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Apple touted the fit, finish, and technical wizardry required to produce the iPhone 5. Apparently that wasn’t just marketing fluff. According to an unnamed Foxconn exec who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, it really is a pain in the arse to manufacture.
Here’s what the exec had to say:
“The iPhone 5 is the most difficult device that Foxconn 2038.HK -0.68% has ever assembled. To make it light and thin, the design is very complicated,” said an official at the company who declined to be named. “It takes time to learn how to make this new device. Practice makes perfect. Our productivity has been improving day by day.”
The exec went on to acknowledge that the iPhone 5 is more susceptible to scratching due to a new coating material, but says that the factory is becoming better and faster at cranking units out. Hopefully that isn’t coming at the cost of those employee’s collective sanity. [WSJ via TNW]
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Does their exec always quote a live share price whenever he mentions the company name?
I think he takes things way too seriously.
Is he trying to use it to find his way home?
Didn’t quite nail it, I’m afraid.
I know, it never does. I’ve been persevering though in the hope that it will, like the other day, I was looking for a serpentarium, but all it found was the Retail Park at Fort Kinaird off the Edinburgh bypass. It has a subway and a Mothercare, but it doesn’t sell snakes of any kind. It turns out that the nearest serpentarium to me is on Skye, which is doable in a day, but you’d need a bit of forward planning – and a mapping system that will nail it first time. You also need a heater, I think, because they get cold. I haven’t even started searching for frozen mice, because I reckon that’s a non-starter.
Haha. Sounds like quite a mission. Good Luck fella!
I’ve had 3 iPhone 5′s, none have been perfect. Got offered £80 for the hassle today, but they haven’t managed to replace the handset with a perfect one yet, what’s a cosmetically damaged iPhone 5 worth then?
Sounds like your faith is being tested…
My iPhone 5 is almost perfect, but last night I found a hairline scratch on the back near the lens. I’m good at not letting my phone near scratchy stuff, never had a bad scratch on any gen of iPhone and I’ve never had a case or cover. The 5 definitely has its manufacturing weak points.
Well I emailed Tim Cook directly, one of his sales executive team called back today from the US, she is going to try and get resolved..
Oh dear!
That’s Naff