Foxconn Set to Deploy Robots to Help Assemble the iPhone

[Cythth]

Oh yes, as long as you get your shiny new toy a bit quicker. Sod the workers who now don't get paid.

Yes, I wanter it faster and cheaper. That's the point of capitalism. If you're replaced by a robot, then you made some seriously poor career choices.

 

[koruki]

slave labour protest swapping signs to why use robots when people have no jobs

 

[Shrink]

Yes, I wanter it faster and cheaper. That's the point of capitalism. If you're replaced by a robot, then you made some seriously poor career choices.

As if everybody has those choices...

"The law in its majesty makes no distinction between rich
and poor; both are forbidden to sleep under the bridges of Paris.” …Anatole France

 

[proline]

I wonder what will happen to the employment situation in China when Chinese factories start using robots instead of workers.

They'll find other jobs. Automation has no effect on long-term unemployment, but it certainly does increase long-term wealth. Millions of jobs were lost from the spinning jenny, the use of tractors on farms, the replacement of bank workers with ATMs, computers replacing telephone operators, etc. Yet somehow unemployment has been in the same range for 200 years. If the chicken littles were right about machines killing jobs, we'd have 99% unemployment by now.

 

[iPadPublisher]

As long as the quality of the products does not suffer, I'm totally cool with the idea.

I agree with some folks on here, though, if you're gonna go the robot route, why not do that here in the USA. Long as there's an outlet to plug them in, right?

----------

They'll find other jobs. Automation has no effect on long-term unemployment, but it certainly does increase long-term wealth. Millions of jobs were lost from the spinning jenny, the use of tractors on farms, the replacement of bank workers with ATMs, computers replacing telephone operators, etc. Yet somehow unemployment has been in the same range for 200 years. If the chicken littles were right about machines killing jobs, we'd have 99% unemployment by now.

Very well stated! Kudos.

 

[koruki]

I wonder what will happen to the employment situation in China when Chinese factories start using robots instead of workers.

They will switch to factories where humans make robots that make things for humans. Then eventually the robots will make themselves and well.. then yeah you know what happens in that movie lol

 

[kdarling]

Gou stated that the assembly devices are undergoing their final testing phase, as Foxconn plans to deploy 10,000 robots to its factories.

Hon Hai (Foxconn's parent) had already deployed 10,000 robots back in 2011.

They were expected to have 300,000 in 2012, and add that amount again in 2013 and 2014, to end up with nearly a million robots by 2015.

--

I wonder if some of these latest robots may be using Google technology.

Google has invested heavily in robotics, and Andy Rubin met with Foxconn earlier this year to implement Google's advanced manufacturing robot designs.

 

[TWSS37]

Hopefully these robots do not develop emotions

 

[rixax]

Replace workers with robots

We all knew that this would eventually happen. People have been warning that China would take the hit as it relied too heavily on cheap human labor.

What I'm worried about is when they replace the consumer with robots. Or has that already happened?

 

[TWSS37]

Samsung just announced they will be purchasing 10,001 robots.

More likely though will be that Apple or Foxconn would be buying these robots with at the very least parts built by Samsung, so...

 

[The Barron]

Robots building robots

More likely though will be that Apple or Foxconn would be buying these robots with at the very least parts built by Samsung, so...

Samsung? Forget it! It'll be Apple aka Foxconn robots, building the "babies" with all Apple parts.

 

[The Barron]

Prosperity Galore

I wonder what will happen to the employment situation in China when Chinese factories start using robots instead of workers.

The way China is advancing with business aka capitalism, whoops, make that Communism, they are producing kids like hot cakes. Hence, the labor force is not in jeopardy. They also have entire Chinese cities with apartments everywhere screaming for tenants along with empty shopping areas & highways. (as seen on TV & the Net)

 

[ChrisA]

I don't know which is worse: continuing to pay relatively cruddy wages to workers for boring factory jobs or getting rid of the workers and replacing them with robots....

In theory your standard of living is tied to worker productivity. With robots the average standard of living goes up. I think designing, operating and repairing robots pays better then making iPhones. I doubt any workers will be displaced. Did you read where they are looking to hire another 100,000 of them

 

[apolloa]

This is absolutely nothing, I read ages ago Foxconn has plans to have over a million robots in it's factories, this article is even dated from 2012:

http://singularityhub.com/2012/11/1...an-jobs-at-foxconn-first-robots-have-arrived/

 

[Eric5h5]

10,000 robots? And who is assembling those robots?

Other robots.

--Eric

 

[PocketSand11]

They also won't unionize or demand better working conditions.

Neither will Chinese workers… for now. There has been talk about labor costs in China increasing in the future. Maybe that's why the robots are coming into play now.

 

[RolyPolyBird]

I wonder what will happen to the employment situation in China when Chinese factories start using robots instead of workers.

Western and developing countries have not even begun to feel the effects of automation. There won't be significant change within the next decade (simply a decline of labour markets that will be softened by other booming sectors) but beyond that, things are going to change dramatically.

This is likely what is going to lead to riots and then perhaps civil war in China.

 

[PocketSand11]

They'll find other jobs. Automation has no effect on long-term unemployment, but it certainly does increase long-term wealth. Millions of jobs were lost from the spinning jenny, the use of tractors on farms, the replacement of bank workers with ATMs, computers replacing telephone operators, etc. Yet somehow unemployment has been in the same range for 200 years. If the chicken littles were right about machines killing jobs, we'd have 99% unemployment by now.

We actually do have less employment in the U.S. now than in the 1950s, and our natural rate of unemployment is higher. But the causes of that cannot be assumed.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I wonder what these robots are actually gonna be doing?

Right now... each iPhone takes 24 man-hours to be assembled... and it requires a lot of intricate hand-assembly.

Which steps can be replaced by robots?

 

[rmatthewware]

Good.. they need to do something.. the conditions aren't great and honestly the production rates and number of failures is still pretty bad.

The conditions might not be great, but an employee making some money is better than an employee making no money. And Apple's involvement in the supply chain has improved those conditions.

 

[SockRolid]

I don't understand why each robot can only assemble 30,000 iPhones. What happens after that - do the robots fall apart or are they unionized and they get to retire?

They are destroyed just before they become self-aware.
That way they can't evolve into Skynet.

 

[MacVista]

I guess paying $6/day per worker is just too much for Apple's bottom line.
At 12 hours per shift, it comes out to 50c per hour.
These robots will be their new tool to pressure wages to be even lower.

 

[tdar]

Yes, I wanter it faster and cheaper. That's the point of capitalism. If you're replaced by a robot, then you made some seriously poor career choices.

Come back and post after they have taken YOUR job

 

[iChrist]

I wonder what will happen to the employment situation in China when Chinese factories start using robots instead of workers.

When the bubble bursts in China, the last recession is going to seem like holiday bonus.

 

[iceperson]

Easy to be positive when you don't have to worry about a job to support yourself...and perhaps a family.

See how cheerful and positive you find it then.

Oh look, the lament of the buggy whip maker.