Apple appears to be investing $5 billion in robots for Foxconn Factories

Apple and Foxconn have yet to confirm Seeking Alphaª's report which said Apple plans to invest up to $7 billion in robots and place them in Foxconn factories.

As I see it, this is an important story for at least three reasons:

Exclusivity - a strategic move on Apple's part to tie up a huge chunk of global robot and electronics production and stay ahead of the competition.

Forward thinking - by investing so much in robotics at this point in time, Apple retains it's leadership in manufacturing technology and product quality for the next few years.

Productivity - by deploying robots to do the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks previously done by low-paid humans, Apple will be improving not only it's image, but also work conditions, product quality, and worker efficiency.

No mention was made of Foxconn's launch last year of its own robot R&D and manufacturing facilities in Taiwan. Will Apple's investment supplement Foxconn's activity ?
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/06/apple-appears-to-be-investing-5-billio…

Apple is not the only consumer electronics giant planning to move to robotic production. Canon, one of the world's leading camera makers, has just announced that it will shift production of cameras back from China to Japan. The company plans to have a fully robotic plant in operation by 2015. Canon estimates that this could save it $4.82bn over a four-year period.

Canon also plans to develop a new generation of sophisticated vision systems that will enable the robots to handle the delicate task of making lenses and assembling tiny components. Like Apple, Canon plans to use robots to establish a competitive advantage of its rivals.

Apple is likely to sell around $95bn worth of iPhones this year, a number equal to the total sales of personal computers that will be sold in the USA and China. To add more context to that number, consider the following: The iPhone was launched five years ago.

( rpsoft v | 2012. 06. 30., szo – 00:15 )

Nekem az jutott erről eszembe (nem pontos idézet), hogy egy rosszabb van annál, amikor a multik kizsákmányolják a harmadik világ lakóit, az, amikor még csak ki sem zsákmányolják.
Emberi munkakörülményeket biztosítani drágább lenne, mint robotokra cserélni a dolgozókat, és lapátra tenni őket.

Ettől még természetesen racionális lépés, sokat kritizálták őket a foxconnál dúló viszonyok miatt, így meg némi befektetéssel olcsóbbá tehetik a termelést, úgy, hogy ezután senki nem szólhat egy rossz szót sem rájuk.