For Apple Suppliers, Loose Lips Can Sink Contracts

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Even though you hear stories like this, you just can’t get your head around the fact that these people live in a high security compound…because they make iPods.

Inside the walled city -- one of several compounds run by Foxconn International, a major supplier for Apple Inc -- employees are provided with most of their daily needs. There are dormitories, canteens, recreation facilities, even banks, post offices and bakeries.
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apple=sweatshop assholes.

if your a yuppy please justify it for us like it always happens on every forum on the net.

they are very innovative at the costs of others.
 
Just another reason I avoid apple products. I can understand keeping your R&D and new products under wraps, but if you can't trust where they are made, maybe you need to find another supplier.
 
Apple products are not worth this kind of effort at secrecy.

They probably shoot to kill if you try to escape. :D
 
Guess I'm glad I don't give two snits about what Apple releases, what they have now, and what might be coming later. They can shoot all the messengers they want. I don't care what the company does.
 
Apple wants to be as big as every PC OEM plus Microsoft all combined into in one gigantic corporation. Disturbing business practices are the norm for Apple.
 
They've had enough hits and misses to understand their level of secrecy. Imagine if Microsoft or Creative had found out about the iPod or iPhone years earlier and had developed similar products to preempt the Apple products. It's a competitive business, and it's all about making money... fortunately for it's shareholders, the past decade has been kind to Apple.

Name one competitive industry that doesn't safeguard new and upcoming products? The only one I can think about is Google, who goes through extensive beta testing... years... before they release a product. Then again, Google is strictly a software company and most of their products are open source. They generate revenue from ad revenue so like Microsoft they want as many OEM partners as possible to make the software ubiquitous.

The latest article on Anandtech about how ATI kept eyefinity secret and the success of the 5000 series of cards is proof enough on the importance of "secrecy". Don't even tell me the companies you work for don't have very stringent clauses for client data. Seriously, it's a competitive industry where being first is the difference between billions or nothing.
 
CrazyCuz2k said:
They've had enough hits and misses to understand their level of secrecy. Imagine if Microsoft or Creative had found out about the iPod or iPhone years earlier and had developed similar products to preempt the Apple products. It's a competitive business, and it's all about making money... fortunately for it's shareholders, the past decade has been kind to Apple.

Name one competitive industry that doesn't safeguard new and upcoming products? The only one I can think about is Google, who goes through extensive beta testing... years... before they release a product. Then again, Google is strictly a software company and most of their products are open source. They generate revenue from ad revenue so like Microsoft they want as many OEM partners as possible to make the software ubiquitous.

The latest article on Anandtech about how ATI kept eyefinity secret and the success of the 5000 series of cards is proof enough on the importance of "secrecy". Don't even tell me the companies you work for don't have very stringent clauses for client data. Seriously, it's a competitive industry where being first is the difference between billions or nothing.
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This is going to such a length that they don't want people leaving the company premises. I know of no other business doing that. Quote from the article
"You're free to do what you want," the policeman explained, "But this is Foxconn and they have a special status here. Please understand."
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Special status with the law, nice.
 
Steve Jobs:

Foxconn, you understand that leaks are unacceptable. We have a magical new product coming out, and I don't want anyone stealing it from us.

Foxconn: Of course, we will respect your secrecy.

Jobs: I'm glad to here it; just to be clear we will never use your company again and sue you for all you're worth if there is a leak. I WILL NOT have Microsoft and other PC OEM's stealing my revolutionary idea.

Foxconn: Of course sir. Now, what will we be making for you that is so revolutionary?

Jobs: Picture this - a computer, in the shape of a tablet!
 
CrazyCuz2k said:
They've had enough hits and misses to understand their level of secrecy. Imagine if Microsoft or Creative had found out about the iPod or iPhone years earlier and had developed similar products to preempt the Apple products. It's a competitive business, and it's all about making money... fortunately for it's shareholders, the past decade has been kind to Apple.

Name one competitive industry that doesn't safeguard new and upcoming products? The only one I can think about is Google, who goes through extensive beta testing... years... before they release a product. Then again, Google is strictly a software company and most of their products are open source. They generate revenue from ad revenue so like Microsoft they want as many OEM partners as possible to make the software ubiquitous.

The latest article on Anandtech about how ATI kept eyefinity secret and the success of the 5000 series of cards is proof enough on the importance of "secrecy". Don't even tell me the companies you work for don't have very stringent clauses for client data. Seriously, it's a competitive industry where being first is the difference between billions or nothing.
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Yeah, its a tricky issue. On the one hand you've got corporate secrecy which I completely get. I myself interned on James Cameron sets back in the day and secrecy was par for the course, and it is far from the last time I signed an NDA or at least implicitly understood that what I was working on shouldn't be discussed outside of work. I completely understand and agree with that.

I also understand it from a corporate POV, especially when you're talking about Apple which had Microsoft creating their own GUI based operating system as a direct result of them creating a Mac productivity suite as the Mac was being developed. I can't imagine any company not being influenced by a lesson like that.

Same with any other company. AMD, Nvidia, IBM, Intel, nothing but NDAs, and that's only in the tech industry. Venture elsewhere and its just as bad if not worse. Leaks that are sprung from "the top" in terms of managers, engineers, VPs, board members, well, they should know their business and STFU. I have no sympathy for them.

The only people I feel sympathy for are the third world workers. On the one hand I completely understand the need for secrecy to extend all the way down to the assembly line. On the other hand, it shouldn't be at the expense of human rights. There has to be a better way to do it, maintaining industrial secrecy but not at the expense of human rights. Hopefully companies like Foxconn and Hon Hai (who build for everyone btw) can figure it out. Human rights aren't exactly a place where the Chinese government shines, but hopefully it happens.
 
This absolutely standard in China. People cannot relocate without gov't approvals that can take 5+ years. If you hire them away from home it is expected and SOP to provide them with an apartment and living expenses.

Nothing creepy, just a bunch of Westerners who've never been to China freaking out at how manufacturing works in this country.
 
This confirms my belief that the “progressive” types I associate with apple are ultimately fascists.
 
AVT said:
You actually expect a company's PR to be similar to their business practices?
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Seriously? No. However, it is worth pointing out that in Apple's early days, they were very much anti-establishment in how they approached design and to what markets they wanted to offer to.

And I'd argue that, with the exception of their policies in China (which they've also now basically reversed), Google is pretty good in regards to business practices imitating PR. But, then against, Google is more the exception, and not the rule.
 
Apple is all about marketing now, cover over what they really do and let the mindless trolls beleive everything they sell!

i told a worker, since she had a MacBook her "art" teacher sold her years ago, the mobo battery died, and i explained to her they soldered it into the mobo i couldnt just change it, unlike a PC, i then showed her she can do everything she did on a MAC on windows and an old dell 8250, then i also explained they solder in cpu's and such and other pratices, she now hates apple more then anything, and she is a tree hugging type!

at least one of them has a mind to think beyond apples marketing BS.
 
Mize said:
This absolutely standard in China. People cannot relocate without gov't approvals that can take 5+ years. If you hire them away from home it is expected and SOP to provide them with an apartment and living expenses.

Nothing creepy, just a bunch of Westerners who've never been to China freaking out at how manufacturing works in this country.
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Exactly...a lot of different companies offer that kind of employment community/living over in China, not just apple
 
MrGuvernment said:
i told a worker, since she had a MacBook her "art" teacher sold her years ago, the mobo battery died, and i explained to her they soldered it into the mobo i couldnt just change it, unlike a PC, i then showed her she can do everything she did on a MAC on windows and an old dell 8250, then i also explained they solder in cpu's and such and other pratices, she now hates apple more then anything, and she is a tree hugging type!
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Um, wtf? Batteries aren't soldered into Macbooks, wtf are you talking about? Soldering in CPUs into notebooks is also standard practice among notebooks manufacturers. Again, wtf are you talking about?
 
Rudager said:
Exactly...a lot of different companies offer that kind of employment community/living over in China, not just apple
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Not to mention that Foxconn manufactures for pretty much everyone (Intel, Microsoft, etc etc). This is common, if you're going to boycott Apple then you might as well boycott every other hardware manufacturer that produces in China.
 
Serpico said:
Um, wtf? Batteries aren't soldered into Macbooks, wtf are you talking about? Soldering in CPUs into notebooks is also standard practice among notebooks manufacturers. Again, wtf are you talking about?
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Mobo battery /= notebook battery. He's referring to the CMOS battery. And my thinkpad has a socketed upgradeable CPU, thank you very much.
 
computerpro3 said:
Mobo battery /= notebook battery. He's referring to the CMOS battery. And my thinkpad has a socketed upgradeable CPU, thank you very much.
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The CMOS battery in my two year old pre-unibody MBP isn't soldered in. As for lower end Macbooks like the old iBook and Macbook, there wasn't even a CMOS battery, just a capacitor to keep the PRAM juiced during battery swaps. Hell, the current unibody MBPs use the same method since none of the teardown pics I've Googled don't have a CMOS battery anywhere in them.

Again, wtf?

Its cool that your Thinkpad has an upgradeable CPU, Lenovos are the only other notebooks I really like. That said, its extremely rare to see that feature in any notebook. Gamer oriented notebooks like uber-Alienwares actually have upgradable GPUs as a bulletpoint feature in their advertising. Again, its rarer than not, and for most people out there it is also completely irrelevant. I never upgrade notebook CPUs, I just get a new notebook after 3 or 4 years. Hell, I do the same with my desktop PCs; once its time to upgrade its also time for a completely new socket, which means new mobo, new RAM, new everything.

Its cool but practically speaking its also a useless feature. I guess its a nice option to have if you want to eke out an extra 10% of performance out of an outdated laptop
 
Serpico said:
Um, wtf? Batteries aren't soldered into Macbooks, wtf are you talking about? Soldering in CPUs into notebooks is also standard practice among notebooks manufacturers. Again, wtf are you talking about?
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Reading comprehension buddy.

I sat here reading the first few replies and thought "hey I wonder if that guy who always e-knights for Apple will post"..

Sure enough.

Whats the excuse for apple soldering mac mini CPUs in?

Seriously, I've never once seen a PC laptop with a soldered CPU in it. I'd like you to provide proof.
 
"Apple also wants unique size and specifications," he said. "That means we won't be able to use a common platform or rework those components to serve other clients. And if there's any inventory left, it cannot be used any other way.
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Doesn't this apply to all branded PC's? Or is it because apple does it more often than others?
 
Did he just say in defense of Apple that modular notebooks esp. in the area of CPU is a useless feature?
 
Weenis said:
Reading comprehension buddy.
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Yup, and I answered it in my response, you should keep up with the thread. CMOS batteries are replaceable not soldered, and otherwise there are no CMOS batteries since a capacitor keeps the PRAM charged during battery swaps. Next.

I sat here reading the first few replies and thought "hey I wonder if that guy who always e-knights for Apple will post"..

Sure enough.

Whats the excuse for apple soldering mac mini CPUs in?

Seriously, I've never once seen a PC laptop with a soldered CPU in it. I'd like you to provide proof.
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You won't find me defending the Mac Mini, that thing IMO is a POS from top to bottom. Unless you need an HD HTPC, big giant MEH.

As for notebooks, this took me two seconds in Google:

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19263358.aspx
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=453326

Soldering components into the mainboard is way more common than you think.

Weenis said:
That or because he wouldn't ever do it, it is a useless feature.
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Yup, sure is. If I keep a notebook for four years, what makes more sense, for me to open the thing, spend money on a new CPU, and swap it for maybe another 10%-15% of power, or get a new laptop with a faster CPU, faster bus speeds, newer features, etc etc.

Yeah, useless to me, sorry. Even if CPU swapping was an option I wouldn't do it. I don't do it with my desktops, why would I do it with my notebooks? You guys are grasping at straws.
 
computerpro3 said:
I guarantee you that was LG talking about the displays.
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Its definitely LG talking about displays. It can also extend to Intel when they made their custom CPU package for the Macbook Air. It wasn't adopted more widely for another six months then HP and Lenovo then released their own ultraslims that were built around it.
 
BTW, this is way off topic now. Instead of making things up about Mac notebooks, why not focus on how hard the Chinese manufacturers have it, yeah?
 
Mize said:
This absolutely standard in China. People cannot relocate without gov't approvals that can take 5+ years. If you hire them away from home it is expected and SOP to provide them with an apartment and living expenses.

Nothing creepy, just a bunch of Westerners who've never been to China freaking out at how manufacturing works in this country.
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Do you live there? I've read the same thing about pretty much every company that outsources, in terms of working conditions, etc.
 
I'm picturing Serpico sitting in his room surrounded by apple products foaming at the mouth angry for the blasphemy being spoken about his beloved company. Where does this insane loyalty come from? Weak minds I say.
 
LOL @ at all the douchebag hippies in the world whining about Micro$oft as they sip $8 lattes posting on their Macbooks in Starbucks.
 
JCDenton said:
LOL @ at all the douchebag hippies in the world whining about Micro$oft as they sip $8 lattes posting on their Macbooks in Starbucks.
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EPIC WIN.

If they were only intelligent enough to understand they are paying MORE for older tech in a cool looking package.

MMM 8$ lattes
 
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