Foxconn Executive Speaks to Difficulty of iPhone 5 Assembly

[mccldwll]

Wake up folks

There's absolutely nothing to indicate that this is anything other than a falsified hit piece by Rupert Murdoch's tabloid WSJ. Apple never said anything about a shortage. Hon Hai never said anything about assembly (though Gou said several months ago that assembly more difficult on all compact components, which would have included the 4s). Just an unnamed "executive". Nothing but a steaming pile. WSJ wrote the same thing over a year ago. Anyone want to buy a bridge?

http://www.slashgear.com/iphone-5-c...t-to-assemble-supplies-may-be-short-06163274/

 

[kdarling]

So this is why it's not made in the USA! WOW!

Yeah, because in the USA, it'd be made using robots... and not require the 100,000 "manufacturing engineers"... cough... overseers... cough... needed to train and watch 500,000 workers, that Cook talks about.

Yeah that's not at all accurate. The iPhone's precision and size doesn't allow for automated assembly. If they could make them with machines they would. Apple would be much happier not worrying about labor standards, strikes, and the bad press it gets from its human assembly force.

The latest robots can do more complicated devices than smartphones. Read this NY Times article.

Even Foxconn is planning on installing over a million robots.

 

[GREEN4U]

Well I'm looking at my black iPhone 5 right now and it looks super sexy. Flawless, and I don't use a case either. I dont know what all the complainin's about.

 

[olowott]

so much put into it, you are sure of the quality of the magical device you hold!

 

[Not Bill Gates]

Really?

While Foxconn shouldn't have been doing this - it wasn't at a factory that did Apple product assembly (Foxconn makes stuff for many companies, Microsoft etc.).

I keep seeing this. "Oh well Foxconn make products for other companies too, such as Microsoft....". Just because other companies exploit cheap labor doesn't justify Apple doing the same.

 

[DCJ001]

I'm waiting a few more months befor commitig cash for the new iPhone. Let them work out the effing kinks before laying out your hard earned cash.

You're probably one of those people who are still running OS X 10.6.8 to give Apple time to work the kinks out in 10.7 and 10.8.

By the way, I bought an iPhone 5 about two weeks ago. And it is perfect.

 

[bossxii]

Having inexperienced 14 year old kids on the assembly lines doesn't help either.

Agreed, but compounding the problem are the spoiled teens and young adults in the US with OCD freaking out over a small blemish on their iPhone mommy and daddy paid for. Maybe if these people realized how lucky they are and be grateful vs the crying like someone just stabbed them in the eye over a damn cell phone.

 

[LagunaSol]

Back in the day, I had one of these. Plastic? Yes? But it took far more abuse than any iPhone could, and just kept on truckin

Unfortunately in this case the plasticity of the GSIII doesn't provide the durability of the old plastic brick dumb phones. Particularly when the GSIII casing cracks without it even being dropped.

I'd put the GSIII build quality slightly under the iPhone 3/3GS, which were the worst of the iPhone bunch in build quality. There's nothing "stunning" about the way the GSIII is built. (Yes, I've spent some "quality" time with one.)

 

[G51989]

Unfortunately in this case the plasticity of the GSIII doesn't provide the durability of the old plastic brick dumb phones. Particularly when the GSIII casing cracks without it even being dropped.

I'd put the GSIII build quality slightly under the iPhone 3/3GS, which were the worst of the iPhone bunch in build quality. There's nothing "stunning" about the way the GSIII is built. (Yes, I've spent some "quality" time with one.)

My GSIII is in a case at all times, every smart phone I've ever bought I've put into a case, just because I cant stand meaningless thinness. Tho Ive yet to see any cracking with mine when it is out of the case.

My 4S is the only smart phone I never put into a case, and its a workphone....so if it breaks, they have to pay for it, and I don't care

 

[everything-i]

Not really, automation isn't cheap. And the expertise to build and automate the production process isn't a skill that is abundant in the US.

I also think that the addition cost to build in the US would increase the cost of the phone since apple isn't going to dig into there profits just to have the phones assembled in the US.

This is partially my point, building iPhones in the US isn't going to happen because automation to make it cost effective isn't easy to put together in the US either. However the only way it could be done would be to automate it. This is why it's done in China it's probably not possible to do in the US at the present time. Though if it were the cost increase has been shown to be quite small.

 

[Nickerbocker]

Waiting for the iPhone 5S here. I still think my iPhone 4 kicks some serious ass. Compared to other phones that came out 2 years ago, I think that the iPhone 4 has really held up in terms of performance and aesthetics.

 

[blacktape242]

Are you suggesting that workers in USA should work for $10 a day pay? That would surely boost the economy (Romney's way). It would not last long though because people would start dying of starvation very soon. Why do you hate your countrymen so much? When in 2008 the economy collapsed and millions of people lost their jobs, according to your interpretation of the events millions of people all of a sudden decided that they had worked enough and would be better off by collecting gov. checks, right? Those lazy bastards.

I would love nothing more to put those people back to work at any wage an hour and make them pay their far share of taxes. im so tired of people living off the system and MY tax dollars our gov. has given them.

 

[rendevouspoo]

freaking out over a small blemish on their iPhone

Who wouldn't be pissed if they spent an insane amount of money and the product wasn't flawless on arrival?

 

[anthony11]

Foxconn Executive "Speaks to" Difficulty

How exactly does one speak *to* a difficulty? It would seem that instead he spoke *to* a human *about* Difficulty.

 

[Rogifan]

There's absolutely nothing to indicate that this is anything other than a falsified hit piece by Rupert Murdoch's tabloid WSJ. Apple never said anything about a shortage. Hon Hai never said anything about assembly (though Gou said several months ago that assembly more difficult on all compact components, which would have included the 4s). Just an unnamed "executive". Nothing but a steaming pile. WSJ wrote the same thing over a year ago. Anyone want to buy a bridge?

http://www.slashgear.com/iphone-5-c...t-to-assemble-supplies-may-be-short-06163274/

Ah but it makes for a good hit piece which generates clicks. Apple = click bait.

 

[ncaissie]

So this is why it's not made in the USA! WOW!

Would you work for $5 an hour let alone a day?
Not me

 

[ncaissie]

This is the exact reason I'm waiting too, and the exact reason the genius at my local apple store is waiting. I'll grab one mid November early December..

There is one kink in my phone. When I login to the App store some times I get coloured static on my keyboard. It happened about 5 times now. I recorded it with my ipad but it's hard to see. I will try again with my wife’s phone the next time.
Then I'll take it for a replacement.
Other than that it’s perfect.

 

[thasan]

Why would he have to visit the factory? Foxconn has recently confirmed themselves that they have underage workers.

And that was the only factory they found under age interns. And... They don't make anything for apple there. Check your facts before voicing your valuable opinion

 

[blacktape242]

So this is why it's not made in the USA! WOW!

im sure they would be happy to make them here BUT an iphone would cost over 1,000 bucks if they did.

 

[Ciclismo]

And that was the only factory they found under age interns. And... They don't make anything for apple there. Check your facts before voicing your valuable opinion

It was a "tongue in cheek" comment. But I've since learnt my lesson and will, going forward, (er, I mean, in future) compose any posts mindful that everything will be taken literally and must reference several independent sources and preferably a half dozen or so peer-reviewed published studies.

 

[thasan]

It was a "tongue in cheek" comment. But I've since learnt my lesson and will, going forward, (er, I mean, in future) compose any posts mindful that everything will be taken literally and must reference several independent sources and preferably a half dozen or so peer-reviewed published studies.

lol...no worries mate.
it just winds me up sometimes to see everything is apples fault

 

[S3R6i0]

Scratch my balls...

What is Apple's obsession with making this phone thinner? The iPhone 4S was just fine, and looked a lot better in person than the iPhone 5. That back casing is just weird. It seems to me that without Steve Jobs around, Tim Cook and Co. haven't got a clue. They have the guideline but don't understand why. All the iPhone needed was a bigger screen, a more featured OS and maybe, dedicated buttons like Android. I'm happy with my 4S and I'll wait for 6.

 

[krravi]

Yeah, because in the USA, it'd be made using robots... and not require the 100,000 "manufacturing engineers"... cough... overseers... cough... needed to train and watch 500,000 workers, that Cook talks about.



The latest robots can do more complicated devices than smartphones. Read this NY Times article.

Even Foxconn is planning on installing over a million robots.

Foxconn is using a lot of Robots from Fanuc, Japan. You could see it in the iPhone 4s promotional videos on how they stick the glass to the touch sensitive piece.

Robots are good at doing static things over and over where there is no need to have any feedback. Say you are trying to connect a connector from the main ciruit board to the LCD screen, when you assemble it by hand you know if its seated properly or not. With a Robot you don't. Even though you can make measurements to seemingly figure it out still doesn't come close to the human touch.

There are things robots can do and there are things only a human can do.

 

[Lark.Landon]

There is one kink in my phone. When I login to the App store some times I get coloured static on my keyboard. It happened about 5 times now. I recorded it with my ipad but it's hard to see. I will try again with my wife’s phone the next time.
Then I'll take it for a replacement.
Other than that it’s perfect.

Call into AppleCare so they can "capture" the issue officially.

 

[3282868]

Obviously you've never been to China or volunteered to help in a homeless shelter. Your snarky responses may make you feel big, but speak volumes about your character.

Snarky? You're reading into my comments and assuming a tone that isn't there. I have been to China.

Again, you're making a lot of assumptions, now personal assumptions. I didn't realize that you could learn so much about me from one or two posts, and my apologies for any misinterpreted slights.