6 ms·

Alleged Foxconn insiders leaked details about Apple’s forthcoming devices

54 points by nodesocket 9y ago

singularity2001 9y ago
looks like a hoax to me
- masklinn 9y ago
  While possible, it's mod-verified[0] and IIRC at least the second time they've done this, the previous one being[1] [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_insider_with_information_on_next_12/dief0d0/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_... [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/572ds6/video_tip_of_apples_new_smart_macbook_and_smart/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/572ds6/video_tip_of_...
sudhirj 9y ago
Sounds a little farfetched. These employees know they're completely burned in the industry if Apple / Foxconn finds out who they are, and they still send the Reddit mods verifying documents? That's career suicide.
- Inconel 9y ago
  I believe the leakers stated that they are not current employees of Foxconn, perhaps they are former employees, but they have access to multiple sources and sell the information they obtain to market analysts.
- gwern 9y ago
  Both the leakers and subreddit mods are just begging for some administrative subpoenas to Reddit to dump their accounts for industrial espionage or trade secret charges. Speaking from personal experience here, Reddit can't and won't defend your information.
  - sasas 9y ago
    > Speaking from personal experience here, Reddit can't and won't defend your information. Could you elaborate on your experience?
    - gcb0 9y ago
      not a journalist. done, not much to argue with the court. but regardless, this is either fake or false flag. most of the new campus is people working on map quality because of apple car and it's not mentioned
    - gwern 9y ago
      See https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/30tudk/psa_5_reddit_accounts_subpoenaed_by_ice/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/30tudk/psa_... ; I also discuss how easy to get and unlimited administrative subpoenas are.
- i336_ 9y ago
  From this subthread: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_insider_with_information_on_next_12/diheows/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_... >> You are giving away evidence about you and your mates identities ! > Apple knows about us already. We had a visit earlier today. I'm legal counsel, what we are doing is legal, however frowned upon. I am really curious how that works out. Could this also point to a fragmented Apple that wants to share (perhaps to refine last-minute details?) but can't due to embargoes?
slezyr 9y ago
> That's career suicide. That would be something new for Foxconn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides
- Inconel 9y ago
  I don't wish to make light of any suicides or potential worker mistreatment at Foxconn, but it's important to keep in mind that when the Foxconn suicide nets made the news there were 14 reported suicides that year. Foxconn has something around one million employees. It's possible that the number of suicides was under reported but it's important to keep in mind that China's suicide rate is somewhere around 22 per 100k residents and the US's hovers somewhere around 10-13 per 100k residents. 14 suicides for a company of Foxconn's size doesn't seem particularly unusual, except for maybe being below national average.
  - dilemma 9y ago
    This is a BS comparison. People do not usually kill themselves at work.
    - Inconel 9y ago
      I'm not an expert on suicides so I'm going to take your word for that as it seems logical to me. You've piqued my interest though and I'd love to learn where most suicides take place, I would assume at home. With that being said, and to make clear I'm not an expert on Foxconn's corporate workings, but doesn't Foxconn offer housing at many of their campuses? It was my understanding that their larger factories are basically Foxconn cities where employees both live and work. I would assume many of these suicides took place at Foxconn facilities but not while actually working.
      - bshimmin 9y ago
        According to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988/Mass-suicide-protest-at-Apple-manufacturer-Foxconn-factory.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988... the, er, modus moriendi appears to be throwing themselves from the roofs of the Foxconn buildings.
samsolomon 9y ago
If true, I'm a bit bummed that the full iMac redesign is coming in 2018 instead of at the end of this year. I have a 2011 MBA that is starting to show it's age. I was thinking a new iMac would be it's replacement. Also, it would also be amazing for Apple to add Mag Safe connectors back to their laptops. Certainly, there must have been a sharp rise in destroyed laptops at coffee shops for them to backtrack?
- snuxoll 9y ago
  I'm quite happy with the current iMac myself, I just bought a refurbished 27" at the end of April and don't have many complaints. If there was one, it would be how ludicrously expensive SSD's are from Apple compared to the cost of standard NVME drives, I ended up deciding the fusion drive in the refurb model I bought was "good enough" since I didn't want to spend the extra money buying a new machine plus another $200 or so to upgrade to a 512GB SSD.
- valuearb 9y ago
  I'm betting they always planned to bring it back. It's a unique product differentiator, and they probably only dropped it because of difficulties adapting it to USB-C quickly enough for the last launch.
joshstrange 9y ago
I had no pressing need to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro and I'm glad I've waited but the reintroduction of the magsafe charger would be pretty awesome. As much as I want that I don't know if I can see Apple backtracking on that, but I'd love to be wrong. Also no USB-C on the new iPhone is slightly disappointing even if it does mean I don't have to buy all new cables.
- Simulacra 9y ago
  Has Apple ever backtracked on something as significant as the MagSafe?
  - joshstrange 9y ago
    Nothing comes to mind, I think there is about as much chance of that happening as them bringing back the headphone jack...
    - Simulacra 9y ago
      Maybe I'm in the minority, but removing the headphone jack completely pushed me away from the iPhone. It also really put into perspective the rest of their product line and how I could probably do better
      - valuearb 9y ago
        It didn't hurt their sales, so it looks like an okay decision from a product perspective.
        TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
        We don't know it didn't hurt their sales. It's quite possible sales would have been higher if they'd worked out a way to keep it. As a single data point, the loss of the headphone jack was the sole reason I didn't buy a 7.
udev 9y ago
So no progress on Mac Pro, which is weird, because we know Apple is working on it.
- e40 9y ago
  I thought the Mac Pro was made in the US, so why would Foxconn even know?
  - udev 9y ago
    I was talking about the cheese grater Mac Pro revamp that Apple seems to be working on. Not sure that one is made in US.
- intoverflow2 9y ago
  From the wording of the announcement it sounded like it was a project <3 months old at the time. They specifically said it wouldn't be this year too. Honestly for well over a year now it felt like the Pro was officially canned and ATP podcast reported from an insider that literally no one was working on it as soon as Q4 2016. My thinking is there was a change of direction internally and a decision the future of Apple still required the talent and community of pro users rather than just embracing the mainstream full on and hoping that pros will be happy with iPads.
nodesocket 9y ago
Just curious, but since when do HN mods get to change a post title without saying so? This was not the title I posted.

54 points by nodesocket 9y ago

singularity2001 9y ago

looks like a hoax to me

masklinn 9y ago
While possible, it's mod-verified[0] and IIRC at least the second time they've done this, the previous one being[1] [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_insider_with_information_on_next_12/dief0d0/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_... [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/572ds6/video_tip_of_apples_new_smart_macbook_and_smart/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/572ds6/video_tip_of_...

sudhirj 9y ago

Sounds a little farfetched. These employees know they're completely burned in the industry if Apple / Foxconn finds out who they are, and they still send the Reddit mods verifying documents? That's career suicide.

Inconel 9y ago
I believe the leakers stated that they are not current employees of Foxconn, perhaps they are former employees, but they have access to multiple sources and sell the information they obtain to market analysts.
gwern 9y ago
Both the leakers and subreddit mods are just begging for some administrative subpoenas to Reddit to dump their accounts for industrial espionage or trade secret charges. Speaking from personal experience here, Reddit can't and won't defend your information.
- sasas 9y ago
  > Speaking from personal experience here, Reddit can't and won't defend your information. Could you elaborate on your experience?
  - gcb0 9y ago
    not a journalist. done, not much to argue with the court. but regardless, this is either fake or false flag. most of the new campus is people working on map quality because of apple car and it's not mentioned
  - gwern 9y ago
    See https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/30tudk/psa_5_reddit_accounts_subpoenaed_by_ice/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/30tudk/psa_... ; I also discuss how easy to get and unlimited administrative subpoenas are.
i336_ 9y ago
From this subthread: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_insider_with_information_on_next_12/diheows/ https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_... >> You are giving away evidence about you and your mates identities ! > Apple knows about us already. We had a visit earlier today. I'm legal counsel, what we are doing is legal, however frowned upon. I am really curious how that works out. Could this also point to a fragmented Apple that wants to share (perhaps to refine last-minute details?) but can't due to embargoes?

slezyr 9y ago

> That's career suicide. That would be something new for Foxconn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides

Inconel 9y ago
I don't wish to make light of any suicides or potential worker mistreatment at Foxconn, but it's important to keep in mind that when the Foxconn suicide nets made the news there were 14 reported suicides that year. Foxconn has something around one million employees. It's possible that the number of suicides was under reported but it's important to keep in mind that China's suicide rate is somewhere around 22 per 100k residents and the US's hovers somewhere around 10-13 per 100k residents. 14 suicides for a company of Foxconn's size doesn't seem particularly unusual, except for maybe being below national average.
- dilemma 9y ago
  This is a BS comparison. People do not usually kill themselves at work.
  - Inconel 9y ago
    I'm not an expert on suicides so I'm going to take your word for that as it seems logical to me. You've piqued my interest though and I'd love to learn where most suicides take place, I would assume at home. With that being said, and to make clear I'm not an expert on Foxconn's corporate workings, but doesn't Foxconn offer housing at many of their campuses? It was my understanding that their larger factories are basically Foxconn cities where employees both live and work. I would assume many of these suicides took place at Foxconn facilities but not while actually working.
    - bshimmin 9y ago
      According to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988/Mass-suicide-protest-at-Apple-manufacturer-Foxconn-factory.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988... the, er, modus moriendi appears to be throwing themselves from the roofs of the Foxconn buildings.

samsolomon 9y ago

If true, I'm a bit bummed that the full iMac redesign is coming in 2018 instead of at the end of this year. I have a 2011 MBA that is starting to show it's age. I was thinking a new iMac would be it's replacement. Also, it would also be amazing for Apple to add Mag Safe connectors back to their laptops. Certainly, there must have been a sharp rise in destroyed laptops at coffee shops for them to backtrack?

snuxoll 9y ago
I'm quite happy with the current iMac myself, I just bought a refurbished 27" at the end of April and don't have many complaints. If there was one, it would be how ludicrously expensive SSD's are from Apple compared to the cost of standard NVME drives, I ended up deciding the fusion drive in the refurb model I bought was "good enough" since I didn't want to spend the extra money buying a new machine plus another $200 or so to upgrade to a 512GB SSD.
valuearb 9y ago
I'm betting they always planned to bring it back. It's a unique product differentiator, and they probably only dropped it because of difficulties adapting it to USB-C quickly enough for the last launch.

joshstrange 9y ago

I had no pressing need to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro and I'm glad I've waited but the reintroduction of the magsafe charger would be pretty awesome. As much as I want that I don't know if I can see Apple backtracking on that, but I'd love to be wrong. Also no USB-C on the new iPhone is slightly disappointing even if it does mean I don't have to buy all new cables.

Simulacra 9y ago
Has Apple ever backtracked on something as significant as the MagSafe?
- joshstrange 9y ago
  Nothing comes to mind, I think there is about as much chance of that happening as them bringing back the headphone jack...
  - Simulacra 9y ago
    Maybe I'm in the minority, but removing the headphone jack completely pushed me away from the iPhone. It also really put into perspective the rest of their product line and how I could probably do better
    - valuearb 9y ago
      It didn't hurt their sales, so it looks like an okay decision from a product perspective.
      - TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
        We don't know it didn't hurt their sales. It's quite possible sales would have been higher if they'd worked out a way to keep it. As a single data point, the loss of the headphone jack was the sole reason I didn't buy a 7.

udev 9y ago

So no progress on Mac Pro, which is weird, because we know Apple is working on it.

e40 9y ago
I thought the Mac Pro was made in the US, so why would Foxconn even know?
- udev 9y ago
  I was talking about the cheese grater Mac Pro revamp that Apple seems to be working on. Not sure that one is made in US.
intoverflow2 9y ago
From the wording of the announcement it sounded like it was a project <3 months old at the time. They specifically said it wouldn't be this year too. Honestly for well over a year now it felt like the Pro was officially canned and ATP podcast reported from an insider that literally no one was working on it as soon as Q4 2016. My thinking is there was a change of direction internally and a decision the future of Apple still required the talent and community of pro users rather than just embracing the mainstream full on and hoping that pros will be happy with iPads.

nodesocket 9y ago

Just curious, but since when do HN mods get to change a post title without saying so? This was not the title I posted.