise that wants to maintain secrecy. Your ability to keep secrets from your competitors is a huge competitive advantage.

Considering the size of Apple’s supply chain, it’s impressive that they can keep their product development so closely guarded (specifically, physical and photographic evidence).
 
For us old enough, we can say that leaks have continued after every apple 'crack down'. I remember a story like this popping up now and again, even back in the Jobs days. We still got leaks.
At one point we would get the blueprints! I can't remember which machine it was, but around the G3 or G4 PowerMac era.
 
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They do. And notice the price difference of a Mac Pro made in an Apple factory in Austin. Ready for $5,000 iPads and $2,000 iPhones.

I think a good perentage of consumers would be willing to pay higher prices to know that the production of their devices was not supporting and directly funding the Chinese Communist Party. Those consumers would inturn probably keep their devices longer to offset the cost instead of our common and stupid 2 year phone cycle.

Sadly it is probably not the majority of consumers.
 
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Apple recently updated its security guidelines for its manufacturing partners, implementing tougher measures at factories to prevent leaks, according to an internal document obtained by The Information's Wayne Ma.

applesupplierreport.jpg

Among the changes mentioned in the report:
  • Apple's manufacturing partners can no longer collect biometric data such as fingerprints or facial scans of Apple employees who visit their facilities. However, the new rule does not apply to factory workers, leading to accusations of a double standard.
  • Apple's manufacturing partners must conduct criminal background checks on all assembly line workers who work on unreleased Apple products, rather than only certain employees, and those with criminal records are to be denied entry to areas where unreleased Apple products are being developed or assembled.
  • Apple is upgrading its computer system installed at some factories to determine how long parts should remain at one production station before moving to another. If a sensitive component in transit takes an unusually long time to arrive at its destination, security alarms are to be triggered.
  • Factory guards at checkpoints must keep detailed logs of the movement of workers carrying sensitive parts from one area to another.
  • Factory visitors are now required to present a government-issued ID.
  • Factory security cameras are now required to capture all four sides of transport vehicles when they are parked at the facilities.
  • Video recordings that show the destruction of prototypes and defective parts are now required to be retained for at least 180 days.
The Information's paywalled report goes into more detail about the changes, which appear to have been implemented earlier this year.

Article Link: Apple Implements Tougher Security Guidelines at Factories to Prevent Leaks
I totally get why Apple would do this - secrecy is a competitive advantage against copy cats and a huge marketing/brand multiplier for Apple.

That said, there is something to be said about the irony of Apple being all about privacy while affording its manufacturing contractors none.
 
Leakers are going to have a tougher time, meanwhile youtube will fill up with more baseless speculation channels than ever before, complete with artificial voiceovers...

and then rumor web sites will pick up on the you tubers and the forums will buzz with people arguing and saying how much they hate or love Apple...

rumor web sites like to track how 'accurate' a source is (not sure how you measure that)... but has anyone been tracking specifically to this year? because ever week it seems we are promised an announcement from Apple on 'fill in the guess', and every week passes with no announcement. Does that count on accuracy?
 
leaks will always happen no matter what. whether “controlled” or an actual policy-bending leak. Apple has wayyy too many employees and third parties working with them for there not to be leaks.

also, some people are willing to risk their job to leak info.
 
I think a good perentage of consumers would be willing to pay higher prices to know that the production of their devices was not supporting and directly funding the Chinese Communist Party. Those consumers would inturn probably keep their devices longer to offset the cost instead of our common and stupid 2 year phone cycle.

Sadly it is probably not the majority of consumers.

Hasn't that experiment in capitalism already been done in essence? US Customs law requires country of origin to be prominently labeled on all products so it's not a secret to anyone where a product comes from. There have been several 'buy American products' campaigns... and yet business to be price competitive has moved manufacturing off shores. People consistently vote with their wallets for lower costs regardless of consequences (goodbye small town shops, hello Wallmart is another example).
 
LOL at you for even remotely comparing a Chinese hi-tech production plant to a POW camp. Educate yourself before making grossly inacurate, overly dramatic comments.
Going off-topic here, but I don't think the term "educate yourself" ever helps a discussion. There isn't a binary differentiation between the educated and the not educated. If somebody has facts wrong tell them what facts they have wrong. If they make a subjective statement which objective facts can counter then tell them those facts. Just saying "educate yourself" makes you sound smug without requiring that you demonstrate that you've indeed educated yourself.
 
Going off-topic here, but I don't think the term "educate yourself" ever helps a discussion. There isn't a binary differentiation between the educated and the not educated. If somebody has facts wrong tell them what facts they have wrong. If they make a subjective statement which objective facts can counter then tell them those facts. Just saying "educate yourself" makes you sound smug without requiring that you demonstrate that you've indeed educated yourself.
THANK YOU for brining this topic up!
we're are so fast to judge and get upset when others are just adding to the fire.
 
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Is this really necessary? Rumours build anticipation and excitement for forthcoming products. Lose that and Apple becomes just another boring tech company.
 
Considering that Apple’s manufacturing hubs are in a country who’s main economic engine is reverse engineering, those security « upgrades » ain’t gon’ do jack sh@t.
 
Going off-topic here, but I don't think the term "educate yourself" ever helps a discussion. There isn't a binary differentiation between the educated and the not educated. If somebody has facts wrong tell them what facts they have wrong. If they make a subjective statement which objective facts can counter then tell them those facts. Just saying "educate yourself" makes you sound smug without requiring that you demonstrate that you've indeed educated yourself.

THANK YOU for brining this topic up!
were are so fast to judge and get upset when others are just adding to the fire.

Seriously? @Herrpod made the absolutely ludicrous statement that the new security protocols at an Apple production facility were equivilent to the treatment of POWs and you think I was being smug and should attempt to present this person with supportive facts to change their opinion?

Ok....

Foxconn:
Foxconn hiring assembly-line workers for next-gen iPhone ...


POW Camp:

William K. L. Lore | Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society

* picture from ccmms.ca of the Sham Shui Po Prisoner of War camp

An excerpt from the article:

“I went into the first building I came to and it was very dark. There were about 40 men in there, Canadians, sitting at tables and so forth. I said, ‘Hi you guys, don’t you want to see a Canadian?’

Then they ran forward and saw my cap badge. Those men were really skeletons. You could see their bones through the skin.

Then they were crying and weren’t ashamed of crying. And finally I cried, too because they were telling me what they had suffered.”


Nuff said?

I am not claiming that factory life in China is all roses, I am simply stating that the comparision to POW life is criminally stupid.
 
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Going off-topic here, but I don't think the term "educate yourself" ever helps a discussion. There isn't a binary differentiation between the educated and the not educated. If somebody has facts wrong tell them what facts they have wrong. If they make a subjective statement which objective facts can counter then tell them those facts. Just saying "educate yourself" makes you sound smug without requiring that you demonstrate that you've indeed educated yourself.

There is, in fact, a clear "binary differentiation" between someone who is completely and willfully ignorant of the facts, and someone who takes the time to learn the facts before posting.
 


Apple recently updated its security guidelines for its manufacturing partners, implementing tougher measures at factories to prevent leaks, according to an internal document obtained by The Information's Wayne Ma.

applesupplierreport.jpg

Among the changes mentioned in the report:
  • Apple's manufacturing partners can no longer collect biometric data such as fingerprints or facial scans of Apple employees who visit their facilities. However, the new rule does not apply to factory workers, leading to accusations of a double standard.
  • Apple's manufacturing partners must conduct criminal background checks on all assembly line workers who work on unreleased Apple products, rather than only certain employees, and those with criminal records are to be denied entry to areas where unreleased Apple products are being developed or assembled.
  • Apple is upgrading its computer system installed at some factories to determine how long parts should remain at one production station before moving to another. If a sensitive component in transit takes an unusually long time to arrive at its destination, security alarms are to be triggered.
  • Factory guards at checkpoints must keep detailed logs of the movement of workers carrying sensitive parts from one area to another.
  • Factory visitors are now required to present a government-issued ID.
  • Factory security cameras are now required to capture all four sides of transport vehicles when they are parked at the facilities.
  • Video recordings that show the destruction of prototypes and defective parts are now required to be retained for at least 180 days.
The Information's paywalled report goes into more detail about the changes, which appear to have been implemented earlier this year.

Article Link: Apple Implements Tougher Security Guidelines at Factories to Prevent Leaks
Please explain what kind of leaks. Nothing innovative in my opinion. Also last time i checked this employees were jumping off buildings. What’s next, you’ll chain them to their station? I’ll pray for them.
 
Absolutely they are. I used to work at a company who would deliberately go out to the car park with prototypes when they heard that a journalist/photographer was lurking.
Off topic: Have you seen the leak of the Nissan 400Z? I know it's essentially a 370 with a pretty new dress, but damn. That dress is soooooo pretty. Evocative of the classic 280.
 
Apple trying to put MacRumors out of business.

Given the almost addictive state one can be put into by living eargerly from rumor to rumor with Apple products, my life and sleep would benefit greatly from the less hours browsing the internet rumor mills and so would my sleep.

I also think it would be kind of nice to be completely taken by surprise with new product releases for once, instead of piecing everything together in the days and weeks before.

I’ll shed no tears for those who have built a living off of selling gossip. Nor care much never to hear the names of those Twitter talking heads who dispense it
 
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