Items tagged with Hon Hai Precision
Foxconn is one of the biggest manufacturers of Apple's iPhone handsets, along with electronic gadgets and gizmos from various other well known companies, and for now, all those devices still require a human element. However, that might not always be the case as Foxconn dives deeper in robotics. What you may not realize is that Foxconn has been developing robotics technology for over a decade. The company's efforts have mostly flown under the radar, though it gained attention when its Japanese partner SoftBank trotted out a humanoid service robot called Pepper. That was in 2014. Foxconn's robots are, appropriately enough, called Foxbots. They don't resemble humans even though they're replacing...
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It's no secret that companies like to outsource production to overseas markets where labor is cheap and labor laws are often lax, to put it nicely. That isn't about to change, though it's nice to see companies move at least some of their manufacturing operations to U.S. soil, such as Motorola did when it started building Moto X devices in the state of Texas. Motorola isn't the only one looking stateside. Apple in November of last year announced plans to build a manufacturing facility in Arizona that it expects to create some 2,000 jobs, and now we've learned that Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) is thinking about opening up a plant in the U.S. as well. Foxconn chairman Terry Gou told reporters at...
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Hon Hai Precision, the parent company to Foxconn, has sold a portion of its patent portfolio to Google. The patents Google now owns have to do with superimposing virtual images onto photos, a technology that's used in Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). There are many applications for HMDs, including aviation, engineering, and even gaming. Financial and/or other terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor has it been revealed what Google will use these new patents for. It could be that Google is looking to protect itself from possible lawsuits arising from its Glass platform, though more likely it will integrate technology into Glass based on its newly acquired patents. Glass is Google's attempt at mass...
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If you thought the mobile wars were interesting now, just wait until Mozilla enters the fray with its Firefox operating system. Firefox, as you know, enjoys a rather large following in the browser market, and though the smartphone and tablet categories are both dominated by Android and iOS (in that order), Mozilla may have what it takes to make it a legitimate three-way race (yes, Windows Phone/Windows 8 and BlackBerry are contenders too, but it's Android and iOS that are found on 9 out of 10 smartphone devices). Mozilla may also get a bit of help from Hon Hai Precision. Foxconn's parent company is said to be working with Mozilla to launch a mobile device that runs on Firefox. Details are almost...
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It's been awhile since we've heard about worker suicides taking place at Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) and we hoped it would stay that way. Unfortunately, it appears that three more individuals may have decided to end their lives, something that has been an ongoing problem at Foxconn amid reports of poor working conditions. These are three separate incidents that occurred within the past four weeks, according to PCWorld. The first occured on April 27 when a worker employed at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou fell to his death. It happened again at the same plant on May 14. In between those two incidents, a worker at Foxconn's Chongqing facility was found dead on May 11. Police are investigating...
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After a freeze in hiring was instituted in February, Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) has reportedly begun expanding its workforce at a factory in Zhengzhou, China. It's believed Foxconn is bringing in new employees to fulfill the inevitable demand for Apple's next iPhone, rumors of which have been swirling for several months now. Citing a "person familiar with the plans," Bloomberg reports the boost in capacity is at the request of Apple. The additional workers will piece together whatever new model Apple has on tap, as well as assist in building existing iPhone devices such as the iPhone 5. With the recent additions, Foxconn is now home to between 250,000 to 300,000 workers, and while it's not clear...
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Given all the rumors, it almost seems a foregone conclusion that Apple will at some point launch its own brand television set. It was the same situation with the iPad; rumors persisted for what seemed like an eternity before it became a reality, and now it appears an Apple TV is imminent. In fact, a news outlet in Taipei claims that Apple's manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn) has already begun testing different Apple brand TVs. An anonymous source at Foxconn describes the testing as an "initial phase," adding that shipments aren't likely to occur anytime soon, and perhaps not even in 2013. That's a bit disappointing, given how long the rumor of an Apple brand TV has been floating...
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Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) may have finally figured out a solution to all those pesky accusations of poor working conditions that keep popping up in headlines -- robots! The human condition being what it is, workers comprised of blood and guts tend to gripe and moan when employers saddle them with low wages, long hours, tedious tasks, and other things that, collectively, drive some to view suicide as a superior alternative. Fine, have it your way. In the face of (reasonable) complaints, Foxconn president Terry Gou last year said he hoped to replace 1 million living and breathing workers with cold, mechanical robots. Apparently he really meant it. According to a translated article from Chinese...
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This one's probably a long-shot, but apparently Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is thinking about branching out and building manufacturing facilities in the United States. Two potential destinations reportedly being evaluated include Detroit, Michigan and Los Angeles, California. Foxconn is a major manufacturer of electronics devices that are shipped and sold in the U.S. and other parts of the world. It's the leading producer of Apple products and also has contracts with companies like Dell, Sony, and Microsoft, to name just a few tech heavyweights. Setting up manufacturing plants in the U.S. would be no easy task, and according to the un-named "market watchers" squawking to DigiTimes about...
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Apple's iPhone 5 is a gorgeous looking smartphone, there's just no two ways about it. From its thin and light profile to its crystalline diamond-cut chamfers surrounding the 4-inch display, there's a high level of precision required to build the iPhone 5, and apparently that's making it difficult for Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn) to keep up with demand. In fact, Hon Hai Precision Chairman Terry Gou told reporters that his company is shipping "far fewer" iPhone 5 models than Apple requested due to quality control issues, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to Gou, it ultimately comes down the iPhone 5's design that's causing production difficulties, though he stopped short of specifying exactly...
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The last thing Foxconn needs right now is more negative publicity over working conditions at its factories in China, but it seems the iPhone manufacturer just can't seem to help itself. Foxconn's self-inflicted black eye this time around comes from fessing up that it hired underage interns at one of its facilities, some of which were found to be as young as 14 years old. According to a report in USA Today, Foxconn claims it was made aware of the underage interns via a company investigation at a factory in Yantai. China's minimum legal working age is 16, and those found to be younger than that were sent back to their schools, Foxconn said. The electronics manufacturer also apologized for the oversight,...
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Riots involving thousands of disgruntled workers have erupted at one of Foxconn's plants in China. Foxconn builds and supplies Apple's iPhone devices, including the new iPhone 5, as well as various other electronics for companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and other well known companies. "The plant is closed today for investigation," a Foxconn spokesman told Reuters in a statement. It's being reported that the plant could stay closed for up to several days. If so, it would come at a time when Apple's newest smartphone is on pace to become the best selling iPhone (and smartphone) of all time. However, strife between workers and management at Foxconn (otherwise known as Hon Hai Precision)...
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Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn, from here on out) chairman, Terry Gou, is proving to be a shrewd negotiator, as Sharp is finding out. Sharp, which is saddled with debt and reportedly falling behind schedule producing displays for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 device, is in talks with Foxconn to sell the Taiwanese firm a 9.9 percent stake in the company, but Gou will only agree to the partnership if he's given a management role with Sharp. Gou was scheduled to meet with Sharp executives during a trip to Japan last week, but left the country without notice. It's a power play on his part, and he's making it abundantly clear that he has no intention of casting Foxconn in a role as venture capitalist. "If...
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According to China's Xinhua's news agency, Taiwanese technology bigwig Foxconn (otherwise known as Hon Hai Precision) plans to employ 1 million robots in the next three years to help curtail the rising costs of having to play real life humans, and also to improve efficiency. Terry Gou, founder and chairman of the company, told Xinhua that these metal employees will take up routine tasks like spraying, welding, and assembling, all of which are currently being performed by humans. Foxconn already makes use of 10,000 robots, and will increase that number to 300,000 next year before ultimately reaching 1 million robot workers in three years. These might be the droids Foxconn is looking for. Foxconn...
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