Oh boy, more wind blown to the rumor mills grinding out hopes for a 3G iPhone, says we. But this one looks more promising, because it's allegedly pointing now at Foxconn, the manufacturers behind the first iPhone. The Taiwan-based company is expected to rev up its iPhone churning machines again, but this time for 3G-capable units that are reportedly slated to ship in June. Let's spin the mill faster and get a load of more speculations at the full story, shall we?

 

The DigiTimes reports that Apple plans to launch new iPods featuring Wi-Fi by the second half of 2007.  Universal Scientific Industrial is reportedly set to produce the Wi-Fi modules needed for the new iPods and Foxconn will contribute as the OEM system assembler.

Don't expect to see the new Wi-Fi iPods as soon as the second half of the year starts though, because while USI will begin their shipments this April, Foxconn may only do so come the third quarter, or so the DigiTimes reports.

Given that Sony and Samsung are also planning to offer similar Wi-Fi products, the feature could be mainstream by the end of the year.

If this report is true, by 2007, we'll have a new contraption to tinker with and love. The China Times reported that Apple's hyped and anticipated iPod cell phone will arrive either on the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2007. According to the said report, the device will merge iPod technology with traditional cell phone capabilities and will reportedly sport a 2 mega pixel camera.

The report also mentioned that Foxconn will begin delivering around 500,000 - 600,000 iPhones per month beginning in February 2007, to the Steve Jobs camp, from their Fushikang manufacturing facility.

This indicates that the Apple mobile thingamajig will initially be available only in a single model. Aside from that, the makers of the iconic iPod reportedly enlisted the guidance and expertise of several component suppliers in the hope that they would bring fresh inputs and ideas to the table.

Some of these tapped "experts" is Foxconn's subsidiary AlusTech, which will be helping out in the fabrication of the digicam module; Largan, which will supply the camera lens; and Micron which will take care of the CMOS image sensor. There were also reports that big-time companies such as Intel, Sharp, Tripod Tech, Broadcom, and Sunrex will also be on board as they will help out in the memory, LCM display, circuit board, baseband chip and keypad. Surely, Apple is not taking any chances on this one.

And since the iPod has become so popular largely because of its sleek design, the Cupertino based company also asked for the help of Catcher Tech to mold and manufacture the phone's outer housing. 

With all that info, we think that the only missing tidbit here is the price tag. Let's wait for more developments as the days come by.

Alright, after ALL of those rumors about the possibility or existence of the legendary iPhone (or for the nit-picky, "a mobile phone unit made by Apple") here comes yet another piece of meat to add to the already neck-high stack of so-called juicy bits.

Forbes.com has reported that the Taiwanese company Hon Hai (otherwise known as Foxconn in other countries) has just won a contract from Apple which will have the company churning out 15-inch Macbooks for delivery in January, as well as "12 million mobile handsets that also function as music players". Oooh. The report then goes on to say that the said mobile handsets are expected to be launched by the first half of 2007, though no other details of the deal have been revealed.

On the other hand, many are still speculating if perhaps this could all just be a mistranslation, and that "mobile handsets that also function as music players" may actually have been more of "handheld MP3 players", or iPods.

iPhone, are you for real? Once again, it all becomes a matter of waiting for official announcements. Until then, we can just wonder of Apple's phones will be using a click-wheel.

Hongfujin Precision Industry Co., the contracted manufacturer of Apple's iPod media jukebox have filed lawsuits against two Chinese journalists who wrote articles about working conditions at factories where iPods are made. According to Chinese press, Hongfujin, which is a subsidiary of TaiwanÂ?s Hon Hai Precision Industry Ltd.Â?s Foxconn Technology Group, is seeking 30 million renminbi (US$3.77 million) in damages from the two journalists.

Published articles written by the two journalists accused Apple and Hongfujin Precision Industry Co. of exploiting workers at their factory in southern China. The Shenzhen Intermediate Court, which accepted the case, froze the assets of the two reporters, Weng Bao and Wang You. The journalist rights group Reporters Without Borders have requested that the iPod contractor drop the lawsuit, but as of yet no news on Hongfujin Precision Industry Co.'s reply has surfaced.

A couple of weeks ago, Apple responded to iPod "sweatshop" accusation and reassured the public that the company is committed to ensuring that workers are treated with respect and dignity. It didn't take long for Shanghai Business Review to defend Apple to defend Apple, even saying that quality of factories in China are better than in Europe. Of course, the accused, Foxconn had already spoken. And it continues to speak, but this time, bashing domestic and international media for the irresponsible reporting without independent verification of the actual working conditions in Foxconn's iPod plants.

Edmund Ding, speaking on behalf of Foxconn Electronics (registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry), has submitted a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange strongly criticizing the media for erroneously reporting less than humane conditions in its iPod factories in China. Again, Foxconn has denied allegations of sweatshop conditions in light of reports that the company has admitted to breaking labor laws in China, by asking employees to work 80 extra hours every month and only giving an equivalent of $50 in pay.

In response, Ding stated that Foxconn pays an overtime rate equivalent or better than that required by Chinese laws. He further stated that "Foxconn does not comment about customer information, much less make a public announcement on behalf of a customer."

Despite earlier denials, Foxconn, an original equipment manufacturer for Apple's iPod, reportedly admitted it is breaking labor laws in China, according to China CSR. China CSR is a corporate social responsibility website that mainly focuses on labor situations in the most populous nation on Earth.

Foxconn allegedly 'fessed that their employees work about 80 extra hours each month, a practice which is not legal in China. According to Chinese labor laws, employees cannot be forced to work more than 36 extra hours a month. However, Foxconn says its complicated salary structure has caused misunderstanding among the media, and the company has paid the workers according to the minimum salary standards of the Shenzhen local government. 

The company also claimed Apple has already sent a special investigation team but found no evidence of the allegations of the sweatshop conditions at iPod City. While the China CSR report has surfaced on various sites, it cannot be confirmed if the reports were true.

It is not news that Apple Computer - which promotes the image as a "young, hip" progressive company - does a great deal of manufacturing through partners in Asia. What is making news is that its Chinese partner, Foxconn, has been running a sweat-shop operation that breaks even Beijing's lax labor laws. Workers in the i-Pod factory have been forced to work an average of 80 extra hours every month.

Workers in China can be forced to work up to 36 extra hours a month without having to worry about penalties, but according to Chinese authorities, 80 hours was a bit much.

Foxconn spokesperson Li Zong assured authorities that workers had been paid the minimum salary as dictated by local ordinance in Shenzen.

What is turning into Steve Job's (well-deserved, if I dare say so myself) PR nightmare - is that a team from the corporate offices in Cupertino visited the iPod factory, investigated its operations, and publicly declared that all was well.

Well, its not for us who bring you the news to make judgements about such things...but I think the photo of "I-Pod City" below speaks volumes.

In the meantime, you might consider foregoing that new I-Pod purchase. Get a slightly used one on E-Bay, instead.