Wednesday 15 February 2012

FLA: Foxconn Plant Conditions Above Average    [ 15-02-2012 21:30 ]

Author: Serge Novikov   Source: Reuters     Translation by: Paul Smith     

With increasing attention being focused upon its Chinese parts suppliers Apple announced earlier this week that the Fair Labor Association would carry out an inspection of the various Chinese facilities used to provide Apple with parts. Well today Reuters is reporting that Foxconn, one of the suppliers coming in for the most criticism, is actually much better than most companies in China when it comes to working conditions. Auret van Heerden, President of the FLA described Foxconn's conditions:

The facilities are first-class, the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm. I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory. It's more a function of monotony, of boredome, of alienation perhaps.

It's certainly a surprising report about a company that has seen many of its workers commit suicide and whose name has almost become a byword for stressful conditions. The FLA will conduct interviews with staffs (anonymously) as well as inspecting other facilities around China. These initial reports may be surprising, but will they stand up once the FLA has finished its task?

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HTC Said To Be Working On Its Own Music Service    [ 15-02-2012 21:28 ]

Author: Serge Novikov   Source: GigaOm     Translation by: Paul Smith     

With increasing competition from other manufacturers HTC has been feeling a bit of squeeze on its Android offerrings of late. In an attempt to differentiate themselves the Taiwanese manufacturer is reportedly working on its very own streaming music service, according to reports from GigaOm. Allegedly the new music service could launch as early as  MWC in Barcelona, but HTC are apparently still working on pricing plans as well as other details. That would probably mean that even if it is unveiled in Barcelona it won't be ready for prime time for a few weeks to months afterwards. Whether such a service is enough to draw customers in is another matter entirely, but with an appealling enough proposition it certainly wouldn't hurt HTC's chances.

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Gartner: LG Looses 3rd Place To Apple    [ 15-02-2012 21:22 ]

Author: Serge Novikov   Source: Gartner     Translation by: Paul Smith     

Gartner's latest round of figures show that in Q4 last year LG lost its spot as the world's third largest mobile phone manufacturer to Apple. That change of places saw Apple siting on a 7.4% market share, with only Nokia and Samsung ahead of it. Nokia's position as the biggest manufacturer declined slightly as its sales dropped 8.7% year on year. In terms of smartphones specifically Apple was in the number one spot with a 19% share of the market after a bumper Q4 for the company that saw sales rising 121.4% year on year.

In terms of the software running these products Android is still out in front according to Gartner. Q4 saw Android maintain a 50.9% share of the market although that figure is down a little from previous quarters. That decline is probably attributable to sales of the iPhone 4S according to Gartner, but of course with fewer models and options iOS sales will probably decline moving forward, at least until Apple releases a new iPhone.

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