Foxconn wins Apple's notebook contract

Apple has partnered with Foxconn Electronics, the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry, to produce Mac notebooks, according to a new report. Following rumors that the the company has already landed a contract to produce 12 million iPhones, Foxconn is expected to ship a total of 3.2 million notebooks in 2007, after landing new deals with both Lenova and Apple, according to the Taiwan-based Topology Research Institute (TRI). The company also ready makes notebooks for Sony and is expected to ship the Sony the same number of units as in 2006, or about 1.2 million. TRI said Foxconn will start shipping notebooks to Apple in 2007, with the total volume expected at 1.5 million units--about three times the 500,000 units Foxconn is expected to ship to Lenovo (up 40 percent from 2006). Foxconn earlier this year accused of unfair labor practices in its iPod manufacturing facilities, but Apple found no major labor violations, but said that its manufacturing partner had violated its Supplier Code of Conduct and received promises from its manufacturing partner that it would improve conditions.

Filed under: Apple