This may put people out of work but at least the suicide rates will do down I suppose.

This is good news isn’t it? The only reason most people currently have jobs is that it hasn’t been automated YET! We are all born into a life of servitude and if you are educated enough to know how the whole fake and legalized fraudulent monetary system works then you would understand what I’m talking about. In laymen terms “automation frees us from servitude” ***61514;

This may put people out of work but at least the suicide rates will do down I suppose.

I'm not so sure about that... I think its the opposite. Imagine 1+Million people been laid off and without work to feed families and pay bills and live in general... I really hope I'm wrong.

Why do I get the feeling the robots will turn out like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH7XCghlH7M

Foxconn & Apple should replace their CEOs with robots.

Foxconn & Apple should replace their CEOs with robots.

but then they would create skynet... and skynet being controlled by foxconn and apple......we dont have a chance cause android wont save us..

So many thoughts on this...none which I can verbalise on a forum, except perhaps one: If this is possible, why isn't Apple doing the manufacturing in the USA? As regardless of whether it will replace human beings in Foxconn, the systems maintenance and systems management positions would surely create jobs in the USA? It has always struck me as strange that (some) USA products are not manufactured in the USA, and now that the production lines can be (practically) fully-automated - the mid-management positions can be opened up to US citizens to produce fully/wholly USA Products. This would make the 'Manufactured in California' stamp actually mean something on an iPhone/iPad... This could also be applied to Microsoft manufacturing and a whole host of other products not currently made in the USA and make 'Made in USA' actually mean something and for people to, perhaps, be more patriotic of their consumer spending. That's about as far as I can take this topic.

So many thoughts on this...none which I can verbalise on a forum, except perhaps one: If this is possible, why isn't Apple doing the manufacturing in the USA? As regardless of whether it will replace human beings in Foxconn, the systems maintenance and systems management positions would surely create jobs in the USA? It has always struck me as strange that (some) USA products are not manufactured in the USA, and now that the production lines can be (practically) fully-automated - the mid-management positions can be opened up to US citizens to produce fully/wholly USA Products. This would make the 'Manufactured in California' stamp actually mean something on an iPhone/iPad... This could also be applied to Microsoft manufacturing and a whole host of other products not currently made in the USA and make 'Made in USA' actually mean something and for people to, perhaps, be more patriotic of their consumer spending. That's about as far as I can take this topic.

The cost of manufacturing in the US is significantly higher not just because of labor costs but taxes, environmental regulations, shipping infrastructure, etc. If I want to build a manufacturing plant in China I just buy the land and build the thing. In the US I have to do a million dollar environmental assessment on how migration patterns of local wildlife will be effected, rain water run off control, pollution prevention, etc. And that's just to start -- now that you're building it you run into all kind of interesting issues. Local population doesn't want a giant building in their area, it effects property value, petitions of the local government. Now you need to run an ad campaign about how it's bringing jobs and stuff to the area. You need an attorney involved. You need permits for everything. Working in an area with low income/minorities? Now the construction company you are hiring has to meet certain local requirements that inflate costs. 40% of their workforce/subcontracts have to be minorities or minority owned. Except in most cases that number is impossible meet given local union labor, so you need to hire minorities that aren't skilled in the particular field to just stand around so you can meet that requirement. All these employees are union, get paid $60+ an hour with benefits. Operators/Dock Builders/Steel workers/etc all make more. Specialized welder? $120+ an hour. To put it in perspective, the company my father works for did an assessment on a chemical manufacturing plant they were constructing. To build the plant in Newark, NJ would have cost $270M. To build it in China (which they ended up doing) was $90M. And that was just the construction. Shipping the products globally was 37% cheaper out of China then it was out of the US. Labor costs/property tax/environmental maintenance -- everything was far cheaper. Eric Schmidt, Ex-CEO of Google (Now on Board of Directors) talked about how US manufacturing would be superior due to increased quality control and turn around. And yet after only a year Google closed the Motorola manufacturing plant due to cost overhead. Moved all the jobs back overseas. I mean I don't think the US should obviously undo everything it has with environment/labor and stuff like that. But from a business perspective it just makes no sense to manufacture stuff here. Taxes are way to high. Cost of construction is way to high. The back of the iPhone says "Designed in California" it was designed here because designing things is the only thing immune to all the extra costs incurred from being in the US.

If this is possible, why isn't Apple doing the manufacturing in the USA? As regardless of whether it will replace human beings in Foxconn, the systems maintenance and systems management positions would surely create jobs in the USA?

Great question, but I'm guessing these robots are insanely annoying to calibrate, so it's still easier to pay low-wage employees and construct the factory over seas. Also, is Foxconn a Thai company, not American. Apple doesn't give a crap about anybody but themselves as long as they get what they want for the price they ask. If Foxconn is their provider because they have the price point Apple is looking for, then they're going to do things how they see fit.

It has always struck me as strange that (some) USA products are not manufactured in the USA, and now that the production lines can be (practically) fully-automated - the mid-management positions can be opened up to US citizens to produce fully/wholly USA Products. This would make the 'Manufactured in California' stamp actually mean something on an iPhone/iPad...

I agree, but as many Europeans fail to realize - the US got it's position as a world superpower because of capitalism. Personally, I hate it and wish this wasn't the case. But everything the US does that seems asinine or even cruel to its citizens is because someone is raking in unfathomable amounts of cash. If there's a cheaper way to do it, these people WILL do it. The problem is today, there are companies far more powerful than governments, and pay these governments (including the US govt) to make laws that abide by their demands. This is why SOPA almost happened, and why the US is so oil/war hungry. The president we vote for literally doesn't matter, because in the end they follow whoever gives them the most cash. I'm not sure how much the rest of the world follows in American politics but Obama is really no different than Bush at all, aside from the fact that he's charismatic and funny, which makes him look a lot less of an idiot. I have a huge respect for countries like Norway, Sweden, and Germany, where their politicians are (relatively) un-corrupted and do things for the good of their people. Their ideas are proven working, their citizens seem like great people, and while taxes may be high, I think they're worth every euro. I hope to move to one of those countries some day.

Glad Foxconn is able to modernize it's facilities.

Foxconn to deploy 10k robots on assembly lines to replace human

Will Smith unavailable for comment...

Let the iRobot revolution begin??

The cost of manufacturing in the US is significantly higher not just because of labor costs but taxes, environmental regulations, shipping infrastructure, etc. If I want to build a manufacturing plant in China I just buy the land and build the thing. In the US I have to do a million dollar environmental assessment on how migration patterns of local wildlife will be effected, rain water run off control, pollution prevention, etc. And that's just to start -- now that you're building it you run into all kind of interesting issues. Local population doesn't want a giant building in their area, it effects property value, petitions of the local government. Now you need to run an ad campaign about how it's bringing jobs and stuff to the area. You need an attorney involved. You need permits for everything. Working in an area with low income/minorities? Now the construction company you are hiring has to meet certain local requirements that inflate costs. 40% of their workforce/subcontracts have to be minorities or minority owned. Except in most cases that number is impossible meet given local union labor, so you need to hire minorities that aren't skilled in the particular field to just stand around so you can meet that requirement. All these employees are union, get paid $60+ an hour with benefits. Operators/Dock Builders/Steel workers/etc all make more. Specialized welder? $120+ an hour. To put it in perspective, the company my father works for did an assessment on a chemical manufacturing plant they were constructing. To build the plant in Newark, NJ would have cost $270M. To build it in China (which they ended up doing) was $90M. And that was just the construction. Shipping the products globally was 37% cheaper out of China then it was out of the US. Labor costs/property tax/environmental maintenance -- everything was far cheaper. Eric Schmidt, Ex-CEO of Google (Now on Board of Directors) talked about how US manufacturing would be superior due to increased quality control and turn around. And yet after only a year Google closed the Motorola manufacturing plant due to cost overhead. Moved all the jobs back overseas. I mean I don't think the US should obviously undo everything it has with environment/labor and stuff like that. But from a business perspective it just makes no sense to manufacture stuff here. Taxes are way to high. Cost of construction is way to high. The back of the iPhone says "Designed in California" it was designed here because designing things is the only thing immune to all the extra costs incurred from being in the US.

I don't necessarily disagree but Red One have none of the issues you mentioned and produce their cameras in California. With Apple and robotic production line mechanisms, you got a system which just needs technicians, not labour workers. I believe they are talking about a minuscule workforce, which could be American. Nothing to do with labour at all, but (forgive the term) computer nerds watching over robots. White collar, dudes and dudetes, just clicking buttons once in a while. And they could be in the states.

This is good news from top to bottom. More productivity, with less people hating their jobs-wanting to die.

This is good news isn’t it? The only reason most people currently have jobs is that it hasn’t been automated YET! We are all born into a life of servitude and if you are educated enough to know how the whole fake and legalized fraudulent monetary system works then you would understand what I’m talking about. In laymen terms “automation frees us from servitude” ***61514;

Frees you from the work and in turn from a job. It doesn't free you from the feudal serf system though. Regardless who makes the goods you will still be TAXED for them when they are sold. You will still ALSO pay property TAX to the crown on any house you lease or own, don't pay it and see who really owns that house... In short it takes your income away and when you cant pay the crown's taxes they steal what you have worth of value instead. They know how little the printed dollar is worth and will use it to steal any material of value while they still can... welcome to the reservation. As alluded to in the article... the change was most likely done so that Foxconn can lessen the burden of some of the human rights issues they are facing by starting to replace the workers with machines. If and when they could replace the human workforce 100%, there will be no hesitation to do so.

This is not a win for human right issue in china. This is only a win of achievement for those self proclaimed human right fighter. Foxconn working condition is deemed as 'inhuman' by western media and hence putting it into the spotlight while Foxconn working condition is one of the better one. After this move. lots of workers will have to move to a lesser environment and with more excessive workforce, the working environment becomes even harsher for those workers. If people are rejoiced because of this, then they have no right and business at all to fight for human rights in china as they have shown that they have no idea what its liked to worked in china and thus, doesn't know how to fight for people. This is why I hate third party who have no idea what the situation is to interfere with the system because they often superimposed their own standard into the whole ordeal and make it worse.

Dropping jobs in China? Lol .. recipe for disaster over there I guess.

For some jobs, the robot workers may potentially be a life saver. Aside from that, I feel sorry for those workers that may lose their jobs as a result of this change. That's really all I can say on this subject.