Foxconn

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Sketchy rumor: iPad Pro and last new iPad mini launch in Q4, iPad Air 3 in 2016

Cam Bunton Jul 15 2015 - 12:03 am PT

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A rumor published this morning predicts that Apple will release it’s long-rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro alongside the next generation iPad mini during the second half of the holiday season in Q4. Both will allegedly be assembled exclusively by Foxconn. That much we knew.

Speculation from Asian sources referenced by Economic Daily News suggests that Apple wants to ensure that nothing distracts from the focus on the larger iPad Pro, meaning the iPad Air 3 launch would be pushed back until 2016. In this seemingly unlikely scenario, when a Pro tablet is eventually launched, it’s more likely to fit a niche in the market rather than be the new, main device Cupertino is touting.

What’s more, the story goes as far as suggesting that Apple might discontinue the iPad mini range altogether after the 4th generation mini. This suggestion itself is highly speculative. We’re not sure even Apple would know if the iPad mini 4 is its last mini tablet, or not, at this point in time. That seems like a decision that would be made after seeing how the market reacts to the mini 4. Perhaps Apple is planning to build a hybrid Mini/iPod touch next year?

Saying that, with the iPhone 6 Plus on the market now, Apple has a large smartphone on the market which could cannibalize sales of any small tablets it sells. Especially when the presumed second generation 6 Plus hits store shelves.

With the iPad Pro, Apple is expected to launch a large tablet to bridge a gap which may, or may not, exist between tablets and laptops. Or more specifically, between iPad Air and MacBook. With the launch of multi-window multitasking in iOS 9, a larger screened tablet seems a no-brainer. iOS 9 itself also seemingly contains code pointing towards an iPad with a larger screen and higher resolution than the iPad Air currently on the market.

As always, treat any of this information as speculation and take the appropriate dosage of salt along with it. We’re doubtful of a lot being rumored from EDN.

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Debunk: iPhone 6S keynote date of Friday, September 11th extremely unlikely

Ben Lovejoy Jul 6 2015 - 5:29 am PT

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A Chinese blog report that claims to reveal the date of the keynote announcing the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is being picked up by some media outlets. According to the blog, sources inside the Foxconn supply chain have stated that the keynote will take place on Friday 11th September, with the phones going on sale a week later on the 18th.
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• AAPL Company
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• iPhone 6
• Apple Inc

Strong iPhone 6 demand helps Foxconn achieve 56% rise in year-on-year earnings

Ben Lovejoy May 15 2015 - 6:56 am PT

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Record iPhone sales helped Apple’s lead manufacturer Foxconn to achieve 56% growth in year-on-year earnings, Apple representing almost half the company’s turnover. Foxconn achieved its highest first quarter profit growth in a decade, reports the WSJ.

The company also more than doubled its 2014 dividend from NT$1.80 per share to NT$3.80 (US$0.06 to 0.12).

Apple announced last month that it sold 61.1M iPhones in its fiscal Q2, demand for its larger-screened phones remaining extremely strong after the initial record start. Two analysts with strong track-records yesterday predicted that this success is likely to continue, forecasting sales of 51M iPhones in the current quarter.

• iPhone
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Apple supplier Foxconn to cut workforce despite likely record iPhone sales [Update: Foxconn denies]

Ben Lovejoy Jan 27 2015 - 4:42 am PT

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Update: Foxconn has denied the Reuters report, stating that the claim is “completely inaccurate and totally without foundation.” The company told us that increased automation will result in reduced recruitment, but that there are no plans to reduce its workforce “now or anytime in the future.”

Foxconn, the lead assembler for iPhones, is planning to cut its workforce despite widespread expectations that Apple will today announce record sales of its smartphones, reports Reuters. It’s likely that the proposed reduction in staffing relates to Foxconn’s work for other manufacturers, who account for around 60% of the company’s revenues. Also, Apple sells a lot more stuff during the run up to the holidays so seasonal workers might be let go after demand is met.

Special assistant to the chairman and group spokesman Louis Woo did not specify a timeframe or target for the reduction, but noted that labor costs had more than doubled since 2010 […]

“We’ve basically stabilized (our workforce) in the last three years,” Woo said. When asked if the company plans to reduce overall headcount, he responded “yes”.

Foxconn experienced double-digit revenue growth from 2003 to 2012, but has seen that growth slip in the past couple of months as the PC market contracts and smartphone growth rates slow. The company has been trying to work its way up the Apple food-chain from assembly and low-cost components into more expensive parts like displays.

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Latest rumor of OLED displays in iPhones inspired by report on Foxconn display factory

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2015 - 6:54 am PT

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There are always rumors around that Apple is planning to switch from LCD to thinner, brighter, more power-efficient OLED displays in its iPhones. The latest is a report seemingly originating on Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun cited by GforGames via a Chinese site … So take it with the usual large pinch of salt.

Bloomberg reported back in November that Foxconn was building a new $2.6B display factory whose output would be exclusively devoted to Apple. The headline was quickly changed to remove the reference to Apple, though the piece still strongly hinted at Apple being the sole client. This latest report says that the factory in question will be making only OLED displays.

It’s worth noting that, even if the factory is indeed making displays only for Apple, and even if all those displays are indeed OLED ones, that still doesn’t necessarily mean you can expect OLED displays in next year’s iPhones. Apple has already announced that the Apple Watch will use OLED displays, so it’s possible that the company is simply diversifying its supply chain for these. LG is currently slated as the primary supplier of Apple Watch displays.

While OLED has a number of advantages over LCD displays, it is more expensive to manufacture, so a switch is not one that Apple would make without a careful cost-benefit analysis.

• AAPL Company
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Foxconn is building a $2.6B display factory just for Apple [maybe – updated]

Ben Lovejoy Nov 20 2014 - 6:57 am PT

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Update: Bloomberg has now removed Apple from the headline and has updated the piece to hint that Apple is the client without actually saying so.

Foxconn’s Taiwanese display subsidiary Innolux is investing $2.6B over the next two years in a new factory whose production will be exclusive to a single client, which Bloomberg reports to be Apple.

Equipment installation will commence next month with mass production of panels to start by the end of 2015 after an urgent request for exclusive capacity […]

Apple Inc., a Foxconn customer, has previously tapped suppliers for dedicated access to factories in a bid to avoid shortages that can crimp sales of its iPhones and iPads.

Shortages of the iPhone 6 Plus have been attributed to supply difficulties with the display, so a move to protect future display supplies would be a logical one for Apple, though Apple has mostly sourced its displays to date from Sharp, Japan Display, LG and Samsung.

Foxconn is Apple’s lead supplier for the iPhone, though secondary supplier Pegatron is believed to be playing a larger role than planned in a bid to help Apple keep pace with demand.

It was first suggested last month that Foxconn was hoping to make displays for the iPhone, along with other higher-end components – though this talk focused on China rather than Taiwan.

• iOS Devices
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Tim Cook pays a visit to Zhengzhou iPhone factory during trip to China

Mike Beasley Oct 22 2014 - 6:47 pm PT

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Tim Cook paid a visit to a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, China during a trip across the country. The Apple executive tweeted the photo above with one of the workers assembling an iPhone. Cook will meet with Chinese Apple employees later for a special Q&A session where he will answer questions from workers across the world.

The CEO is also scheduled to meet with the Vice Premier of China following recent reports that the nation’s government was engaging in iCloud phishing attacks.

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• iPhone 6

Unconfirmed reports that Pegatron is making half the 4.7-inch models of the iPhone 6

Ben Lovejoy Aug 14 2014 - 4:38 am PT

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Digitimes is reporting that Pegatron is making half of the 4.7-inch model of the iPhone 6, at least for orders placed in 2014. Citing upstream suppliers (those making components for delivery to the assembly plants), it’s rumored that Apple has asked Pegatron to make 25M of its initial order of 50M phones, with primary supplier Foxconn making the rest – along with all of the 5.5-inch models.

Taiwan’s Commercial Times had originally suggested that Pegatron would be receiving only 15 percent of orders, while DigiTimes said back in May that it was 30 percent – the same source that now says 50 percent. If you’re thinking all this suggests they are simply plucking numbers out of the air, you may well be right.

Either way, we’re expecting Apple to finally unveil the long-awaited iPhone 6 on 9th September. Recent claimed leaked parts have shown tapered edges on the display panel and the power button moved from the top to the side of the phone; a raised camera cutout; and a single, circular True Tone flash.

We’ve heard sketchy rumors about the battery capacity, and the same rumors about NFC we hear every year.

Everything we’ve seen does, though, point to a significantly slimmer and more rounded design.

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Chinese sellers taking iPhone 6 pre-orders two months before anticipated launch

Ben Lovejoy Jul 22 2014 - 4:33 am PT

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It might be two months before the rumored launch date of the iPhone 6, with a working phone yet to be sighted and no clue as to the retail price, but that isn’t stopping sellers taking pre-orders, reports the WSJ.

More than thirty sellers on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace said they can help purchase the upcoming new iPhone 6s from the U.S. and Hong Kong. But there’s one catch: consumers have to pay a deposit ranging from 500 yuan ($80)  to 7,999 yuan ($1288).

One seller even went as far as putting together a laughable mockup of an Apple webpage for the iPhone 6 (the full page can be seen below).

Another seller claimed the price of the unsubsidized 4.7-inch model would start at 5,288 yuan ($851) , with the  5.5-inch version starting at 5,988 yuan ($964), but there is absolutely no reason to think they have any information on Apple’s pricing plans.

Back in the real world, it’s been reported that Apple is looking to produce 70-80M iPhone 6 handsets by the end of the year, with production expected to begin imminently after Foxconn confirmed hiring 100,000 new workers for the project.

Here, for your amusement, is that full hilarious attempt at mocking up the iPhone 6 page on the Apple website (complete with the line that it was ‘made for iOS 7’) …