11/06, 9:50pm
iPhone may have CDMA option next year
An analyst report sent today hints at Apple producing an iPhone that would work with both GSM and CDMA networks. The OTR Global note obtained by AppleInsider claims to know of an iPhone in development with a hybrid Qualcomm chipset that will support the two normally incompatible standards. It would support UMTS-based 3G on carriers like AT&T and would presumably support EVDO-based 3G on Verizon and similar CDMA carriers.
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10/28, 5:50pm
Apple trips may hint major hardware in 2010
Apple engineers are scaling up the number of trips to China to prepare for new products, a rumor indicates this evening. Visits to the Asian manufacturing base are reported by SAI as accelerating and may even include trips during the holidays. The exact nature of the trips isn't mentioned other than that at least one system integration engineer has been one of those making the trips.
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10/27, 8:05am
Apple pushing media deals for tablet
Apple has been actively recruiting media producers in Australia for its rumored upcoming tablet, a claim today maintains. The American company has supposedly been giving publishers of various forms some specifications to gauge their interest in developing content formatted and sold for the device. Little is actually mentioned about the tablet itself by the Sydney Morning Herald sources, though it's described again as larger than an iPhone but meant for the web, e-books and movies.
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10/26, 8:25am
Apple slate seen as impending
Apple's plans to launch a tablet in coming months may have gained credence today through a pair of possible leaks. New York Times executive editor Bill Keller in a speech at Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab last week included the "impending Apple slate" as one of the platforms he hopes to have carry the newspaper's content, alongside desktop, mobile web and iPhone apps. It's unclear if Keller has advance knowledge or is just acting on rumors, although it's been claimed that Apple is negotiating with publishers for content delivery through iTunes in advance of a tablet.
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10/07, 7:30am
Apple may ship 300K tablets to start
Apple's often-rumored tablet could ship early next year in relatively modest numbers, a contact said today. Foxconn has reportedly been picked by Apple to make the device and, contrary to rumors of a June ship date, would ship it in early 2010. About 300,000 to 400,000 units would be part of the initial wave.
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10/02, 11:35am
Flip Video remote a sign of in-home media hub?
A new FCC filing reveals a new RF remote control with Flip Video branding but produced by Foxconn is on its way. Flip Video, known for its small, simple HD cameras such as the Flip Ultra HD, is unlikely to need a remote the size of the device itself for its cameras, so this sighting may indicate a new product for the company, such as a living room or home theater device.
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08/27, 9:45am
Chinese iPhone on Friday?
The announcement of an China Unicom iPhone deal could arrive as soon as Friday, Reuters claims. The agency cites an anonymous analyst, who in turn claims to have learned the information from a direct industry source. Unicom is holding a financial results presentation on Friday, and a carrier spokeswoman confirms that the iPhone will likely come up as a subject of discussion. She has declined to say, however, whether or not a finalized deal will be disclosed.
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08/26, 9:40am
Nokia ARM-based smartbook
Nokia may add a second netbook PC to its lineup besides the upcoming 10-inch Booklet 3G, according to unofficial sources from cellphone makers in Taiwan. They reported on Wednesday that the second netbook will reportedly be based on an ARM processor, like so many of Nokia's smartphones. The Digitimes insiders claimed Nokia may contract Compal or Foxconn to build a device that would fit Qualcomm's "smartbook" label but which would not arrive on store shelves until sometime in the middle of 2010.
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08/03, 4:55pm
Snapdragon
A variety of smartbooks and netbooks integrating ARM-based Snapdragon and Tegra processors are scheduled to ship later this year, according to a DigiTimes report. The devices are being produced by several companies such as Acer, Foxconn, Pegatron, Compal and Inventec.
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07/27, 12:05pm
Foxconn blames dead worker
The Foxconn worker who killed himself in mid-July, Sun Danyong, may not have been wholly innocent, claims the company's general manager for China, James Lee. Interviewed by the New York Times, Lee notes that products went missing several times under Danyong's watch, although they would always return. The disappearance of a fourth-generation iPhone prototype -- immediately preceding Danyong's death -- is said to have raised suspicions. "We don't know who took the product, but it was at his stop," says Lee.
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07/24, 11:35am
Apple to stay with Foxconn
Apple is unlikely to drop Foxconn as a manufacturing partner, in spite of the implications of a worker's suicide, industry sources in Taiwan suggest. The worker, Sun Danyong, jumped off a building on July 16th following an incident involving a missing iPhone prototype. Although Danyong informed his superiors about the missing device, he was treated to a harsh interrogation by Foxconn security, including solitary confinement and a search of his home. It is also alleged that Danyong may have been beaten.
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07/21, 3:15pm
iPhone-related suicide
Apple has confirmed the suicide of a Foxconn employee working in China, according to reports. Foxconn is one of Apple's largest manufacturing partners, responsible for assembling both the iPod and the iPhone. The worker, 25-year-old Sun Danyong, had been assigned to shipping iPhone prototypes to Apple.
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07/15, 2:10pm
China iPhone details
As Apple continues to negotiation with China Unicom, an anonymous source has told NetEase that Foxconn is already mass producing a special version of the iPhone 3G for use on Chinese networks. The device is allegedly code-named "90" by the supplier, while the standard 3G model is known as "82" and the new 3GS handset is named "88."
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07/13, 4:55pm
Dell Android phone in fall
A Collins Stewart analyst believes Dell's rumored Android powered mobile device will be a cellphone after all and be launched in limited numbers via China Unicom. Ashok Kumar said he checked with electronics manufacturer Foxconn, which is said to be the contracted builder for the device. Kumar said other Chinese carriers passed on the Dell devices, which will reportedly run on ARM's Marvell processor.
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07/13, 8:05am
Apple Touch Netbook Oct
Rumors of a touchscreen Apple netbook gained fuel on Monday with a claim by China's InfoTimes that supposedly confirms launch details. Backing earlier claims, the site says the system will use a 9.7-inch touchscreen supplied by Wintek and is due to ship in October. Apple is expected to avoid competing directly with regular, sub-$500 netbooks and may use the touchscreen and other features to bring the price closer to $800, much like the Sony VAIO P.
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07/01, 8:05am
Foxconn Silent on Slim PS3
Foxconn today tried to deflect rumors that it was building the slim PS3. Following a newspaper's claim yesterday that the new Sony console was to be shipped by Foxconn for next month, the assembly firm has filed an official stance with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that turns down commentary on the rumor, citing "customer confidentiality." Pegatron, which has been rumored to share responsibilities for making the new system, hasn't formally responded to the apparent leak.
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06/30, 2:50pm
Slim PS3 May Ship in July
Sony's slim PS3 may start shipping as early as next month if a claim from China's UDN. It points to the smaller, redesigned model being made by Foxconn (Hon Hai) with expectations that Sony would receive it in July. The publication doesn't say when Sony would start selling the system in earnest, but recent credible rumors have the updated model surfacing just weeks after this newest shipment takes place.
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06/12, 7:45am
Palm Eos on ice?
Palm's budget Eos smartphone is rumored today to be on hold due to worries over Pre sales. The Centro replacement, nicknamed "Pixie," is said by contacts in Asia to still be under development but that its actual launch is frozen until Palm has "better visibility" of how well the Pre and other existing phones are selling. Leaks have suggested the Eos would ship in the fall and thus have the delay coming a few months before launch.
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06/03, 3:55pm
MSI outs Ion-based WindBOX
At the Computex show currently taking place in Taiwan, MSI has shown off its WindBOX nettop PC powered by NVIDIA's Ion chipset. The computer's presence at the show indicates MSI is the latest to jump on the NVIDIA Ion bandwagon, with Acer and Lenovo confirmed to be releasing Ion-based PCs, with ASUS, Foxconn, Pegatron and, most recently, Dell and HP, rumored to be releasing their own as well.
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06/02, 1:50pm
NVIDIA Ion HPs, Dells due
Computer makers HP and Dell will both launch netbooks and all-in-one desktop PCs running on NVIDIA's Ion platform sometime between the start of July and the end of September, says a Tuesday Digitimes report. The unnamed industry sources claim the two manufacturers will join ASUS, Foxconn, Lenovo and Pegatron in providing Ion-based computers, all of which have been linked earlier to the hybrid graphics and system chipset. Models and their features aren't mentioned in the slip.
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05/21, 5:15pm
Apple in Taiwan labor row
Apple has become the focus of a conflict over worker rights in Taiwan, local reporters say. Labor groups today carried banners and microphones outside of Apple's Taipei office, hoping to put indirect pressure on Wintek, a major supplier of flat-panel displays. The latter is accused of firing over 600 workers in December without warning, moreover cutting salaries, and forcing some of its people to work unpaid overtime in order to fulfill rush orders.
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05/20, 9:55am
Foxconn iPhone apps
Members of Foxconn Electronics' research and development team are working on iPhone applications, claim industry sources from Taiwan. Foxconn is itself based in Taiwan, and known to be the primary manufacturer behind the iPhone 3G. The apps are believed to be written in one or more forms Chinese, with the specific intent of promoting the iPhone in China.
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05/12, 9:55am
Next iPhone a 'repeat?'
The next-generation iPhone will have few substantial changes, a Chinese source claims. The individual explains that through a friend at Foxconn -- the manufacturer of the current iPhone 3G -- he has managed to test prototypes of the future device, whose changes are mostly internal. The CPU is allegedly being upgraded from a 400MHz Samsung ARM chip to a 600MHz model, at the same time as RAM is being doubled to 256MB.
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04/20, 7:40am
Foxconn Wants Mac Netbook
Foxconn is hoping to land an order for an Apple device which is now described as a netbook, Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper says. The company is already one of Apple's key manufacturers for MacBooks but is seen as "in the running" among other competing firms to build the new, smaller portable. Details of when the order would ship, or the system itself, aren't included with the claimed leak.
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04/09, 2:45pm
Foxconn hires e-book staff
Foxconn Electronics, the manufacturer of Amazon's Kindle e-book reader lines, may be planning to develop its own e-book reader. According to a Thursday DigiTimes report pointing to industry sources, Foxconn has recently hired a few software technicians with e-book programming experience. Foxconn has not responded to inquiries regarding the report.
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03/24, 7:40am
Dell Says Phone on Time
Dell's namesake founder Michael Dell has reportedly told industry members in Taiwan that his company has already been working on not one but multiple smartphones. Speaking as part of a private visit to Taipei, the CEO said the devices are "on schedule" but didn't say when this would be. Those at local cellphone makers speculate that any phones are most likely to use Windows Mobile but that Google Android is also a possibility.
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02/27, 4:20pm
Nokia Netbook Leak
Notebook builders in the Taiwan area have reportedly said on Friday that Nokia is in the early stages of assembling partners for a possible entry into netbooks. The Finnish company is believed to be considering either Compal or Foxconn, both well-known contractors for notebooks, as likely manufacturing partners; it's also still debating whether it should use Intel's familiar Atom processor for the computer or else use the ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon, which would have 1080p video support that Atom currently lacks.
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01/30, 2:00pm
Apple Cutting iMac Stock
Apple is reducing shipments of iMacs in what's likely a move to clear inventory ahead of an update, alleged sources tell AppleInsider. The contacts claim that Apple has notified third parties that the bulk of the line will see "limited availability" in the next few weeks and that the 3.06GHz model is likely to be entirely unavailable, both characteristic signs Apple has given in the past that it's clearing inventory to make room for newer models.
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01/21, 9:35am
Dell Adamo Foxconn Rumor
Dell's ultra-thin Adamo notebook may not be available until the second half of the year, a leak from alleged sources of Digitimes says. The ultraportable is purportedly already in sample production by well-known Chinese manufacturer Foxconn but won't enter volume production until the second half of 2009, when about 400,000 of the systems should be made.
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12/29, 2:50pm
New iMac contracts
Contrary to a previous report suggesting that Quanta Computer would manufacture the new iMacs, Economic Daily News now claims that Foxconn Electronics will build the devices. The paper anticipates shipments of 800,000 units per month, a figure that remains unchanged from the earlier speculation. Foxconn Precision Components (FPC) is allegedly working with Catcher Technology to produce the magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis, while the cooling components will come from FPC and Auras Technology.
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11/10, 11:25am
Apple, ASUS cut notebooks
Both Apple and ASUS have dramtically cut their notebook production going into the fourth quarter of the year, says the Commercial Times. The Chinese-language paper reports that the companies have slashed outsourcing by 20 to 30 percent, affecting Quanta Computer -- a Taiwanese company thought the be the main builder of unibody MacBooks -- and Pegatron Technology, which handles production for ASUS. ASUS has suggested that its fourth-quarter shipments will be limited to 1.7 million notebooks, preventing it from reaching its 2008 goal of 6 million.
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08/26, 3:20pm
More 3G iPhones than 2.5G?
The number of iPhone 3Gs on the market is near or already past all of the original 2.5G iPhones Apple ever produced, a report claims. The article notes that it took Apple approximately a year to ship six million 2.5G phones, despite heavy promotion and availability in six countries. Anonymous sources now claim that Foxconn, the main assembler for 3G iPhones, is continuing to build some 800,000 units per week, and has been ramping up production. Apple could thus reach the six million mark within the next week, judging by lifetime shipping numbers.
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06/13, 5:05am
3G iPhone proximity sensor
In April, specifications were allegedly leaked from Hon Hai/Foxconn offering users a glimpse of the then-unreleased 3G iPhone, showing a third sensor, which has now been confirmed. iLounge writes that the 3G iPhone features an ambient light sensor, as with the previous model, but also two proximity sensors, which sources indicate is to improve face-detection functionality. The original device reportedly had issues dimming the screen when a phone call was answered using the handset.
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04/28, 9:10am
3M 3G iPhones in June?
The 3G iPhone is not only coming in June, but its early production numbers are already known, a Taiwanese newspaper claims. Industry publication Commercial Times is citing institutional investors, who say that Foxconn has landed a contract to begin assembling new iPhones for shipment in June. While this echoes earlier reports from March, CT says it has also obtained information from component suppliers, who have been told by Apple that the should begin preparing material supplies by the end of May.
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03/28, 12:45pm
Foxconn for 3G iPhone
Apple has decided on the long-term manufacturer for a new version of the iPhone, according to claims made today by stock market owners Dow Jones. The company's newswire agency said it had confirmed reports by Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper that Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, had been selected by Apple to produce a "more advanced" iteration of the cellphone. The contract will be exclusive, according to the anonymous Foxconn official cited as an authority, though the manufacturing of individual parts is expected to be the responsibility of partner firms.
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