It seems things simply cannot go right for Apple’s new flagship iPhone 5 these days. In the weeks since its much-hyped launch, it has had to go through not one, but two negative and damaging controversies: first, Scratchgate, where new owners found their shiny iPhones to be scratched, scuffed and even dented – right out of the box; and then there was the purple flare issue in the iPhone 5’s camera, and Apple Support’s rather too practical response to prevent the issue.
And now, this.
Over the weekend, labor watchdogs China Labor Watch reported that around 3000 to 4000 workers at a Foxconn factory assembling the new iPhones went on strike. This was due to Apple’s demands that Foxconn improve the manufacturing process, which allows for only a 0.02mm appearance defect. Unhappy that they have not been given proper training to adhere to the new standards, the workers went on strike, with some even beating up QC officers, leading to a halt in the production floor.
Of course, Foxconn issued a statement denying reports that there was a strike at one of its factories, calling them “innacurate”, but later issued another statement to the contrary, but maintained that the dispute between the “small group of production-line workers and quality-assurance personnel” did not cause a workplace stoppage.
Whether or not there was a halt in productions, this hammer-and-anvil situation Apple now find themselves in does not do them any favours, especially when the demand for the new iPhone 5 is just as high as that for ones which do not come with design issues.
(Source: GSMarena, The Verge, AllthingsD; full report by China Labor Watch can be read here)
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