To ensure that design standards and quality are not compromised due to high consumer demand, Apple has ordered its Foxconn plant in China to slow down production. This instruction has come on the back of many iPhone 5 users complaining of scratches and chipping of its newly designed aluminium casing. And this is from devices straight out the box. Many economic analysts are projecting a substantial sales drop for the iPhone 5 during the final quarter of 2012.
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Bloomberg has compiled a report in which key areas have been identified for the consequent action. First and foremost, casing material being easily scratched. According to interviewed workers, the manufacturing process of the aluminium results in “apparent opportunities to scratch the soft metal exterior”, which accounts for scratches and imperfections found in newly delivered iPhones. This is certainly disconcerting for current and potential users.
Secondly, “chipping” being described as normal. Accompanying the scratches found on delivery, many users noticed their devices “chipping” and getting scratches with relatively little use. Apple marketing personnel attributed this to aluminum’s natural propensity to “scratch or chip with use”. This can only lead us to wonder, why not simply have a natural, silver finish as opposed to an “anodized” (coating method using electrical current) black one?
Lastly, its metal finish has caused tension between executives from both Apple and Foxconn (Group charged with iPhone 5 hardware production) to arise. The issue revolves around Foxconn’s inability to maintain quality standards while trying to keep up with production demands. The “tightened” quality standards resulted in a lack of viable materials for assembly.
With Apple now looking to ensure that its next shipment remains scratch-free, the only issues that users will have to deal with are malfunctioning Maps and purple-flaring cameras.
