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Another death at Foxconn, CEO makes statement
Looks like Foxconn's troubles are far from over -- hiring an exorcist must not have worked, because another worker jumped to their death last week. That's the 10th such employee death at the plant where many of Apple's parts are manufactured. Foxconn's CEO made a statement earlier this week saying that "we are not a sweatshop," and promising that the company will "soon be able to stabilize this situation." The company has also starting hanging nets around factories to try and save jumpers (that's pretty grisly), and they've asked all employees to sign a pledge to help stop the problem, which Gawker has obtained. The pledge asks workers to seek help before doing something to harm themselves, and to help those around them who need it. Foxconn claims it's not a sweatshop, but reports say the company is asking employees to work 60 hours of overtime a month (far over the legal limit of 36 hours of overtime), and paying only about $132 a month. Clearly something is wrong at the company that Apple depends on for much of its manufacturing labor.
Sony, Samsung meeting to discuss LCDs, 3DTV, World Cup wagers
Looks like Sony and Samsung are looking to expand on their existing panel partnerships in the face of an expanding market for LCD HDTVs, with executives meeting Monday. Analysts are predicting an expansion of the S-LCD joint venture or Sony agreeing to buy panels and possibly processors from Samsung. Of course, Samsung is still considering the Google TV services just unveiled this week, while South Korean media apparently indicates cooperation on 3DTVs (seriously, lets get a standard on glasses already) is also on the list of topics. Either way, it will likely lead to cheaper HDTVs all around, and that's what we like to hear.
Foxconn looking to hire an exorcist, Wintek dealing with lawsuit
This one's just plain weird. After being plagued with a series of suicides recently, Apple supplier Foxconn has brought in an exorcist to try and end the "negative incidents" at the plant. What a mess. Foxconn has been called out for bad labor conditions before, and call us skeptical, but the problem probably isn't demons that need to be exorcised by a monk. Still, the company is aiming to bring in the religious ceremonies to "bring peace to employees," so hopefully it'll help. Foxconn isn't the only Chinese Apple supplier troubled by "negative incidents" recently -- Wintek was accused by dozens of workers that a chemical used to clean iPhone screens during manufacturing made them sick. 62 workers at the plant have been hospitalized, and 44 of them claim it was due to n-hexane poisoning and are suing the company (a rarity, we're told, in China). Wintek also had to deal with a violent strike situation earlier this year over the same n-hexane issue. So two messy situations with Apple-contracted suppliers overseas. Apple probably doesn't have the choice any more (or the responsibility, they might say) to control what these companies do, although it is troubling that people are getting hurt or even dying just to produce cheap electronics. Hopefully both of these issues will find a just resolution.
MacBook Pro i7 in a 'command' performance
This isn't the first keyboard assembly snafu we've seen and it certainly won't be the last. But once again it's time to point and laugh at Apple after its new Core i7-equipped MacBook Pro was accidentally fitted with three command keys in Japan. Funny, knowing Steve Jobs you'd think he'd opt for more ctrl.
LG Display set to triple OLED production capacity with $226m facility expansion, effects to be felt in 2011
As usual with OLED displays, we're taking one step forward only to find there are hundreds more to go. LG has today officially announced a new $226 million investment in its OLED production facilities, which will markedly expand its ability to churn out ultrathin canvases of wonder. The not so good news, however, is that this production line is still being built -- with a planned activation in the third quarter of 2010 -- and the effects of the new cash infusion will not be felt until the second half of next year. Should you have the patience to endure such protracted roadmaps, you should be seeing a lot more from LG in the mobile display space -- where Samsung currently holds the technological lead with its Super AMOLED screens -- as well as the luxury TV market that already counts the 15-inch 15EL9500 among its numbers. The Korean manufacturer describes OLED screens as one of its "new growth engines," alongside e-paper and solar cells, so even if we may consider development slow, it's looking increasingly likely that OLED TVs will eventually make their way into the mainstream.
Bits from Bytes' new 3D printer extrudes with the best of 'em
We've seen a number of 3D printers lately, and this time we have a budget model for you (that is, if $3,000 is "budget" -- and we suppose it is, compared to the $20,000 and more some of these bad boys can cost). Bits from Bytes has recently announced the BFB 3000, available with up to three print heads, an SD card reader, a printing area of 320mm x 300mm x 200mm, and a max print speed of 15mm3 per second. Available soon for about £2,000. We suppose you'll be ordering a couple, right? Either way, get a closer look in the gallery below. %Gallery-90420% [Thanks, TMoney2007]
Dell looking outside of China for 'safer environments,' according to Indian PM
The Hindustan Times cover this morning has a generous space dedicated to Google's exit out of China and related efforts at redirecting mainland users to its Hong Kong hub, but couched cosily inside that story is perhaps an even bigger one. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is quoted as saying that Dell is considering taking its $25 billion's worth of business elsewhere, possibly India: "This morning I met the chairman of Dell Corporation. He informed me that they are buying equipment and parts worth $25 billion from China. They would like to shift to safer environment with climate conducive to enterprise with security of legal system." Michael Dell's outfit already has one manufacturing plant in India, and the man himself has been on a charm offensive in the country this week meeting and greeting local officials. It could well be, however, that Dell is just seeking to play China and India off one another to get itself the most favorable manufacturing deal, but it's still interesting to find such a high profile protestation against the supposedly enterprise-choking climate and uncertain legal system in China. It appears that Google's wrangle with the Middle Kingdom's leadership has forced consumer electronics execs to reevaluate their strong reliance on China, and the (very) long-term effects could indeed be a shifting, or at least diversification, of manufacturing away from Yao's homeland. [Thanks, Piyush]
GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more
For the last few weeks, EVE Online players have been getting excited about the up-coming Tyrannis expansion with its Planetary Interaction feature. We received our first taste of what Tyrannis will hold last month when the expansion was announced and since then we've speculated on how its planetary interaction feature might work. Although CCP haven't answered our interview questions on Tyrannis yet, we caught up with EVE Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson at GDC 2010 to get the inside scoop. Torfi was keen to point out that a lot of what CCP are doing in Tyrannis is laying the foundation for future updates and expansions. He calls Tyrannis "a stepping stone toward something even bigger." In addition to providing some inside info on the upcoming Tyrannis and Incarna expansions, Torfi revealed that there are more people working on EVE today than ever before. In contrast to MMOs that cut down their development team sizes once the game is out, CCP's ranks have been increasing at a huge rate in recent years. The ever-increasing revenue generated by EVE subscribers allows them to fund a large development team dedicated to making the game better for EVE players. "We've never had as many subscribers as we have today", says Torfi, "330,000 subscribers, like actual paying subscribers, not counting trials." It's thanks to all those subscribers that CCP are beginning to realise dreams they were never able to achieve when the game was less popular. Skip past the cut to see what Torfi Frans Olafsson had to say about Tyrannis, Incarna and more.
Apple supplier audit reveals sub-minimum wage pay and records of underage labor
Apple's famous desire for total control over its operations seems to have extended to its manufacturing facilities as we've come across Cupertino's Supplier Responsibility 2010 Progress Report, which details audits the American company has done of its overseas suppliers and the failures identified therein. The findings are pretty damning on the whole, with more than half (54 percent) of all factories failing to meet Apple's already inflated maximum 60-hour work week, 24 percent paying less than the minimum wage, 37 percent failing to respect anti-discrimination rules, and three facilities holding records of employing a total of eleven 15-year olds (who were over the legal age of 16 or had left by the time of the audit). Apple is, predictably, not jazzed about the situation, and has taken action through train-the-trainer schemes, threats of business termination with recidivist plants, and -- most notably -- the recovery of $2.2 million in recruitment fees that international contract workers should not have had to pay. It should come as no shock to learn that cheaper overseas factories are cutting illegal corners, but it's disappointing to hear Apple's note that most of the 102 audited manufacturers said Cupertino was the only vendor to perform such rigorous compliance checks. Still, we'll take what we can get and the very existence of this report -- which can be savagely skewed to defame Apple's efforts (as demonstrated expertly by The Daily Telegraph below) -- is an encouraging sign that corporate responsibility is being taken seriously. We hope, wherever your geek loyalties and fervor may lie, that you'll agree Apple's leading in the right direction and that its competitors should at the very least have matching monitoring schemes. They may have to swallow some bad PR at first, but sweeping up the dirty details of where gadgets come from is juvenile and has no place in a civilized world. Hit the source link for the full report.
NYT: Chips like the A4 could cost $1 billion to design
Apple may have finally gotten the chip they wanted with the iPad's A4, but a little freedom from contracting with other chip makers didn't come cheap. In a piece about how to make silicon chips, the New York Times estimates the cost to put a chip like the A4 together at a whopping $1 billion. And that's just for a design -- actually making a state-of-the-art factory to create the chips will run you a cool $3 billion. The NYT is just estimating for all companies here -- especially with Apple's purchase of PA Semi, they probably got the design for a relative song, and they're working with contractors to actually make the chips, rather than building their own factories. So $1 billion is a higher estimate than evidence would make you suspect. For Apple, though, whatever the purchase price is, it was worth it -- watching Jobs talking about this chip and its power conservation (the iPad will last for a month on standby!) a few weeks ago, you get the sense that he's really excited to finally be in charge of his own chip destiny rather than having to rely on Intel or another silicon company to do it for them. And heck, even if they did spend $4 billion to make the A4, Apple can build ten more chips and separate factories to build them with all of the cash they've built up. Considering the freedom that Apple got out of their A4 design, whatever it cost was probably a check they were more than happy to write. [Via Apple Insider]
Apple's obsessive secrecy hurting relations with overseas suppliers
Apple's obsession with secrecy is legendary. For all the rumors and leaks that stoke media attention, very rarely do we have a clear picture of a new product until Steve Jobs comes out on stage and shows it to us. Even people who work for Apple often have very little idea what the company is up to; retail employees at Apple Stores usually don't know any more about upcoming products than anyone else, and retail managers have told me the first clear picture they get of new products is when they arrive on a truck. Even people who work in Apple R&D on products like the iPad operate in a "cone of silence," with security measures in place at Cupertino's labs that sound like something out of a James Bond film. And last year, an employee of Chinese supplier Foxconn allegedly leapt to his death to avoid further interrogation after he "lost" an iPhone prototype. A new report from Reuters offers more insight into Apple's cloak and dagger world. Confidentiality agreements are only the beginning when it comes to Apple's tactics with its overseas suppliers. Apple contacts suppliers at the last minute, often only weeks before a product's release, and provides information about its products on a strict "need to know" basis. Apple also divides its projects between multiple suppliers, meaning that for a product like the iPhone, no one supplier is responsible for producing or assembling all of its components. As a result, even most of the people who are standing on the assembly line making Apple's products have no idea what they look like when they're finished. Only a handful of very closely monitored workers are responsible for final assembly. Apple also has a unique vetting process for its contractors: it will switch up product suppliers occasionally, issuing them different products, all in the name of hunting down and squashing leaks. Well, that and an attempt to thwart cheap knockoffs -- a somewhat common practice in certain parts of the manufacturing world. One South Korean supplier has stated Apple makes "unreasonable requests." The company's demands for customization in its designs means suppliers are left with equipment and components that can't be used for other clients, and excess inventory cannot be repurposed. The Reuters report paints a very dark picture of Apple's relations with its suppliers. The company has its reasons for being secretive, some of them more valid than others, but it seems incredibly ironic that the same company who satirized George Orwell's 1984 in their iconic Super Bowl commercial now employs the same sort of police-state tactics with both its own employees and its overseas contractors. As much as I enjoy using Apple's products, reports like the one from Reuters make it hard for me to like the company itself. Read the Reuters report for yourselves, and then let us know how you feel about Apple's obsession with secrecy in the comments. [Via AppleInsider]
Watch Nexus One get built, then beaten mercilessly
This might be the best entry yet in Google's Nexus One video series. Today's double feature is marked by the testing and manufacturing of the device, and while the all-white facilities and assembly lines can be interesting in their own right, we love nothing more than seeing just how Google and HTC stress test its labor of love. Watch it dropped, slammed, bent, poked, and detonated -- okay, maybe not detonated, and we unfortunately don't get to see any phones crack, but it's still good fun. The big game's not on yet, so give yourself a few minutes and hit up the two short videos after the break.
Report: Apple signs new iPhone manufacturer, rumored to work on CDMA iPhone
Apple has reportedly signed up with a new manufacturer in China to help produce the next generation of the iPhone -- Pegatron will be joining Foxconn in putting together parts for Apple's next handheld unit, we hear courtesy of the always talkative "industry sources." The company has been rumored to be working with Apple before, when it was suggested that they'd be working on a smaller version of the iPhone designed to work on Verizon's CDMA network. Officially, Pegatron hasn't confirmed any agreement with Apple, but they have said that they plan to substantially increase their output in 2010. And this might just be part of a good 2010 for Pegatron -- the company is also working on parts for Microsoft's Natal controller, rumored to be releasing this coming holiday season. As for what they'll be making for Apple, we'll have to wait and see what gets announced. It's almost a certainty that we'll see a new iPhone model sometime this year, but as to what that model will do (and whether it'll be CDMA enabled or otherwise), it's all just rumors so far. [via Apple Insider]
Joojoo tablet now in production, will support full Flash at launch
That other tablet that was announced just a week ago sure doesn't seem to be setting Fusion Garage's Joojoo off course. Not only did it see an increase in orders after the iPad announcement, but Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishna just told us that production of the 12-inch tablet has kicked off and that the product is on target to start shipping this month. And it doesn't sound like legal fees from fighting the TechCrunch lawsuit over the product are depleting Fusion Garage's bank account: Chandra told us it's teamed up with OEM CSL Group of Malaysia, which will be footing the bill for manufacturing in exchange for a "low single-digit" percentage of product revenue. We have our doubts about the math, but we'll see how happy everyone is if and when the Joojoo starts shipping. (We'll also see if James Cameron notices that Fusion Garage keeps using unlicensed Avatar images in its promo pictures.) Chandra still wouldn't budge on revealing what's powering the device, but he was more than happy to confirm that the tablet will support full Flash at launch, and HD Flash content once Flash 10.1 is officially released -- YouTube HD will play right now using a separate player plugin that takes advantage of GPU acceleration. "We have a bigger 'app store' than Apple because we have the full Internet," he told us. Nevertheless, Fusion plans to launch a "web store" that will allow people to find web applications on the Joojoo. Speaking of Apple, Chandra was quite blunt about the iPad: "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." No really -- he told us everything from Steve Jobs calling the iPad a "magical product" to the couch being on stage during the keynote to the $499 price point was a nod to the Joojoo, since "juju" is an African word for "magical" and the Joojoo was positioned as a couch computer when it launched in November. Uh, sure. Trash talking aside, we're very excited to see what this thing can do -- a 16:9 720p tablet that can play Hulu sounds pretty interesting to us. Check the full press release after the break.
Intel swings 25nm factory doors open for a tour de fab
Intel and Micron's recent announcement that their collective superhero body, appropriately named IM Flash, is sampling 25nm flash chips has been accompanied with a whirlwind tour of their Utah production facilities for a few lucky journalists. PC Perspective bring us the atmospheric photo above, along with some videos, as they prance about one of the most hallowed (and cleanest) environments known to gadget lovers. Apart from the die shrink, the lads also discuss Intel's reputed plans for a G3 SSD refresh some time "later this year" with snappier controllers onboard, which apparently was echoed by Micron who also intend to pump out faster processors with their SSD products. While you wait for all that to happen, hit the source link to find out how and where the stuff that gets put inside SSDs is made.
Self-assembling solar cells built using ancient wisdom, modern technology
Alright, so self-assembling electronics are hardly new in and of themselves, and nanoscale tech tends to always come with bombastic promises, but you don't wanna miss how this latest innovation is built. Two professors from the University of Minnesota have successfully demonstrated a self-assembly technique that arranges microscopic electronic elements in their proper order thanks to the absolute enmity that exists between water and oil. By coating elements with a hydrophilic layer on one side and some hypdrophobic goo on the other, they've achieved the proper element orientation, and the final step in their work was the insertion of a pre-drilled, pre-soldered sheet, which picks up each element while being slowly drawn out of the liquid non-mixture. The achievement here is in finding the perfect densities of water and oil to make the magic happen, and a working device of 64,000 elements has been shown off -- taking only three minutes to put together. If the method's future proves successful, we'll all be using electronics built on flexible, plastic, metal, or otherwise unconventional substrates sometime soon.
Nexus One hardware costs $174.15, US multitouch still priceless
If, while perusing the Nexus One teardown, you were doing a mental tally of just how much each internal part may cost, here's your chance to compare your numbers to some professionally obtained figures. iSuppli reports a preliminary estimate of $174.15 for the cost of materials needed to build each handset. The research firm also congratulates Google on keeping a bill of materials comparable to most recent smartphones while having "the most advanced features of any smart phone ever dissected by iSuppli's Teardown Analysis Service." Costliest of all things was the 1GHz Snapdragon ($30.50), followed by the AMOLED display ($23.50) and memory ($20.40) from Samsung. The Bluetooth and 802.11n WiFi transceiver cost $8.20, and perhaps the most egregious spend was $12.50 on a 5 megapixel camera that many of us might never use. Hilariously enough, Google has spent $17.50 on what is clearly identified as a "capacitive multitouch touchscreen assembly" from Synaptics, though enabling it clearly remains a bridge too far.
Panasonic opens the doors on its biggest plasma plant yet
Despite worries / FUD from some corners that plasma HDTVs may be going away, Panasonic's latest giant investment in the technology should keep its high quality televisions coming our way for quite some time. Just a few days ago it opened its biggest plant ever in Amagasaki, which should eventually contribute to a total production capacity of over one million screens per month. Check out the pics and a video on AV Watch of robotic arms pulling 150-inch glass panels into place -- those of us hosting events on a smaller scale than the Winter Olympics are more likely to see these cut into 42-, 46- or 50-inch varieties -- before they become the 3D or even 4K televisions of the future. Still a die hard LCD fan? At least be warmed by the news of increased efficiency and reduced emissions, lower prices and cleaner air are something we can all appreciate.
Report: Wii parts production shrinks
[Don Fulano] A slowdown in Wii production can only mean one thing: Nintendo has cured the injured, ailing and aged -- there's no more work left to be done. While saving the world proved vastly lucrative for Nintendo, it also benefited the manufactures behind the scenes; or, as we like to call them, the magic makers. Nikkei reports that Wii parts suppliers, Mitsumi Electric Co. and Hosiden Corp., have significantly reduced their yearly profits forecasts following a decrease in orders to assemble Wii consoles. Mitsumi predicts its net profits will fall 52 percent year-over-year to ¥5.3 billion ($61.2 million), down from the previously projected ¥7 billion. Hosiden expects a similar drop, from the forecast ¥7.5 billion down to ¥6 billion. These percentage changes are eerily similar to the figure reported in Nintendo's half-year results, posted at the end of October. Are the numbers trying to tell us something? Yep, there's still plenty of money being made and, apparently, more world to save. [Via MarketWatch] Source – "As Wii Stumbles, Parts Suppliers' Earnings Tumble" [Nikkei.com; subscription required]
Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders?
If you enjoy the decimation of an industry as much as Google does then you're going to love the latest rumor sourced from DigiTimes' manufacturing moles. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, personal navigation device R&D teams at the manufacturing powerhouses of Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) and Wistron have been shifted to other devices in the face of "declining PND orders." Seems logical as GPS-equipped smartphones snuff out their dedicated forebears with the same converged precision that turned wrist watches into items of fashion. The strange part of this DigiTimes rumor is that said manufacturers have shifted those PND teams to focus on e-book readers and (are you ready?) MIDs. Man, if the world's largest manufacturer of consumer electronics sees MIDs as a more economically viable option than personal navigators, well, maybe things are more dire for TomTom and Garmin than originally feared.
