Manufacturing

iPhone with sapphire glass display allegedly in trial production

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 24, 2014

According to a new rumor by Taiwan's Apple Daily, Apple's favorite contract manufacturer, Foxconn, has ostensibly commenced trial production of the next iPhone, using sapphire as a display glass cover. The initial production run has been pegged at 100 units.

This doesn't mean that the next iPhone will in fact ditch Corning's Gorilla Glass for sapphire-strengthened display, mind you. Apple currently uses sapphire to protect iOS device cameras and Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s from scratches and dings.

Earlier today, a video excerpt from ABC's upcoming interview with CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives brought the official confirmation of Apple's plan to exclusively produce sapphire crystal glass components at its new facility in Mesa, Arizona...

Tim Cook confirms sapphire Mesa plant, dodges questions on iTV, iWatch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 20, 2016

As we told you yesterday, ABC News will broadcast a rare interview with CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives this evening. And as Apple celebrates the Mac's 30th anniversary with a nice interactive timeline and video on Apple.com, the ABC interview is expected to offer some insight into the company's culture of secrecy, the Mac's importance to Apple's bottom line and more.

An excerpt from the interview was played Friday morning on Good Morning America, offering a taste of the full interview scheduled to be aired later today at 6:30PM EST on World News with Diane Sawyer...

Apple now hiring engineers for Arizona sapphire glass plant

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 14, 2014

It was confirmed back in November that Apple has secured multi-year supply of sapphire cover glass by prepaying north of $500 million towards the purchase of sophisticated furnaces that will churn out the protective material on an industrial scale.

The material production would be handled by a company called GT Advanced at a plant in Mesa, Arizona that would create 2,000 U.S. jobs. The iPhone maker has now begun hiring engineers for the Mesa plant for the positions that specifically mention iPhone and iPod manufacturing...

Apple’s iWatch project reportedly plagued by screen, battery problems

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

A new report is out this afternoon claiming that Apple is experiencing multiple problems with its long-rumored 'iWatch' project. The company is said to be troubled by challenges related to the device's screen technology, battery life, and manufacturing.

The device, believed to be a smartwatch of sorts, is expected to be Apple's first big entry into the budding wearables space. It's said to feature a display of up to 2-inches, and run a version of iOS capable of communicating with both iPhones and iPads...

Retina iPad mini production bottlenecks easing

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 27, 2013

It looks like Apple's suppliers and manufacturers in Taiwan in China are finally catching up with demand. First we learned that Foxconn is finally ramping up iPhone 5s production, with handset ship times being lowered earlier this week to three to five days for online orders.

And now, despite the initial rumors of shortages concerning the new iPad mini with Retina display it would appear that production bottlenecks are easing quickly, with the Cupertino company reportedly having ordered a total of nearly four million Retina iPad minis in the month of November...

Apple reportedly taps Quanta for late-2014 iPad Maxi and iWatch mass production

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 25, 2013

Quanta Computer, an Apple supplier mainly responsible for assembly work concerning computers like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, may have been tasked with building Apple's two next big things, a rumored health/fitness wearable device and an assumed big screen iPad.

The company and its Fremont, California plant are listed on Apple's Supplier Responsibility Page as a final assembler for Macs and now the notoriously hit-and-miss DigiTimes is reporting that Quanta has inked a deal to product the so-called iPad Maxi for the late-2014, in addition to iWatch production for the second half of next year...

Foxconn looking to invest $40 million in new US plant

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As part of its ongoing efforts to expand its North American operations, Foxconn is looking to invest over $40 million over the next two years building a high-tech manufacturing facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Bloomberg is reporting this week that the company, which counts Apple as its largest client, will spend $30 million on the new plant and $10 million in research and development at Carnegie Mellon University...

Rumor: Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant stops iPhone 5c production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

The world's top contract manufacturer, Taiwan-based Foxconn, is responsible for approximately one-third of total iPhone 5c volume and now the company is allegedly winding down handset production at its factory in Zhengzhou, northern China, and shifting capacity to the flagship iPhone 5s, according to "industry sources" who spoke to DigiTimes, an industry publication with a mixed track record.

The story somewhat corroborates last week's article by a Chinese blog which said another iPhone 5c manufacturer, Pegatron, slashed iPhone 5c production significantly because the flagship iPhone 5s was selling better to early adopters than the iPhone 5c, which is basically the last year's iPhone 5 repackaged in colorful cases...

Bloomberg details Apple’s sophisticated robots and production machinery

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

'Gadgets that build gadgets' should have been the headline of the Bloomberg piece which details Apple's multi-billion dollar investments in custom-engineered manufacturing equipment, machines and robots which dutifully churn out your shiny new iPads and iPhones with their diamond-cut chamfered edges, precision crafted down to the micron.

'The Rolex of smartphones' is impossible to mass-produce using the existing tooling and manufacturing techniques. Because Apple custom-designs everything, it shouldn't surprise you that it also designs its own manufacturing processes, techniques and cutting-edge production equipment.

Just how does the company utilize its billions on these pricey robots?

The harsh realities of getting a job in Apple’s supply chain

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2013

Current CEO Tim Cook under Steve Jobs used to run Apple's vast network of suppliers and contract manufacturers and has largely been credited with turning the company into a well-oiled money-printing machine. But making sure trains run on time involves the incredible complexities associated with hiring tens of thousands of workers - and fast, too - who tediously assemble iPhones and iPads in factories located in China and Taiwan.

Apple and its manufacturing partners have been taking a lot of heat over worker treatment in these sweatshops so the iPhone maker eventually started tracking the work hours of 1+ million supply chain workers and took other proactive measures to ensure fair hiring.

But now, another issue is making headlines: the inhumane treatment of would-be employees by employment brokers who take high advance fees from workers and their families, contrary to Apple's rules. Read on...

GT Advanced’s 2014 revenue to grow 15x thanks to sapphire deal with Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

As officially confirmed earlier this week, Apple has teamed up with smartphone cover glass maker GT Advanced in a $578 million multi-year deal which gives the iPhone maker steady supply of sapphire glass, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide hailed for its unmatched scratch resistance and hardness second only to diamond.

GT will be investing big money in large capacity furnaces to forge the precious gemstone on an industrial scale at Apple's upcoming eco-friendly, 700-employee facility in Mesa, Arizona. Although the deal is subject to “certain exclusivity terms” and GT expects "substantially lower" gross margins, it's of strategic nature and will be cash positive to GT.

By some estimates, GT's revenue next year could experience an unheard-of 15x increase based on the Apple contract alone...

WSJ: Apple contracts two new manufacturers to build iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 23, 2017

Apple has long relied on Foxconn, the world's top manufacturer, to assemble its gadgets. In small part, Apple also taps Foxconn's rival, Taiwan-based Pegatron, on a regular basis for some orders. According to a new Wall Street Journal report Wednesday, Tim Cook & Co. have now contracted an additional two companies to help assemble iPhones and iPads amid growing demand for the products.

Mind you, it's not like Apple suddenly stopped loving Foxconn - the company will continue to build the iPhone 5s - but the report makes a passing mention of Apple apparently being dissatisfied with the high repair costs over defective iPhone 5 units and ongoing labor controversies surrounding Foxconn...