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Yeah because 80% of the iPhones that roll of the production line are defective.

🙄
I have it on multiple inside sources and experts that tell me it is 85% defective Apple products.

so you're not wrong.
 
oh, you are the guy who buys off the back of a truck? Honestly, I have never bought an apple product and had a defect in it. In fact the only problem I have ever had, is my wife overused the volume switch in an iPad and it stopped working after three years. Yes I am aware of a few problems over the years with keyboards, but everyone I know who had one loved them and had no problems with them at all. (They did keep their Macs covered when in backpacks and didn't eat anywhere near them either). It would be interesting to hear what the actual defect rate was, to listen to haters it was like a bazillion percent or something - I suspect it was well under 1%

Count yourself lucky, that or you don’t notice the defects.
 
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It saddens me that one company is making +-40% gross profit whilst they use another company that is hardly making much.
Did you ever consider that this is a problem of their own making? Foxconn entered bids to Apple for manufacturing contracts, apparently they bid too low and now you expect Apple to pad Foxconn's bottom line?
 
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Ok... Please elaborate in detail how Apple would "make it happen." Start by getting an understanding of the massive infrastructure China has developed over decades at enormous costs, and list the extent of that here. And with that as a baseline, show how Apple could "make it happen" in the US.


"They may not have created the problem, but they have the ability to start to fix it."

Absolutely. If Apple's current manufacturing subcontractor is being dishonest, cheating Apple, and not abiding by its signed contract, Apple should engage another manufacturing subcontractor if the one being dishonest is not committed to changing their behavior.
Apple can make it happen by waving a magic wand. Abracadabra! Poof. Instantly, Apple now has the labor and buildings needed to assemble products in the US. While we're at it, there is a moral imperative for Apple to take a smaller profit margin. Why is this a moral imperative? Because. Based on what paradigm? Exactly.
 
Profit margin.. they just took away chargers and headphones..

Next thing will be the literature and booklets it comes with which will be pre-loaded onto the phone to save .00034c on every iPhone.
Noooo!!! Not the sticker!!!!!!!

Haha, but yeah... it's coming. The paper could easily be a website link. Maybe one day we can get our iPhones in plastic wrap from a vending machine out front a Apple store.

come to think of it.... some stores have those express kiosks 😳
 
It would be interesting to hear what the actual defect rate was

Defects don't have to come in easy to determine thresholds.

A few anecdotal evidence here :

As a photographer, most consumer devices' screens simply aren't manufactured to tight enough tolerances (particularly in terms of uniformity) that they can be used for critical work let alone calibrated for some of them. That includes Apple's own line of MacBook Pros (ie the devices Apple targets at visual artists among others). I had the worst time ever finding a MBP that wasn't just downright rubbish in terms of screen uniformity when Apple switched to Retina screens, although it's improved over time, at least for the MBP (though for the MBA I can still far too easily find ones in Apple Stores for which I could easily, with a few test images, make the staff acknowledge that there is a defect).
But that's just me. Most people wouldn't notice these issues if I didn't show them to them.

Also, you know that slim plastic bezel that used to surround the screens of iPhones since the iPhone 4 (that was just - thank God ! - removed with the iPhone 12) ? Well I've yet to own an iPhone that didn't exhibit a cosmetic defect somewhere along that plastic bezel, such as small dents or improper alignment with the aluminium / steel case or the front glass sides. This is by far the least consistent part of the outer casing for the iPhones and must have been a constant disappointment for Apple's design team. But does it really affect my own experience of the product ? Nope.

Thanks to Apple's regular issues with the AirPods Pro (some of which have already been acknowledged by Apple in various support notices), I've had to exchange them a few times which has led me to have quite a few of these in my possession. I've yet to have a single AirPods Pro that has both the main parts of its body exactly aligned (where you can see a seam in the plastic casing - some of them had a bit of excess glue there). Is that a big deal ? Nope. But the tolerances could be better here (it looks cheap).

Recently I went through a few Apple branded Silicone cases for the iPhone 11. Apparently a whole batch a store had received of the Cactus coloured one had a warped back, a bit similar to the pages of a book that's been wet.

Frankly I can easily find manufacturing defects with ALL the Apple products I've ever owned (I'm pretty good at it to be honest). The question then simply is whether they will significantly impact users' experience and who will be affected and how. As far as I'm concerned, the first anecdotal evidence (screen uniformity) is a massive PITA to deal with. The rest ? I Can easily live with it. But someone else may not. The big question for Apple then is where they put the "defective" threshold line, and that is in some part arbitrary to a degree.
 
Don’t think some people in this thread know how and why businesses are run. Yes, profits! Welcome to capitalism. Especially if you want a good quality product as consumers and also a good ROI as a shareholder 🤷‍♂️. Don’t see the point hating on Apple for making profits. That’s how shareholders make $$ too.
 
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Anybody who's had to deal with Chinese suppliers knowns the Chinese companies have a corporate culture that's VERY different from that we use in the "western world".

I don't mind Apple having Foxconn as supplier: good for them, but I would not want to ever have to deal with the likes of Foxconn as supplier myself. The "abstraction layer" of Apple between me and their Chinese manufacturing suppliers gives me comfort and reassurance.

The problem with western companies is all too often that they hope contrary to abundant proof of the opposite that this time they'll be what in their eyes is being reliable. But you cannot change somebody else's corporate culture ...
Just accept it as it is and decide to deal or not deal with them.

Don't worry: it's not jsut Chinese companies that have a "culture" that's different. Many countries have that. A French company is very different to deal with compared to a German one, or a US one, or ...
If you ignore that culture, you're in for a few nasty surprises.
 


The relationship between longtime partners Apple and Foxconn is eroding due to a battle over profit margins, according to a new report from The Information. While Apple's gross profit margins are close to 40 percent, Foxconn's profit margins are in the single-digit percentage points, leading Foxconn to employ questionable tactics in an effort to grow its profits.

foxconniphone12.jpg

For manufacturing projects, Foxconn routinely tells Apple that it hired more workers than it actually did. Foxconn has also used Apple-owned equipment when making devices for Apple's rivals, and has taken shortcuts on component and product testing. As a result, Apple has increased monitoring and tracking of Foxconn employees and its equipment that's in Foxconn facilities.

More than two dozen former Foxconn and Apple employees told The Information that the relationship between the companies is changing as Apple seeks to diversify its supply chain. Apple originally spoke to Foxconn about manufacturing the AirPods Pro, for example, with Foxconn expecting to win the contract and retrofitting a facility for production purposes only to see the contract go to Foxconn's competitors.

Foxconn manufactures between 60 and 70 percent of the iPhones sold each year, and Apple is by far Foxconn's largest customer, so supply chain diversification is a major threat. Under Tim Cook, Apple has sought cost reductions and implemented aggressive audits of manufacturing lines.

To generate more profit, Foxconn has tried selling its own equipment for manufacturing and component testing with limited success, as well as moving some manufacturing products in-house. Foxconn developed its own chemicals for polishing the iPhone's screen rather than relying on chemicals from a Japanese company, for example.

Foxconn has disregarded some of Apple's policies, using Apple equipment for non-Apple products as mentioned above and providing Google employees with a tour of a Foxconn factory manufacturing the 12-inch MacBook ahead of its release. Foxconn also reportedly cuts corners with manufacturing. With the iPhone 7, some reject phones had loose screws or tiny bits of metal that were supposed to be disassembled, but Foxconn instead opened the flawed phones, removed debris, and resealed them to avoid wasting materials, a process hidden from Apple.

More detail on the souring relationship between Foxconn and Apple and additional examples of tension between the two companies can be found in The Information's full report, which is well worth reading.

Article Link: Profit Margin Tensions Souring Relationship Between Apple and Foxconn
Seems like many of the people commenting know nothing about profit margins, nor what it takes to run a successful business, and while that is ok your advice falls flat.

apple(sorry my crap china keyboard is not letting me use a Capital letter "a") is in a position of dictating the market because of the sheer volume of product they sell. There would simply be no need to give up margin at this time. While I love the US as much as anyone, it makes no sense to build low margin products in the US. Even at $1000 a phone, the products are low margin considering the marketshare. FoxConn was supposed to build several factories here, but so far have not delivered on the promises, and by the looks of it, it was all pollical conjecture and grandstanding.
 
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And by the article, Nope.
Just to add on to my comment, after the things I have heard and read, in that article in particular, I think it would be in Apple's best interests to no longer use Foxconn for production. They are shady AF and can't be trusted. I would be on the hunt for a new production partner if it were up to me, which it isn't, but just sayin.
 
Maybe Apple should use its size and power for good and take a cut in their own profit margins for the purpose of bringing the manufacturing home.
I'm guessing they probably will bring some manufacturing to the US, but it's going to be both more expensive and highly automated.
 
Maybe Apple should start its own final assembly operation for all of its products. Maybe only 15-20% of total volume, to start?
That's not how the economic's of large-scale manufacturing work, the reason that Foxcon is profitable at all is that they can keep the machines running for various customers 24 hours per day.
That's also why most of the IC designers have devolved the chip manufacturing - so that the production lines can be kept busy with other customers...
 
Defects don't have to come in easy to determine thresholds.

A few anecdotal evidence here :

As a photographer, most consumer devices' screens simply aren't manufactured to tight enough tolerances (particularly in terms of uniformity) that they can be used for critical work let alone calibrated for some of them. That includes Apple's own line of MacBook Pros (ie the devices Apple targets at visual artists among others). I had the worst time ever finding a MBP that wasn't just downright rubbish in terms of screen uniformity when Apple switched to Retina screens, although it's improved over time, at least for the MBP (though for the MBA I can still far too easily find ones in Apple Stores for which I could easily, with a few test images, make the staff acknowledge that there is a defect).
But that's just me. Most people wouldn't notice these issues if I didn't show them to them.

Also, you know that slim plastic bezel that used to surround the screens of iPhones since the iPhone 4 (that was just - thank God ! - removed with the iPhone 12) ? Well I've yet to own an iPhone that didn't exhibit a cosmetic defect somewhere along that plastic bezel, such as small dents or improper alignment with the aluminium / steel case or the front glass sides. This is by far the least consistent part of the outer casing for the iPhones and must have been a constant disappointment for Apple's design team. But does it really affect my own experience of the product ? Nope.

Thanks to Apple's regular issues with the AirPods Pro (some of which have already been acknowledged by Apple in various support notices), I've had to exchange them a few times which has led me to have quite a few of these in my possession. I've yet to have a single AirPods Pro that has both the main parts of its body exactly aligned (where you can see a seam in the plastic casing - some of them had a bit of excess glue there). Is that a big deal ? Nope. But the tolerances could be better here (it looks cheap).

Recently I went through a few Apple branded Silicone cases for the iPhone 11. Apparently a whole batch a store had received of the Cactus coloured one had a warped back, a bit similar to the pages of a book that's been wet.

Frankly I can easily find manufacturing defects with ALL the Apple products I've ever owned. The question then simply is whether they will significantly impact users' experience and who will be affected and how. As far as I'm concerned, the first anecdotal evidence (screen uniformity) is a massive PITA to deal with. The rest ? I Can easily live with it. But someone else may not. The big question for Apple then is where they put the "defective" threshold line, and that is in some part arbitrary to a degree.

I too pick out minute manufacturing defects in all Apple products. Admittedly I am a bit OCD which means I will examine products probably more closely than the average consumer.

I thought I was the only one who noticed the defect rate of that tiny thin plastic running around the edge of the screen. Drove me nuts the glue over flowing on some, the jagged edges, the gaps to the aluminium.

Likewise I look for the most uniform and least yellow screen on all devices I purchase first and then see what the other little defects are and which I can live with.
 
I thought I was the only one who noticed the defect rate of that tiny thin plastic running around the edge of the screen. Drove me nuts the glue over flowing on some, the jagged edges, the gaps to the aluminium.
Apple's design team must have been going wild when engineering found a way to get rid of it while meeting their other standards :D.
 
It's quite brutal that Foxconn invites Google, a rival company, to observe the manufacturing line of their best customers products!
That must have happened a long time ago. I guess something changed recently, Apple wants to put pressure on Foxconn, and leaked this info now.
 
Apple's design team must have been going wild when engineering found a way to get rid of it while meeting their other standards :D.

I was in the Apple store yesterday and that’s the first thing I looked at. One less thing for me to check over when receiving my iPhone lol.

The staff member allocated to me must have thought I was crazy I was just examining every inch of the new phones from a physical standpoint lol.
 
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Apple should just open its own manufacturing plants, and not just expect others to make their crap for pennies on the dollar.

Apple is the richest company that doesn't actually make anything.
 
Apple’s greed ... every where ... will probably be what will bring about their downfall.
Oh yeah the usual nonsense posted by Anti-Apple people. For a company that keeps rising to a point that they are well over 2 trillion and arguably the largest and most valuable company worldwide I would say with conviction that they are not headed for any downfall and FoxCON will have to play by Apple's rules or it's the highway.
 
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