02/14, 12:00am
Fair Labor Association will inspect facilities
Pegatron, a Taiwan-based manufacturer that helps makes Apple's iPhones as well as numerous electronics for other companies, said it had not been informed of any pending inspections of factory work conditions prior to announcements from Apple and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) that it would audit Pegatron and Quanta Computer this spring. The statement by Apple also confirmed that FLA inspections have already begun for its principle supplier Foxconn.
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02/13, 9:55am
Apple volunteers for wide audits of factories
Apple on Monday took the step of asking the Fair Labor Association to orchestrate "special voluntary audits" of its last-stage suppliers. The investigations, which include Foxconn plants in Chengdu and Shenzhen, began the same day. They include both interviews with "thousands" of workers over conditions as well as inspections and document reviews.
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02/09, 4:55pm
New York City action gets high publiclity
As promised, activists representing Change.org and SumOfUs delivered petitions to Apple Stores in New York City, Washington, San Francisco, London, Sydney and Bangalore on Thursday, according to AdAge. About 199,000 Change.org signatures were recorded, with another 57,000 from SumOfUs. In both cases, the groups are asking for Apple to come up with a way of reducing worker exploitation at Chinese suppliers like Foxconn.
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02/08, 1:25pm
Chinese supplier standards at stake
Over 250,000 signatures from petitions on Change.org and SumOfUs.org will be delivered to New York City's Grand Central Apple Store on Thursday morning, according to an announcement. The effort is part of a campaign to push Apple to develop a "worker protection strategy," in light of stories of poor labor conditions at Chinese Apple suppliers like Foxconn. Employees are known to often work extreme amount of overtime for little pay, sometimes in dangerous conditions.
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02/06, 12:05pm
Company uses 'men as machines,' person complains
Foxconn treats "men as machines," according to a worker newly interviewed by CNN. The woman is identified an 18-year-old student from a village near the southern city of Chongqing, using the pseudonym "Chen" because she says Foxconn tells workers not to talk to reporters or else "criminal liability shall be investigated according to law." Because she was a college student with no work experience, Chen says she was eager to take a one-month position at Foxconn during the Spring Festival, having been promised things like good benefits and little overtime.
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01/31, 2:20pm
Five factories in works for Brazil
(Updated with denial of Brazilian plans) Foxconn is planning to build five extra factories in Brazil, according to São Paulo's Secretary of Planning and Development of the State, Julio Semeghini. Each is expected to be manned by about 1,000 workers, and produce iPads, notebooks, and general electronics. The actual locations of the factories have yet to be decided, although São Paulo is claimed to be campaigning heavily.
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01/31, 1:30am
Speculation on metal body for 2012 model
Higher-than-expected sales of the iPhone 4S along with rumors of an all-metal body for the next iPhone has sent shares of Foxconn Technology Company to their highest level in more than five months on the Taipei stock exchange, BusinessWeek reports. Although the company makes nearly 50 percent of all the world's high-tech electronics, its fortunes are closely tied to the status of its best-known customer, Apple. The stock closed the day at NT$101.50 (approximately $3.44 US) a rise of about six percent.
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01/29, 5:15am
BSR partly corrects look into Apple supply chain
Corporate responsibility consultant firm Businesses for Social Responsibility (BSR) has published an open letter partly correcting the New York Times on its investigation of Foxconn factories. CEO Aron Cramer didn't object to the core of the article, which highlighted the problems Apple and others would have in improving supply chain work conditions, but did object to how it portrayed BSR. A BSR consultant was quoted several times but wasn't representing the whole company when he did, Cramer said.
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01/27, 11:00pm
Chinese posts say NYT singling Apple out unfairly
An AppleInsider report by Daniel Dilger provides some illuminating insight on the recent New York Times article criticizing Apple and Foxconn and the labor practices they and the rest of the electronics industry pursue to keep innovation high and prices low. The newspaper recently reprinted its report in China, soliciting comments for use in the US. What it got -- and subsequently buried -- was charges of its own bias from Chinese workers and management.
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01/27, 9:35am
Claims company won't turn 'blind eye'
Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent out a long letter to workers in an attempt to respond to complaints about poor conditions at supplier factories, according to 9to5Mac. "As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values," the letter begins. "Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are.
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01/25, 11:30pm
Apple has internal clash over China factories
Apple has faced both internal tension over as well as misleading statements from its Chinese suppliers, an in-depth investigation has uncovered. Focusing primarily on Foxconn, the New York Times spoke to numerous current and former Apple executives who said that, while there were improvements in the years since Apple began auditing factories, the company has so far stopped short of a hardline approach that would get a supplier like Foxconn to change.
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01/25, 8:30pm
Incentive specifically crafted around tablets
Brazil's government has approved special tax breaks for tablet makers that seem specifically crafted to allow Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn to gear up iPad production in the country, AppleInsider reports. The incentive was seen as the last obstacle in negotiations between Foxconn and the Brazilian government, the delay of which had postponed iPad production that was supposed to start in July. The facility is expected to go into operation almost immediately.
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01/25, 1:00pm
Several sample devices in circulation
An iPhone 5 is being prepared for production, claims a source at Apple's main Chinese manufacturing partner, Foxconn. The person adds that several non-final sample devices are currently in circulation, each varying slightly. All of them, though, are said to be longer and wider than the iPhone 4S, use a 4-inch display, and have neither the 4S form factor nor the teardrop shape sometimes rumored prior to the 4S' launch. The source is said to be one of those who said an iPhone 5 wouldn't happen last fall.
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01/21, 5:35pm
Apple story shows China flexibility over US
Newly uncovered details behind Apple's original iPhone launch have underscored the reasons why manufacturing jobs aren't likely to return to the US in large numbers. Referring to Apple's well-known decision to switch from plastic to glass for the original iPhone's touchscreen, the New York Times understood that Jobs was furious the iPhone couldn't be put in a pocket with keys and avoid display scratches. The only way to get scratch-resistant glass in a timely way was to go to Foxconn's plants in Shenzhen, where Apple from a sudden midnight notice could have them producing 10,000 units a day with the updated model inside of 96 hours.
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01/12, 10:35am
Multi-Fineline Electronix posts high Dec. sales
The performance of Apple suppliers is pointing toward a strong December quarter for the company, analysts indicate. UBS analyst Maynard Um uses the example of Multi-Fineline Electronix, which helps supply flexible printed circuit boards for products like the iPhone and iPad. MFE has posted preliminary net sales of $239 million for the quarter, exceeding a $215 million consensus forecast.
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01/12, 6:55am
Microsoft and Foxconn issue statements
Microsoft and Foxconn have announced that they have resolved the dispute with Foxconn employees, who threatened to suicide en masse. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft was quick to point out that the dispute was over "staffing assignments and transfer policies, not working conditions" at the Xbox production line in Wuhan. Foxconn separately added that about 150 workers had engaged in the dispute after being told that they were being transferred to another business unit in the facility.
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01/11, 9:35am
Sources back minimal cosmetic differences
Two manufacturers in the Apple supply chain, Foxconn and Pegatron, have been asked to start assembling next-generation iPads for launch in early March, says Macotakara. The Japanese site claims to have learned the information from Chinese sources, who add that the hardware should look almost identical to the iPad 2. This includes button arrangements, the dock connector, and the positioning of the front- and rear-facing cameras.
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01/10, 9:10am
Asian manufacturers split Apple responsibilities
Apple is switching up its outsourcing strategy, according to upstream supply chain sources cited by Digitimes. Under the new arrangement, Pegatron is expected to concentrate mainly on iPad production with the iPhone serving as an "auxiliary" in 2013. On the flipside of the coin, Foxconn will reportedly focus on the iPhone, with the iPad serving as secondary output.
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12/28, 12:55pm
Nearly 8,000 Chinese LG workers go on strike
Workers at an LG factory in China have gone on strike, accusing it of granting higher year-end bonuses to South Korean staff compared to local workers. About 8,000 workers joined the strike and some production has been suspended, the BBC said. A spokesperson said the LG factory and the Nanjing city government has entered into negotiations with workers to reach an agreement and expects to resolve it soon.
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12/28, 10:45am
Set may be finalized by end of Q2 2012
Three more companies could be potential suppliers for the Apple TV set, say DigiTimes sources. These include Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Siliconware Precision Industries, and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Sharp and Samsung were recently reported as producing LCDs and chips, respectively.
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12/23, 12:10pm
Catcher overtime may be iPad 3 clue
A combination of statements and rumors on Friday has hinted that Apple might be pulling out stops to get the iPad 3 released as soon as possible in 2012. With rumors circulating from Taiwan's Economic Daily News that the iPad 3 was being targeted for a wide window between mid-February and late March, Catcher mentioned that some staff would have to work overtime during the Lunar New Year holiday in and around January 23. Informal sources also had other key iPad suppliers trimming back, with Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) limiting vacations to five days, battery designer Simplo, camera lens maker Genius, and connection builder Amer all having some staff work through the break.
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12/18, 11:00pm
Pegatron plant sees blast shortly before opening
Apple's iPad production may have seen an at least temporary setback after reports late Sunday of an explosion at a yet-to-open plant from Pegatron subsidiary Riteng in Shanghai. The blast on the fourth floor on Saturday injured between 57 and 61, depending on conflicting claims. There hadn't been a fire, but some equipment had been damaged.
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12/16, 6:40pm
Foxconn, NVIDIA announce joint venture in China
Foxconn Electronics and NVIDIA have teamed up on a new research and development center in Tianjin City in northern China, Digitimes revealed on Friday. It will focus on smartphones and tablets along with cloud computing. Foxconn chairman Terry Guo and NVIDIA CEO Huang Jen-hsun were at the signing ceremony, but didn't reveal financials or other details on the joint venture.
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12/12, 12:15am
iPad 3 to ship in high numbers early on
New part supplier rumors have the suggested the iPad 3 won't launch early. They claimed to Digitimes late Sunday that the new Apple tablet would arrive in the "next 3-4 months," or between March and April like they have in the iPad's short two-year history. Foxconn would start production in January with full-scale supply in February, Citibank analyst Kevin Chang has added, citing his own unconfirmed supplier checks.
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11/24, 11:05pm
iPhone 8GB from Brazil appears
A sighting late Thursday showed what should be the production for Apple from Foxconn's Brazilian factory. A white 8GB iPhone 4 at MacMagazine is identical to the China-produced model with the exception of "Industria Brasiliera" (Brazilian Industry) on the back as well as approval from ANATEL, the country's telecom regulator. While at first appearing to be a mockup, the running device shows an MD198BR model, hinting through the suffix that it's localized.
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11/24, 8:55am
Shenzhen tech firms call for labor rights
China Labor Watch reported Thursday that 1,000 workers at a Jingyuan Computer Group plant in Shenzhen briefly went on strike over tough conditions. The staff at the southern China plant, who make keyboards, hard drives, displays, and wireless cameras for companies like Apple and IBM, have complained of working 100 to 120 hours of overtime each per month. They also cite being berated by supervisors, high injury rates, and frequent layoffs for older workers.
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11/23, 1:30am
Reveals plan to expand beyond manufacturing
Foxconn Group, best known for their assembly and manufacturing factories in China, is planning two new buildings on a site of 1.85 hectares (4.57 acres) in Taiwan that will see the company expand into cloud computing and software development, either for itself or on behalf of its clients, DigiTimes reports. The company plans to invest more than $63 million in constructing the site, which will eventually employ 3,000 software engineers.
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11/21, 12:35am
Kindle Fire 8.9 may be made to avoid iPad sizing
Amazon's rumored 8.9-inch Kindle Fire has been given a narrower release window and possible deliberate attempt to compete outside of Apple's space through a new claim early Monday. Although a 10.1-inch version of the Android tablet is still considered an option, only an 8.9-inch model has been picked and would ship near the end of the spring, Digitimes heard. LG Display and Samsung were pitching 8.9-inch panels to start, but the real goal was evade competition with "9.7-10.1-inch products," or the iPad and Android tablets from HTC, Samsung, and other majors.
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11/17, 11:10pm
Three LCD makers said shipping 3m iPad 3 screens
Apple's iPad 3 screen plans have already seen it take millions of the displays, according to claims from the part chain made late Thursday. LG, Samsung, and new partner Sharp reportedly shipped one million of the new screens in October, with two million due to have reached assembly plants by the end of November. TPK and Wintek, which primarily make touchscreen layers, may be shipping a million units combined each month, starting as soon as this week but no later than December.
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11/09, 7:45am
Apple may cut iOS devices in seasonal shift
Apple is cutting back shipments for iPhone and iPad production in the fall, insiders claimed Wednesday. Taiwan's Commercial Times believed Apple was telling part suppliers for the iPhone 4S to move shipments from the fall to early 2012, as sales allegedly weren't as strong as in the pre-order phase and may have been affected by shortages of "key components." Assemblers, case makers, camera lens producers, and chip developers were also supposedly expecting shipments to drop, in some cases by 10 to 15 percent.
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10/31, 1:45pm
Foxconn reports third-quarter loss of profit
Hon Hai Precision Industry, the parent company of Foxconn and the largest contract maker of electronics, has just posted its fourth consecutive drop in profits. Foxconn manufactures multiple electronics devices for companies like Apple, Amazon, Dell, HP, Sony, and numerous others. Third-quarter net income dropped 8.6 percent to $641 million, the company revealed, which is a decrease from the $701 million in the same time period in the previous year.
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10/19, 10:40pm
Foxconn may not focus solely on iPads in Brazil
Foxconn's Brazilian iPad manufacturing might also include a general touchscreen panel line. Inside rumors late Wednesday from Digitimes had it establishing a supply chain which, combined with the iPad plant, would crest a value of $12 billion. It might not necessarily be located at the iPad-oriented factory in Jundiai as China-based Foxconn was hunting for tax breaks in different parts of the country, the tips said.
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10/19, 7:45am
Foxconn set to land Kindle Fire sequel production
Foxconn is said to have received the orders to build Amazon’s next-generation Kindle Fire tablet. Currently, Quanta is responsible for manufacturing the 7-inch Kindle Fire on sale now. According to Digitimes with the iPad 2, and Sony’s Tablet S on its books, the addition of the second-gen Kindle Fire will give Foxconn 80 percent of the global tablet market production.
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10/12, 1:55am
Pegatron said getting more orders for iPhone 4S
Concerns that Pegatron might have lost iPhone orders due to demand might have been premature, Taiwan's Commercial Times claimed Wednesday. The contract maker at one point had been said making just 10 million across its entire production run but was now once again slated to make 15 million. About two million to 2.5 million of those would be made in the fall.
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10/07, 9:25am
iPhones, iPads getting brunt of supplier focus
iPods are expected to account for only 7 percent of Apple's 2011 revenue, sources with Taiwanese component suppliers claim. The amount is small enough that firms in the iPod supply chain are allegedly shifting focus away to iPhones and iPads. Current orders for iPod parts are described as being "much weaker" than in past years.
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10/06, 7:55am
Acer and Foxconn say goodbye to Jobs
Taiwan's technology industry gave its own tributes to the late Steve Jobs Thursday morning. Acer, one of his most frequent competitors, called him a "very innovative and visionary leader" who had impacted technology for at least the past decade. The PC builder, which created the Iconia Tab because of Apple and the iPad, was saddened and saw his death as a loss for the industry and the public.
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10/02, 12:50am
Leak shows N90A iPhone 4 made in Brazil
Apple's mystery N90A iPhone 4, its budget model, has been spotted after an inside look at Foxconn's new Brazilian factory. The look by a Gizmodo insider showed front panels for a device that looks just like the the existing model. As shown in a quality assurance sheet, the samples were part of a defective batch that was hurt by lensing issues, possibly either for the camera section or in the process of making the panel itself.
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09/29, 11:25pm
Amazon 10in Kindle Fire taken on by Foxconn early
Amazon's 10-inch version of the Kindle Fire could already be shipping from factories in late 2011 if supply chain reports from late Thursday are correct. Foxconn is purportedly taking on production of the larger model before the end of the year for "holiday-season demand," Digitimes said. It's unclear exactly when the tablet would go on sale.
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09/29, 12:05pm
Brazilian firms lack ability to finance project
Brazil's national development bank, BNDES, could withdraw support for Foxconn's efforts to start iPad production in the country, reports say. Contrary to earlier reports Foxconn has yet to actually begin production in Brazil, although the country's president, Dilma Rousseff, has previously suggested that tablets could roll off the assembly line by the end of the year. Talks are stalling, a local publication claims.
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09/27, 4:40pm
iPhone 5 design possibly slipped by Foxconn staff
The glut of iPhone 5 cases with a similar design may have come from yet another backroom deal for a prototype. A rumor passed along to MIC Gadget alleged that a chassis had been "lost," or more likely sold off through a bribe, near Foxconn's factory in the Futian district of Shenzhen. One case manufacturer allegedly paid the equivalent of $3,124 to get access and, before long, led to many others in the area having access to the same information.
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09/27, 9:35am
Extends safety concerns about company's plants
Another fire has hit a Foxconn factory, this time in China's Shandong province, reports say. There are no accounts of injuries, and Foxconn reports that the fire has already been extinguished. The manufacturer suggests that the fire was probably caused by abandoned pipelines left on top of the building.
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09/26, 10:35pm
China may see shakeup from wage and power issues
Chinese electronics suppliers may be facing an upheaval across multiple fronts. Part makers claimed that China's mandatory minimum wage hike on January 1 will create a "severe crisis"for the smaller outlets. Many of these have been operating on very thin margins and, combined with lowered sales, might have to declare bankruptcy, Digitimes said. Orders might end up consolidating at heavyweights such as Compal, Quanta, and Wistron.
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09/14, 11:00am
Production leaves China for first time
Brazil's minister of science and technology, Aloizio Mercadante, has announced that a new Foxconn factory in Jundiaí is complete and already producing iPads, reports note. The information was revealed at a hearing of the country's Commission of Economic Affairs. Although production is currently in progress, Brazilian-made iPads are not expected to ship until December.
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09/13, 5:10pm
Apple orders may have lowered temporarily
Foxconn's non-consolidated revenues dropped 6.55 percent sequentially in August, amounting to about $7.39 billion US, the Asian manufacturer has announced. The company explains that while shipments of computers and communications devices remained unchanged from July, consumer electronics fell below original expectations. Industry observers contacted by Digitimes suggest that the dip may be linked to lower shipments of the iPhone 4 ahead of a new iPhone model.
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09/12, 11:15am
Sources hint at RAM, display identical to iPhone 4
The only next-generation iPhone in production is a mild upgrade known as model N94, sometimes nicknamed the iPhone 4S, says Concord Securites' Ming-Chi Kuo. Based on sources, the analyst suggests that there are no signs of a redesigned iPhone 5 in Apple's supply chain. He moreover claims that the new phone will continue to use 512MB of RAM and a 3.5-inch display, despite repeated reports of a larger LCD measuring at least 3.7 inches. Kuo adds that the camera module's height should be almost the same as the iPhone 4's; Sony alleged started shipping sensors to Apple manufacturers in July, and help from OmniVision is expected to come in September or October.
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09/07, 10:40pm
ƒoxconn iPhone 5 production gets up to speed
Apple's iPhone 5 production is now approaching full steam, the supply chain found late Wednesday. Foxconn, Apple's key iPhone builder, is now believed to be making 150,000 of the new model per day. Manufacturing is believed brisk enough that Apple will ship out five million to six million iPhone 5s in September and 22 million for the fall.
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09/05, 12:10pm
iPhone 5 production ratios, camera tech uncovered
Two simultaneous discoveries have helped outlined the since-started production of the iPhone 5. Chinese tipsters said Monday that Apple contract partners Foxconn and Pegatron were manufacturing the devices without firmware. The step seen by MacOtakara wouldn't be surprising given the OS' uncompleted state but will leave Apple with a relatively short interval between having a finished OS and when it can ship.
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08/26, 9:40am
New CEO long familiar with manufacturing business
Sources with Apple's major suppliers -- including Quanta and Foxconn -- are not worried that Steve Jobs' resignation will affect orders, according to Digitimes. The sources remark that Apple's new CEO, former COO Tim Cook, was already responsible for handling the company's manufacturing dealings. The only real worry is the loss of brand recognition, and the potential impact on innovation unless Apple can find someone like its former icon, the sources say.
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08/25, 10:10am
Foxconn issues brief statement on Jobs' departure
Steve Jobs was in Apple offices for a complete work day on the day of his resignation as CEO, according to a person described as "close" to the executive. Jobs is in fact said to have attended a regular board meeting, in spite of being in a "weak" condition and having been housebound for several weeks. The resignation is not a sign of a sudden plummet in Jobs' health, the anonymous source claims. A separate source alleges that Jobs had an emotional meeting with his executive staff after talking to the board, whom me told he intends to be an active chairman.
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08/04, 5:45pm
iPhone 5 proximity sensor turns up at importer
Phone part importer SW-Box added to rumors Thursday after visitors found an iPhone 5 Proximity Light Sensor Flex Cable in its catalog. The design of the face-detecting component appears closely related to that of the iPhone 4 but, along with subtler reworkings, doesn't have the current model's microphone. While slight, the change if real would prove that the new model is at least a partial redesign.
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