Foxconn

Unsurprisingly, Foxconn denies claims of strikes in iPhone 5 production line

We reported yesterday about a strike going on at Foxconn, the maker of the iPhone and virtually any electronics in the world. The report originated from advocacy group China Labor Watch, claimed that three to four thousand workers went on strike because of unreasonable demands from Foxconn asking its employees to work during the national holiday, but also because it raised the bar for quality standards without properly training its work force.

Foxconn was however quick at denying the news when it sent a statement to Reuters, basically explaining that everything is good in this perfect and beautiful world...

Thousands of Foxconn workers go on strike over iPhone 5 production

When Apple introduced the iPhone 5, it noted: "We've developed manufacturing processes that are our most complex and ambitions. Never before have we built a product with this extraordinary level of fit and finish."

While the end result of these complex methods — i.e. the iPhone 5 — appears to be making customers happy, the processes themselves seem to be causing problems at the factories. A new report is out this afternoon that thousands of Foxconn workers have gone on strike due to issues with iPhone 5 production...

3% of Apple’s supply chain workers still putting 60+ hour weeks into someone else’s dream

Determined to prove the world it's doing the right thing to prevent labor abuses in its supply chain, Apple has quietly updated the Labor and Human Rights web page with some interesting data points. The company's suppliers in August employed 60 percent more workers than in January of this year.

Three percent of supply chain workforce was putting more than 60 hours a week into assembling Apple products, data suggests. Ending the industry practice of excessive overtime "is a top priority", Apple writes.

It's easier said than done considering the unemployment rate of China’s youth of 7.6 percent in 2012 and Foxconn's reputation for shoddy working conditions and army style discipline in its sweatshops...

Introducing the Apple iShiv

In addition to Mapgate and Scuffgate, another controversy involving Apple is making rounds on the web. Comedian and television host Conan O'Brien jumped on the opportunity to scold Apple over the rioting which swept the iPhone 5 plant in Asia. Take a look at the iShiv, a new tool designed to "revolutionize factory riots". Because assembly line workers "just love the thinnest, lightest factory riot weapon yet". The clip is right after the break...

Foxconn: iPhone production to resume Tuesday

A little riot shouldn't delay iPhone production in China. Long-troubled Foxconn, which makes iPhones, among other electronic devices, said Monday it will resume operations Tuesday following a riot involving 2,000 people that sent 40 to the hospital. In a statement, the manufacturer denied anyone died or that the uprising was work-related.

"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related," the company said in a statement provided CNet...

Foxconn closes iPhone 5 plant after mass brawl

Apple's relationship with Foxconn is already under scrutiny, but the iPhone maker is set to be posed yet more questions about working conditions after the news that a 2,000 person brawl erupted at one of its factories.

The Taiyuan facility was closed by Foxconn after a fight broke out about an apparently non-work related matter. Reports suggest that things escalated however once guards and factory workers began to fight.

Reports also suggest that around 40 people have been injured as a result of the disturbance...

iPad mini reportedly in production at Foxconn and Pegatron plants

Between the new iPhone and iPod announcements, and now the preparation for official launch, talk of the iPad mini has been put on the back burner. This has a lot of folks wondering, is the rumored tablet still set for a fall launch?

According to a new report this afternoon, yes, the iPad mini is still on track to launch later this year. In fact, it appears that the slate has entered mass production, with Foxconn and Pegatron splitting the production...

Undercover Chinese journalist infiltrates iPhone 5 production line

Talk about timing. Just hours ahead of Apple's highly-anticpated iPhone event, a story has surfaced of a Chinese journalist who recently went undercover as a worker in one of Foxconn's factories.

The reporter, who works for the Shanghai Evening Post, got a job at the manufacturer's Tai Yuan plant in China's Shanxi province, and spent 10 days working on one of its iPhone 5 production lines...

Foxconn reportedly pulling Chinese students out of school to build iPhones

There's a weird story floating around the tech world today that Foxconn recently pulled Chinese students out of several colleges and forced them to work on the assembly lines in their factories.

The story stems from two separate, but corroborating, reports that say that Foxconn has been unable to find sufficient workforce to meet large iPhone 5 orders, so it's forcing students to work...

iPhone 5 reportedly leaks out of Foxconn plant, gets caught on video

As we approach the big event next Wednesday, leaks related to Apple's next iPhone are multiplying with each passing day. Just a few minutes ago, a new report went online claiming that someone in China has been able to get their hands on an actual iPhone 5 unit. They made quite a believable video to prove it and it looks legit.

Best of all, the clip shows a white device with a taller display booting next to an iPhone 4S, giving us a good indication of the increased speed of the iPhone 5, courtesy of its rehashed, low-power dual-core variant of the A5 chip, souped up with 1GB of RAM. Have a look, the clip is right after the break..

Sharp reportedly to agree to sell shares to Foxconn at a lower price

Following reports of contention between Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn and the struggling Japanese electronics giant Sharp over the stake-sale price, The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Sharp may agree to a lower price after all.

A new round of talks is reportedly focused not only on the sale price, but also on broadening the two companies' business alliance, which includes the future of Sharp's television assembly plants in Mexico and China rumored to be part of the Foxconn deal...

Sharp and Foxconn have yet to reach billion dollar investment deal

Earlier this month, word got out that Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) was looking to up its stake in Sharp Corporation to 10 percent, or more, giving it a fairly large piece of the Japanese company.

The news fueled rumors of an Apple TV set, as Foxconn is Apple's favorite manufacturer and Sharp, well, makes TVs. But according to a new report, the two sides have yet to reach a deal...