Reliability if 70% of Apple Watches are bad?

[AustinIllini]

Very interesting. Thanks a lot for sharing. 30% is an extremely low rate. Unbelievable.

Don't believe it.

 

[Piggie]

What's the difference? Apple is notoriously excellent at exchanging defective products on the spot. Heck they've been known to exchange products out of warranty.

If true, to the buyer this means nothing.

I genuinely believe Apple, and they are probably not the only ones use customers as a Final Inspection department.

Let's put it this way, if you make something for $100 that is normally good enough, and most customers seem to accept, but perhaps 5% of customers throw back at you.

Does it make sense to simply carry on in this manner, or slow all the steps of production down, and increase quality acceptance levels in your inspection, if it means you can only make 75% as many of the product.

It's easier to just ship "hopefully they are good enough" models out the door and accept some fussy customers will reject them, than to really fix things.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

If you knew anything about manufacturing, you'd recognize that your last sentence entirely contradicts your first.

I don't agree. Radical: utter, profound, drastic, severe (and so on.) Apple has been using CNC milling and laser cutting since the first-gen unibody Macs at least; that's how long now? Cold-forging, chamfered diamond-polished edges and so on is stuff used in many products, including some of Apple's own, since many years back.

Apple Watch is using some serious manufacturing tech for sure, likely more than any other piece of consumer electronics available right now, and it's really impressive for sure, but does that warrant using the word radical? IMO, no, as that implies going beyond what is in-use right now.

In any case, unlike some folks in this thread, I have no trouble believing the 70% reject rate reported in the source article.

Why? None of the manufacturing techniques used are new, and 70% is ridiculously high. There's no sources mentioned, or at least not mentioned so far in this discussion thread. There's literally nothing that indicates the figure is anywhere near accurate.

 

[iamMacPerson]

Apple's reliability for me has gone up in the last year. 2012/2013 was a horrible period for me, but 2014 and 2015 have so far been good. Most of these issues will probably be minor cosmetic problems, i.e. a ding in the aluminum where the screen meets the aluminum. Small things that unless you are really purposely looking for, I doubt most people are going to find.

 

[Mildredop]

If true, I highly doubt Apple will allow the 70% that are bad to hit the shelves for us to buy. Aint happening, so it won't be an issue for us.

Except there'll be 70% fewer watches available, so it would be an issue for you.

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Please excuse grammar, I work 12hr nights.

Not sure how this is an excuse. It doesn't take much to correct your mistakes, night shift worker or otherwise.

Sorry for being rude, but I just worked a 14hr day.

 

[largefarrva]

Except there'll be 70% fewer watches available, so it would be an issue for you.

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Not sure how this is an excuse. It doesn't take much to correct your mistakes, night shift worker or otherwise.

Sorry for being rude, but I just worked a 14hr day.

How do you figure there's going to be 70% few watches available? There's still almost a month and a half between now and release. Surely Apple will get any issues worked out...assuming this report is even true to begin with.

 

[kdarling]

Why? None of the manufacturing techniques used are new, and 70% is ridiculously high.

You're right. Probably not the manufacturing.

It's the assembly that is most likely the problem, if there is one.

There's no sources mentioned, or at least not mentioned so far in this discussion thread. There's literally nothing that indicates the figure is anywhere near accurate.

The first post gave a link to a story, and that story gave this source from an electronics industry magazine in Taiwan:

The collaboration between Quanta and Foxconn drew a lot of attentions from investors with the view that if Quanta was limited by the defect-free rate, its output would be lower, which could result in Quanta loses to other OEM/ODM firms. It was understood that Foxconn is more likely to be another Apple Watch assembly firm than Inventec.

However, Apple Watch debuted on March 9 at its press conference but until April 10 for pre-orders, the one month waiting time is maybe because of Quanta's defect-free rate is below expectations.

Allegedly, due to the negotiation between Apple, Quanta teamed up with Foxconn in borrowing 3,000 workers for manufacturing Apple Watch. It's widely circulated that currently the defect-free rate of Quanta is below 30 percent.


Quanta Borrows 3,000 Workers from Foxconn for Apple Watch - CTimes

Another interesting article from CTimes is:

Investor forecast that the first wave of Apple Watch orders will be 3 million units, Taiwanese supply chain have begun working on it.

According to a reliable source, Quanta Computer and Foxconn contracted by Apple to assemble Apple Watch, while Career is responsible for supplying Flexible Print Circuit (FPC), Kinsus Interconnect Technology covers IC substrate, Merry Electronics provides electroacoustic components, TXC Corp. arranges crystal, Richtech contributes power management IC, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE Inc.) administer packaging.

An informed source stated that Quanta is also preparing for manufacturing by hiring new employees, with its total headcount to rise to 40,000 workers. The alleged terms of the deal are said to prevent Quanta from partnering with any competing device makers to build wearable electronics.

Apple Watch, a Boost to Taiwanese Supply Chains

 

[bushido]

Anybody knows about Apple watch to be used while swimming?

lol no. it only survives being worn out in the rain and some drops while washing hands

 

[Julien]

lol no. it only survives being worn out in the rain and some drops while washing hands

It is (conservatively because of the absolute numbers) IPx7 rated. I bet it could easy qualify for an IPx8 too but Apple is and needs to be conservative.