Foxconn Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

NYT wins Pulitzer for Apple 'iEconomy' investigations

by John-Michael Bond (Apr 16th, 2013)

The winners of the 2013 Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday, with the New York Times winning this year's prize for explanatory reporting. The award was for the paper's "iEconomy" series investigating the way business has adapted to the changing global economy, largely focusing on Apple. The ...

Foxconn realizes record $3.2 billion profit for 2012

by Steven Sande (Mar 25th, 2013)

The success of the iPhone 5 and three new iPad models in 2012 not only raised Apple's profits to record levels, but has also helped manufacturer Foxconn to reach a all-time high $3.2 billion profit ($3.9 trillion New Taiwan dollars) during the year. Foxconn, the trade name for Hon Hai ...

Foxconn to allow union elections

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 4th, 2013)

For the first time ever, Foxconn is reportedly allowing its workers to elect union representatives. A Telegraph UK report says Foxconn will hold elections for a union chairman and 20 members of the Federation of Labour Unions Committee. Elections will take place every five years. Both Foxconn ...

Improvements at Foxconn's China factory

by Kelly Hodgkins (Dec 27th, 2012)

Foxconn has been under the microscope due to excessive overtime and poor working conditions at its Chinese production facilities. A report in the New York Times suggests the company is making changes that'll improve the workplace for its 1.4 million employees in China. These improvements ...

Daily Update for December 11, 2012

by Steven Sande (Dec 11th, 2012)

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player ...

Foxconn automates workforce prior to US expansion

by Dave Caolo (Dec 11th, 2012)

Foxconn spokesperson Louis Woo told The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) that Foxconn will automate its assembly factories with "the best robots in the business" as a supplement to human labor. During a recent shareholders meeting, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou noted that automated workers will ...

Foxconn seeks to expand North American manufacturing operations

by Randy Nelson (Dec 6th, 2012)

On the same day we started hearing about Apple's plans to manufacture an undisclosed Mac product in the United States, a Bloomberg report indicates that Apple's largest manufacturing partner, China's Foxconn, is looking to increase its presence in North America. Coincidence? Neither company is ...

Foxconn chairman discusses struggle to build iPhone 5

by Steven Sande (Nov 7th, 2012)

Citing incredibly high demand for the iPhone 5 and quality control difficulties, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou told Reuters that his company's Hon Hai Precision Industry unit is struggling to assemble enough of the devices to meet Apple's requirements for the latest iPhone. Talking to reporters ...

Palo Alto Apple Store opens, Shenzhen store nearly ready

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 30th, 2012)

Apple continues to expand its retail presence both here in the US and in China. As noted by MacNN, Apple's impressive Palo Alto, Calif., store opened this past weekend. The spacious 15,000 square foot store features an arched-glass roof and is estimated to have cost over US$3 million to build. ...

Atlantic writer shares Foxconn snapshots

by Steven Sande (Oct 22nd, 2012)

James Fallows, a writer for The Atlantic, recently spent some time poking around the Foxconn plants and dormitories in the Longhua area of Shenzhen, China. These plants are where iPads and iPhones come to life, and have been the subject of scrutiny from many Western writers who believe that the ...

Foxconn: iPhone 5 is "most difficult" device we've ever assembled

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 17th, 2012)

Apple is facing a manufacturing shortage that's affecting the inventory of its new iPhone 5. Delivery times have slipped to 3-4 weeks and analysts are lowering their sales estimates for the holiday quarter. Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that assembles the iPhone for Apple, told the Wall Street ...

Foxconn admits hiring underage interns

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 16th, 2012)

Foxconn released a statement on Tuesday confirming it violated Chinese labor laws by illegally hiring underage workers at its Yantai plant in Shandong Province. Several workers as young as 14 years old were discovered as part of an internal investigation, says a CNET report. Foxconn's ...

Multiple Foxconn labor disputes disrupt iPhone production

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 9th, 2012)

In the last week, Foxconn faced several rounds of labor disputes that threatened to slow iPhone 5 production, says a report by Bloomberg. The disputes occurred on October 1, October 2 and on October 5. In each case, the company had to stop production lines after workers protested overly strict ...

Daily Update for October 9, 2012

by Steven Sande (Oct 9th, 2012)

Foxconn's Taiyuan plant faces worker unrest, "2,000 person" riot

by Michael Rose (Sep 23rd, 2012)

A Foxconn facility in Taiyuan, China is the scene of ongoing disturbances as workers rioted in the overnight hours. Engadget's Richard Lai, monitoring the Chinese microblogging and social sites, sees unofficial reports that the trigger for tonight's events was when security guards struck a ...