TAIPEI/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Foxconn, the Taiwanese made-to-order electronics giant that assembles Apple Inc's products, denied reports that a plant in China was crippled by a strike, saying on Saturday that its production is on schedule at an important time for Apple.
The report of a strike issued by China Labor Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, came weeks after Apple kicked off its largest-ever global rollout for the new iPhone 5 smartphone. Apple is already struggling with tight availability of the phones in stores, analysts say.
The labor group said 3,000 to 4,000 workers went on strike at Foxconn's Zhengzhou complex in central China on Friday, angered by over-exacting quality controls as well as demands they work through the week-long National Day holiday, which began on Monday.
But Foxconn Technology Group, which has its headquarters in Taiwan, denied the report and said the plant suffered only two brief and small disputes several days earlier.
"Any reports that there has been an employee strike are inaccurate," the company said in an emailed statement, adding that "there has been no workplace stoppage in that facility or any other Foxconn facility and production has continued on schedule".
Foxconn said the quarrels happened on October 1-2, and were "immediately addressed and measures taken, including providing additional staff for the lines in question."
Foxconn also said that employees who worked over China's National Day break did so voluntarily and were paid three times their usual hourly compensation, as demanded by law.
But China's official Xinhua news agency quoted a government spokesman in Zhengzhou as saying some 100 quality inspectors at Foxconn refused to work for an hour on Friday after one was allegedly beaten by workers irate over the inspection demands.
"The instruction to strengthen quality inspections for the iPhone 5 was given by Apple Inc. following multiple complaints from customers regarding aesthetic flaws in the phone," said the unnamed spokesman for the industrial zone that holds the Foxconn plant. Apple has not commented on the incident.
Tensions have boiled over repeatedly in factories operated by Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturing giant that employs more than a million and makes most of the world's iPads and iPhones. Last month, thousands rioted at its Taiyuan facility in northern China, disrupting production for about 24 hours and underscoring the potential for labor unrest.
Foxconn Technology Group of Taiwan, the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, is the world's largest contract maker of electronics for global brands such as Hewlett Packard Co, Nokia and Dell Inc.
Apple and Foxconn have come under fire for poor working conditions and wages at plants across China. In response, they have organized an audit of factory conditions, raised wages, improved safety and reduced overtime, among other measures.
Apple's chief executive officer Tim Cook visited Foxconn's vast complex on the far outskirts of Zhengzhou in late March.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan and Jonathan Standing; Writing by Chris Buckley; Editing by Richard Chang and Jeremy Laurence)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Vettel makes it 34th career pole at Suzuka.
@tomcary
34th career pole for Vettel who moves to third in all-time list behind Schumacher and Senna #f1
34th career pole for Vettel who moves to third in all-time list behind Schumacher and Senna #f1
FB reaches the fabled milestone.
CIO — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today on his Facebook page that the social network has reached 1 billion active users:
The milestone is the biggest of several for the social network: At the end of June, Facebook hit 955 million monthly active users. In today's announcement, it also revealed that it has reached 600 million mobile users.
Below are some other statistics:
Users have clicked the Facebook Like button more than 1.13 trillion times since the feature launched in February 2009
Facebook users have connected with 140.3 billion friends
Facebook members have uploaded 219 billion photos (excluding deleted photos)
17 billion locations have been tagged in posts (including check-ins)
Facebook users have played 62.6 million songs 22 billion times
Zuckerberg followed the announcement with a personal post reflecting on how quickly Facebook has grown and its place in history:
Celebrating a billion people is very special to me. It's a moment to honor the people we serve.
For the first time in our history, we've made a brand video to express what our place is on this earth.
We believe that the need to open up and connect is what makes us human. It's what brings us together. It's what brings meaning to our lives. Facebook isn't the first thing people have made to help us connect. We belong to a rich tradition of people making things that bring us together. Today, we honor this tradition.
We honor the humanity of the people we serve. We honor the everyday things people have always made to bring us together: Chairs, doorbells, airplanes, bridges, games. These are all things that connect us. And now Facebook is a part of this tradition of things that connect us too.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as we do. Thanks for helping connect a billion people.
Here's a look at the video Facebook produced to commemorate the milestone:
The Things That Move Us, from Facebook
Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking and enterprise collaboration for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com
The milestone is the biggest of several for the social network: At the end of June, Facebook hit 955 million monthly active users. In today's announcement, it also revealed that it has reached 600 million mobile users.
Below are some other statistics:
Users have clicked the Facebook Like button more than 1.13 trillion times since the feature launched in February 2009
Facebook users have connected with 140.3 billion friends
Facebook members have uploaded 219 billion photos (excluding deleted photos)
17 billion locations have been tagged in posts (including check-ins)
Facebook users have played 62.6 million songs 22 billion times
Zuckerberg followed the announcement with a personal post reflecting on how quickly Facebook has grown and its place in history:
Celebrating a billion people is very special to me. It's a moment to honor the people we serve.
For the first time in our history, we've made a brand video to express what our place is on this earth.
We believe that the need to open up and connect is what makes us human. It's what brings us together. It's what brings meaning to our lives. Facebook isn't the first thing people have made to help us connect. We belong to a rich tradition of people making things that bring us together. Today, we honor this tradition.
We honor the humanity of the people we serve. We honor the everyday things people have always made to bring us together: Chairs, doorbells, airplanes, bridges, games. These are all things that connect us. And now Facebook is a part of this tradition of things that connect us too.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as we do. Thanks for helping connect a billion people.
Here's a look at the video Facebook produced to commemorate the milestone:
The Things That Move Us, from Facebook
Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking and enterprise collaboration for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com
Yeah Steve. I remember....
If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~ Steve Jobs
Friday, October 5, 2012
Work and success in work and life.
Working Through Depression: Ask Noah
By Noah Kass - 10/05/12
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Q: I've had four careers in the last five years. I've been very unsatisfied and wonder if it's less to do with the jobs and more to do with depression. I quickly lose all interest in the jobs as soon as I begin working. I'm presently feeling a familiar anxiety that in the past would have had me running. I feel I need to stick this one out. Do you have any tips for me?
A: Labor is a precious commodity. A considerable amount of our waking hours is spent at work, and this not so subtly shapes the type of person we become.
Why do we need consistency in our careers?
The economic reasons are self evident; work allows us to support ourselves and our families. Beyond the economic benefits, professional stability strengthens self esteem, validates purpose/ego and keeps us feeling in control of our futures.
Job security provides one with the ability to loudly declare status and rank; "I do___ for a living!" Game. Set. Match. Point.
Folks who have issues solving their quest for professional identity frequently feel plagued by a sense of confinement. They often feel that their personal windows of opportunity are being closed.
Your "need to stick this one out," indicates an understanding that your habit of leaving careers is not working. The restlessness (or anxiety) is understandable. It is your history and the familiarity you have with this emotion, makes it attractive to give in to.
What if you strengthened your tolerance level, fighting the desire you feel to run and stayed the course instead?
Tips for Staying the Course:
1. Define your bliss. Whether professional or personal; what energizes you!
2. Examine your personal relationships. Is quitting your 'modus operandi' there too?
3. Reframe your anxiety. Don't be fearful of your 'jump ship' ways. Getting curious rather than panicky will yield unlimited personal growth.
4. Give yourself permission to distance yourself from the anxiety. This includes any plan or activity that allows your anxiety to pass. This will prevent you from running.
If you're isolating yourself, or your anxiety is causing you extreme physical or emotional distress, seek the care of a mental health professional. They can not only relieve your immediate discomfort, but also set you on a path to further explore this difficult psycho-dynamic issue.
Your history does not have to repeat itself. You've already come to an understanding of your maladaptive behaviors and are seeking methods to combat them. The insight you are showing is itself corrective.
I wish you the best, and do not hesitate to write me back regarding your progress. I look forward to hearing about it!
Please send all questions and comments to Ask Noah at nskass@gmail.com.
By Noah Kass - 10/05/12
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Q: I've had four careers in the last five years. I've been very unsatisfied and wonder if it's less to do with the jobs and more to do with depression. I quickly lose all interest in the jobs as soon as I begin working. I'm presently feeling a familiar anxiety that in the past would have had me running. I feel I need to stick this one out. Do you have any tips for me?
A: Labor is a precious commodity. A considerable amount of our waking hours is spent at work, and this not so subtly shapes the type of person we become.
Why do we need consistency in our careers?
The economic reasons are self evident; work allows us to support ourselves and our families. Beyond the economic benefits, professional stability strengthens self esteem, validates purpose/ego and keeps us feeling in control of our futures.
Job security provides one with the ability to loudly declare status and rank; "I do___ for a living!" Game. Set. Match. Point.
Folks who have issues solving their quest for professional identity frequently feel plagued by a sense of confinement. They often feel that their personal windows of opportunity are being closed.
Your "need to stick this one out," indicates an understanding that your habit of leaving careers is not working. The restlessness (or anxiety) is understandable. It is your history and the familiarity you have with this emotion, makes it attractive to give in to.
What if you strengthened your tolerance level, fighting the desire you feel to run and stayed the course instead?
Tips for Staying the Course:
1. Define your bliss. Whether professional or personal; what energizes you!
2. Examine your personal relationships. Is quitting your 'modus operandi' there too?
3. Reframe your anxiety. Don't be fearful of your 'jump ship' ways. Getting curious rather than panicky will yield unlimited personal growth.
4. Give yourself permission to distance yourself from the anxiety. This includes any plan or activity that allows your anxiety to pass. This will prevent you from running.
If you're isolating yourself, or your anxiety is causing you extreme physical or emotional distress, seek the care of a mental health professional. They can not only relieve your immediate discomfort, but also set you on a path to further explore this difficult psycho-dynamic issue.
Your history does not have to repeat itself. You've already come to an understanding of your maladaptive behaviors and are seeking methods to combat them. The insight you are showing is itself corrective.
I wish you the best, and do not hesitate to write me back regarding your progress. I look forward to hearing about it!
Please send all questions and comments to Ask Noah at nskass@gmail.com.
911 vs Boxster. Which one is more fun?
In the 2013 Boxster, Porsche has created a supremely fun, supremely capable sports car. But is it good enough that it has negated the purpose of the 911? To address such a debate, Car and Driver has pitted the iconic 911 against the Boxster S in the latest edition of "Car and Driver: Abroad."
The gestation of the Boxster is essentially encapsulated in the opening line of the video: "People used to say that the Boxster was a poor man's Porsche, an imitation of the iconic 911, but the latest model has really come of age. In fact, it might now be the best sports car in the Porsche range." While that notion has become the topic of much debate, C/D is doing more than pondering as both cars are taken to the limit on the dragstrip and the racetrack.
Which Porsche is faster in a straight line? Which car can more quickly and accurately navigate a racetrack? You're just going to have to watch to find out! Check out the Porsche-centric comparo video below.
More challenges for Apple.
Thousands of workers went on strike at a Foxconn factory in China on Friday, bringing some iPhone 5 production lines to a halt, a labor rights group said.
The strike at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory began at 1 p.m. local time and involved 3000 to 4000 workers, according to New York-based China Labor Watch, which said it received its information from workers at the plant.
The workers are upset about stricter quality-control requirements introduced for the new Apple smartphone, the labor group said. They are also upset at being made to work through a Chinese national holiday this week, it said.
"According to workers, multiple iPhone 5 production lines from various factory buildings were in a state of paralysis for the entire day," China Labor Watch said. It also reported that quality-control inspectors were attacked.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Foxconn, based in Taiwan, could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to confirm independently the number of workers striking.
It wouldn't be the first disruption at a Foxconn plant in China. Last month, 2000 workers rioted at a factory in Taiyuan after what workers described as aggressive behavior from security guards.
ABC NEWS
Foxconn factory assembly line
This latest incident followed tighter rules to prevent tiny indentations on the phones and scratches to the phones' frames and back covers. The new iPhone 5 is said to be more susceptible to such markings.
A fight between workers and quality-control inspectors resulted in some injuries and people being taken to the hospital, China Labor Watch said.
"They have such high expectations for these products, even if you raise the demands a little bit it makes a huge difference to the pressure on the workers," Li Qiang, China Labor Watch's executive director, said in an interview.
He last heard from workers at the plant late Friday night and the strike had not been resolved, he said.
The strike at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory began at 1 p.m. local time and involved 3000 to 4000 workers, according to New York-based China Labor Watch, which said it received its information from workers at the plant.
The workers are upset about stricter quality-control requirements introduced for the new Apple smartphone, the labor group said. They are also upset at being made to work through a Chinese national holiday this week, it said.
"According to workers, multiple iPhone 5 production lines from various factory buildings were in a state of paralysis for the entire day," China Labor Watch said. It also reported that quality-control inspectors were attacked.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Foxconn, based in Taiwan, could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to confirm independently the number of workers striking.
It wouldn't be the first disruption at a Foxconn plant in China. Last month, 2000 workers rioted at a factory in Taiyuan after what workers described as aggressive behavior from security guards.
ABC NEWS
Foxconn factory assembly line
This latest incident followed tighter rules to prevent tiny indentations on the phones and scratches to the phones' frames and back covers. The new iPhone 5 is said to be more susceptible to such markings.
A fight between workers and quality-control inspectors resulted in some injuries and people being taken to the hospital, China Labor Watch said.
"They have such high expectations for these products, even if you raise the demands a little bit it makes a huge difference to the pressure on the workers," Li Qiang, China Labor Watch's executive director, said in an interview.
He last heard from workers at the plant late Friday night and the strike had not been resolved, he said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)