Apple partner Foxconn now making half the world's output of OEM electronics devices

Apple’s position as the world’s leading computing device company has driven manufacturing partner, Foxconn, to seize an astonishing 50 per cent of the world’s electronic manufacturing services market, said iSuppli today. Half of the world’s production of consumer electronics devices come from a Foxconn factory, with Apple’s production demand driving this record, iSuppli explains. This is now an Apple world.

“Foxconn’s customers are some of the hottest companies in the electronics business today, most notably Apple,” said Thomas Dinges, iSuppli associate. “As Apple and others have gained share, so has Foxconn.”

With revenue of $17.1 billion, Taiwan’s Foxconn, aka Hon Hai Precision Industries, was the dominant EMS provider in the first quarter of 2010, dwarfing No. 2 player Flextronics International, which posted revenue of $5.9 billion during the same period. Apple represents the fastest-growing customer for Foxconn, which manufactures products including the iPad and the iPhone 4.

iSuppli last week noted that Apple had issued increased production targets for the iPad to its Asian suppliers. iSuppli now predicts Apple will ship 12.9 million iPads in 2010, an amount that will nearly triple to reach 36.5 million in 2011.

Meanwhile, global iPhone shipments are expected to rise to 53.5 million in 2011, more than double the 25.1 million in 2009.

By 2011, Apple will become the world’s second-largest purchaser of semiconductors through direct and indirect channels.