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Shockwave78

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 10, 2010
1,083
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It popped into my head last night after reading an article saying 6-7 million iphones will be produced for release day. With no GM release of iOS 5 yet and all these phones being manufactured how do they install the software onto the phone when its ready?

Is there some streamlined process other than how we install the software? Do they actually check each one after its installed?

Usually the GM is released at the announcement, then two weeks later the phone is released. That is a lot of software installs for a two week period!
 
It popped into my head last night after reading an article saying 6-7 million iphones will be produced for release day. With no GM release of iOS 5 yet and all these phones being manufactured how do they install the software onto the phone when its ready?

Is there some streamlined process other than how we install the software? Do they actually check each one after its installed?

Usually the GM is released at the announcement, then two weeks later the phone is released. That is a lot of software installs for a two week period!

I would assume that the GM build is installed on the phones before it is released to everyone else. Just because we are getting the GM on the announcement day doesn't mean Apple finished it that day. I also wam pretty positive they have a more efficient way of installing IOS than connecting each iPhone to iTunes and syncing them individually like we have to.
 
I thought this too, I honestly don't know how they do it :p. Would be funny if they employ an extra million people to each do a few phones a day by connecting them to itunes on their computers lol.
 
It popped into my head last night after reading an article saying 6-7 million iphones will be produced for release day. With no GM release of iOS 5 yet and all these phones being manufactured how do they install the software onto the phone when its ready?

Is there some streamlined process other than how we install the software? Do they actually check each one after its installed?

Usually the GM is released at the announcement, then two weeks later the phone is released. That is a lot of software installs for a two week period!

The same way they've done it on every other release where the new device coincided with the new software? Am I missing something here or are you just ignoring the fact that it's part of the manufacturing process?
 
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Interstella5555 said:
Shockwave78 said:
It popped into my head last night after reading an article saying 6-7 million iphones will be produced for release day. With no GM release of iOS 5 yet and all these phones being manufactured how do they install the software onto the phone when its ready?

Is there some streamlined process other than how we install the software? Do they actually check each one after its installed?

Usually the GM is released at the announcement, then two weeks later the phone is released. That is a lot of software installs for a two week period!

The same way they've done it on every other release where the new device coincided with the new software? Am I missing something here or are you just ignoring the fact that it's part of the manufacturing process?

So what your telling me is " I don't know either"

You didn't need to add all that fluff to your response making it seem like you are some iPhone god that knows all. Your reponse says nothing other than you have not the slightest idea either
 
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So what your telling me is " I don't know either"

You didn't need to add all that fluff to your response making it seem like you are some iPhone god that knows all. Your repo as says nothing other than you have not the slightest idea either

Loll
 
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So what your telling me is " I don't know either"

You didn't need to add all that fluff to your response making it seem like you are some iPhone god that knows all. Your reponse says nothing other than you have not the slightest idea either

Hmmmm, didn't think I implied that, nor that I'm some kid of god (do those thing even exist?). You're right, I guess they could have people individually loading software on each device, but, not being a god, that doesn't really make sense to me. Again, I would assume that the software loadout would happen during the manufacturing process which leads me to believe that they'll do it the same way this time.
 
The GM is available to Apple, and finished, long before the public (Or developers) get access to it.



They slowly load it onto every iPhone.


I'm sure they have something like an assembly line where all manufactured iPhones move down the line (Completely mechanized), and a machine moves the iPhone into a plug quickly, and then waits xxx minutes for the software to load, and then pulls it out and puts it back into the assembly line?
 
Wanna find out?




Mail in your application along with CV and cover letters to the following address:

Foxconn, 富士康科技集團, 600912富士康科技集团鴻海精密, 工業股份有限公司富士康科技集團富士康科技集团鴻海精密工業股份有限公司富士康科技集團富士康股份有限公司, Taiwan
 
Hmmmm, didn't think I implied that, nor that I'm some kid of god (do those thing even exist?). You're right, I guess they could have people individually loading software on each device, but, not being a god, that doesn't really make sense to me. Again, I would assume that the software loadout would happen during the manufacturing process which leads me to believe that they'll do it the same way this time.
The question isn't when, it's how.
 
well the assumption would be the phones are loaded during the manufacturing process with the latest iOS they have, doesnt mean its the latest version the public has, they would not make 7 Million phones than update the iOS then update 7 Million phones
 
The thing is, the iPhone 5s haven't been packaged yet! So that they can easily install the final build of iOS 5 to them.

So i'm sure there's a gigantic conveyer belt which carries the iPhone and they individually just sync iOS 5 into them... it does sound pretty tedious.
 
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Is part of the final production process and fully automated.
 
Wanna find out?




Mail in your application along with CV and cover letters to the following address:

Foxconn, 富士康科技集團, 600912富士康科技集团鴻海精密, 工業股份有限公司富士康科技集團富士康科技集团鴻海精密工業股份有限公司富士康科技集團富士康股份有限公司, Taiwan

So...do I need one stamp or two?
 
There has to be something on it first though...

Maybe they have a custom process or chain all of the iphones to this huge dock and it installs the software on all of them at the same time :D
 
7 million usb cables, 7 million computers and 7 million Chinese workers. Only takes a few minutes. :D
 
They just copy system image on flash memory inside phone, what's the problem?

Copying a raw image usually works great on hard disks and ROMs.

It won't work with the type of Flash memory used in the iPhone, because there are random bad blocks from the factory.

The best you can do is burn a relatively small boot loader into the one block guaranteed to be good. It can then load the OS from good blocks that are probably scattered around. (On more limited or older phones, even the OS boot loader can be too big, so you burn in a tiny 1K or so preloader that will then load the real boot loader.)

--

If we were talking about smaller device quantities, then I'd say that what's put in the memory chip (before manufacturing puts the chip inside the phone) would just be the boot loader.

If they're already making millions of phones, I'd be more willing to bet that the entire final OS version is already set in stone and individually copied to the chips ahead of being inserted at the factory.

Who knows. Perhaps Apple has a line entirely dedicated to slowly updating every phone. I'm pretty sure they've previously done mass updates after manufacturing but before selling.
 
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