Apple Plans to Repurpose Mesa, Arizona Sapphire Plant to Preserve Jobs

Apple is not planning to abandon its now-defunct Mesa, Arizona sapphire facility, reports Bloomberg . The company has told city officials that it remains committed to bringing jobs and manufacturing to Mesa, Arizona, following the bankruptcy that caused hundreds of GT Advanced employees to be laid off.

"They've indicated their commitment to us: They want to repurpose that building and use it again," Mesa City Manager Christopher Brady said in a recent interview. Apple has said it's focused "on preserving jobs in Arizona" and promised to "work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps."

Back in October, Apple confirmed in a statement that it would look for other ways to utilize its Mesa, Arizona facility, stating that it "remained committed to the city" and planned to help GT Advanced employees who had been impacted by the bankruptcy to find new jobs.



Apple initially chose Mesa, Arizona as the site for its sapphire facility after city officials agreed to expedite permitting approvals, build out power infrastructure, and cut property taxes. Apple insisted on 100 percent renewable energy for the facility, which required the city to construct a new power substation.




GT Advanced sapphire facility image via Cult of Mac


Mesa also planned to leverage Apple's presence in the city with the creation of a new technology corridor in the area, with several other companies having already expressed interest in being located near Apple.

"Apple could've invested in a facility literally anywhere in the world," said Mesa Mayor John Giles, who is planning to visit Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, to show the city's support. "There's a reason they came here, and none of those reasons have changed."

Apple and GT Advanced reached an agreement to end their partnership back in October, and under the terms of the deal, GT Advanced will wind down operations at the sapphire plant in Arizona before officially closing up shop in December. At the current time, most of the company's employees have already been laid off, while remaining staff cleans and decommissions sapphire furnaces to be sold.



It is unclear how Apple will repurpose the facility, but the company has been working hard to bring more Mac production to the United States. Apple's Mac Pro, released in late 2013, was the first Apple product line to be assembled in the United States as a result of the company's efforts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.

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Posted in 2014 at 12:44AM, November 19

Apple Bans Two Hazardous Chemicals From Final iPhone Assembly Process

Apple announced today that it is banning the use of benzene and n-hexande, two potentially hazardous chemicals, during final assembly for both iPhone and iPad, according to the Associated Press. Benzene is a carcinogen that has been linked to leukemia when not handled properly and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.

The decision announced Wednesday comes five months after the activist groups China Labor Watch and Green America launched a petition drive calling on Apple Inc. to abandon the use of benzene and n-hexane in the production of iPhones.

The Cupertino company conducted a four-month investigation at 22 factories and found no evidence that either benzene or n-hexane endangered the 500,000 workers at those factories. Four of the factories had traces of the two chemicals at "acceptable safety levels" while the other 18 contained no trace of either.



Still, Apple decided to order its suppliers to stop using the two chemicals for final assembly for iPhones, iPads, Macs, iPods and accessories. The factories will also be required to test all substances to make sure the chemicals aren't present, even if they're not listed in the ingredients. The two chemicals are often found in cleaner used on machinery and electronics.



However, Apple will still allow benzene and n-hexane at plants responsible for the early production phase of its devices, which are, for the most part, different from the final assembly plants. Apple is lowering the maximum amount of the two chemicals that can be used during early processes.



Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP of environmental initiatives, told the AP that the company wanted to be "responsive to concerns" and "crack down on chemical exposures".

"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."

The two chemicals aren't exclusively used by Apple's manufacturing processes, as other large tech companies have faced the same criticisms. Small traces of benzene can also be found in gasoline, cigarettes, paints, glues and more.

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Posted in 2014 at 12:44AM, August 14

Alleged iPhone 6 Back Cover Shown Off n New Photo

Despite a variety of iPhone 6 mockups and case leaks, there haven't been as many part leaks for the iPhone 6 outside of what could be the front panel of the device, the backlight panel and the possible batteries. Now, Macfixit Australia has obtained what looks to be the back cover for the 4.7-inch silver iPhone 6.





Like many of the mockups, this photo also includes the antenna breaks near the top and bottom portions of the back. It also appears to have a green film on top of it, with silver poking through near the camera and flash holes near the top, indicating that this could be the white / silver iPhone 6. The cover also appears to be made out of a thin metal and includes clear cutouts for the camera and flash, unlike a lot of mockups, which also adds some weight to its possible authenticity.



The cover also appears to have the much-rumored round corners, which are similar to the design of the iPod Touch. This also keeps the iPhone in line with both the iPad Mini and iPad Air, which have more rounded back corners.



Aside from larger 4.7 and 5.5-inch displays, the iPhone 6 is rumored to have an improved A8 processor, an improved camera with optical image stabilization, new backlighting technology and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

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Posted in 2014 at 12:44AM, May 30

Apple Working With Shazam on Song Identification Capabilities for iOS 8

Apple is working on a song identification feature as a new addition to iOS 8, reports Bloomberg . The company has plans to partner with music discovery service Shazam to offer users a way to discover a song that is playing on the radio or from another source, such as a TV, using a small music clip.

The company is planning to unveil a song-discovery feature in an update of its iOS mobile software that will let users identify a song and its artist using an iPhone or iPad, said two people with knowledge of the product, who asked not to be identified because the feature isn’t public. Apple is partnering with Shazam Entertainment Ltd., whose technology can quickly spot what’s playing by collecting sound from a phone’s microphone and matching it against a song database.

Along with Shazam , several other apps, including SoundHound , offer music and media identification capabilities. The apps use the iPhone’s microphone to listen to short sound clips, matching songs against a database and providing additional information like lyrics and purchase links.



Shazam is also capable of recognizing television shows and other media, so it is possible Apple’s iOS identification feature could offer similar capabilities. According to Bloomberg, the feature will be directly integrated into iOS and will not need to be downloaded as a standalone app. It will function with Siri, allowing users to ask what song is playing.

The song-identification feature will be integrated into the mobile software in the same way that Twitter Inc.’s service is currently incorporated, meaning consumers don’t need to separately download it. Among the ways it can be used will be through Apple's voice-activated search feature, Siri. An iPhone user will be able to say something like "what song is playing," to find out the tune’s details, one person said.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Apple has plans to revamp its iTunes music store in order to boost flagging digital music sales. The company is said to be considering iTunes for Android and an on-demand streaming music service similar to Spotify. A song identification feature could be released as part of the same iTunes overhaul, and it’s also possible that high resolution song downloads are in the works.

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Posted in 2014 at 12:44AM, April 17