Hasta La Gadget!

News of Apple bringing production of some of its iMacs to the U.S. has been spreading like wildfire as the company previously relied heavily on Chinese labor to produce the majority of its products. Not only would this create more jobs in the U.S., which we’re currently desperately in need of, but it may also spark an increase in American-made components as Apple will be looking to invest in U.S. manufacturers to help build their products.

Not only will Apple benefit from this move, but other companies will also be able to start using U.S. produced components for their products such as Lenovo, who announced it will be moving some of its manufacturing to North Carolina. When you consider Foxconn will soon be using robots to manufacture products for its companies to help keep the cost of labor low, but may cost more in the long run when you consider how much it will cost to power the machines, moving some production to the U.S. doesn’t seem like an entirely bad idea and may even spark a boom in home-grown products.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple and Google team up to buy Kodak’s patents, ‘Steve Jobs Patent’ Tentatively Invalidated By USPTO,

Apple CEO Tim Cook caused quite a stir when he announced that at least some Macs would soon be made in the US, and it looks like one of the world’s biggest device manufacturers is now set to follow suit. As Bloomberg reports, Foxconn is planning to expand its operations in the US to fulfill what it sees as a growing demand for more Made in the USA products. While not providing many details beyond that, Foxconn spokesperson Louis Woo said in an interview with Bloomberg that “supply chain is one of the big challenges for US expansion,” adding that “any manufacturing we take back to the US needs to leverage high-value engineering talent there in comparison to the low-cost labor of China.” Of course, while the timing of the news is a bit coincidental, there’s no indication yet that Foxconn will be working with Apple on its US manufacturing plans, nor is there any word on any other clients it’s lined up.

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Source: Bloomberg

Sharp has reportedly begun talks with Dell, Intel, and other US companies for a potential share in the display firm, in a move that may be designed to put pressure on existing Foxconn negotiations. The discussions – which are also believed to be ongoing with Qualcomm, according to the WSJ‘s sources – would see struggling Sharp offer up a stake in return for as much as $240m depending on the suitor, with the spoils of the deal being a guaranteed supply of the company’s IGZO displays.

According to the insiders, Sharp is hoping to squeeze up to $240m from Intel or Dell, though its ambitions for Qualcomm investment are more modest. The display firm has been mired in ongoing negotiations with Foxconn/Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. for several months, with the firms needing to reach a conclusion by March 2013 but uncertainty around Sharp’s value stalling the deal.

Unofficially, however, a Sharp executive speaking to the newspaper said that while the companies continue to talk, “the unpredictability of its earnings are hindering” the likelihood of a deal. Others familiar with the deal have said that Sharp is laying on hyperbole about IGZO’s promise as a key negotiating point, routinely describing it as “potentially game-changing technology.”

That game-changer comes down to how IGZO works, replacing the substrate material among other changes, and in doing so reducing power consumption and increasing pixel density. That makes for displays that can offer the same brightness as regular LCD but with lesser power demands, or alternatively use the same power as traditional panels but for a much brighter picture, useful for outdoor applications.

IGZO production, however, has struggled to meet Sharp’s goals, and so far the panels are only showing up in a limited way in tablets and phones for the Japanese market. However, Sharp claims it is ready to offer a 32-inch IGZO panel that runs at an impressive 3840 x 2160 resolution, and which could well find its way into future Apple products according to some industry speculation.

In fact, Apple involvement in Sharp’s ongoing business has been the source of display channel muttering for some time. One analyst has suggested that a $2bn blip on Apple’s most recent financial results sheet was in fact a helping hand to the Japanese firm, potentially bringing forward future panel orders onto the books so as to help shore up the supplier.

Sharp has declined to comment on whether it is in negotiations with companies outside of Foxconn, and neither Dell, Qualcomm, nor Intel would comment on the rumors. It’s possible, however, that the move to widen negotiations – or, indeed, the leaks that such a move is being considered – is a tactical one to increase pressure on Foxconn management.

Sharp $240m talks tipped with Dell, Intel and Qualcomm: IGZO the prize is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With Windows Phone 8 getting so much attention around the Internet, it’s only natural that rumors of a Microsoft-branded smartphone are beginning to pop up as well. We heard about a Microsoft smartphone earlier this month, but now the phone has crept its way back into headlines, with DigiTimes reporting that infamous manufacturer Foxconn will be making the new device. The phone will apparently be set to ship in mid-2013, so if it actually exists, it may not be much longer before we get official confirmation from Microsoft.

With Surface marking Microsoft’s first foray into the tablet space, it isn’t hard to imagine the company making the jump to smartphones too. Windows Phone 8 on a Surface-branded smartphone seems like something too appealing for Microsoft to resist, so we wouldn’t be all that surprised to learn this rumor is true. Specifically, Foxconn International Holding is said to be putting this phone together, but neither it nor its parent company, Foxconn Electronics, would comment on the rumor.

In an interesting twist, Foxconn International Holding is said to be manufacturing an Amazon phone as well. We heard rumors of an Amazon phone earlier this year before the company unveiled the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Fire HD, but Amazon was quick to quash those whispers. Maybe Amazon was simply lying so it could reveal such a device at a later date?

The report from DigiTimes doesn’t mention anything about technical specifications, but it does say that both phones should be shipping in mid-2013. It also claims that initial shipments of both devices will be limited, but other than that, we’ve got nothing else to share. Looks like this is another one to toss on the ever-growing rumors pile until either Amazon or Microsoft share some official details. Stay tuned.

Foxconn reportedly making Microsoft’s Surface phone is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The efforts of China Labor Watch, a New York-based non-government organization, are finally paying off. That’s because Samsung is hearing enough of the complaints and is now launching an initiative to address the unfair labor practices reported on its suppliers in China. The South Korean technology titan says that it has audited around 105 suppliers in China and found “several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities, including overtime hours in excess of local regulations, management of supplier companies holding copies of labor contracts, and the imposition of a system of fines for lateness or absences.”

However, Samsung added that during the audit in September, it found no “instance of child labor,” debunking previous reports. With regards to the unfair labor practices, Samsung is demanding suppliers to adopt a new hiring process and better measures that will eliminate working hours beyond legal limits by the end of 2014. Suppliers who will use child labor will be duly terminated, the company warns. In a statement published today, Samsung writes: “We are now designing, researching, and/or implementing corrective actions to address every violation that was identified. Corrective actions include new hiring policies and work hours and overtime practices, among other steps, to protect the health and welfare of employees.”

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