January 2014 - apple-list - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

INTEREST: Foxconn employees charged allegedly accepting kickbacks
by Wayne Billing 26 Jan '14

26 Jan '14

[Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., trading as Foxconn Technology Group, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company headquartered in Tucheng, New Taipei,Taiwan. It is the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, and the fourth-largest information technology company by revenue. Foxconn is primarily an original design manufacturer and its clients include major American, European, and Japanese electronics and information technology companies. Notable products that the company manufactures include the BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Playstation 4, Wii, and Wii U. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn] ...from: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/23/foxconn-employees-bribes/ Former Foxconn Employees Charged with Accepting Bribes from Supply Chain Partners Thursday January 23, 2014 6:42 am PST by Kelly Hodgkins Several former Foxconn employees have been charged in Taiwan for allegedly accepting kickbacks from partner companies in Foxconn's supply chain, reports The Wall Street Journal<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405270230485650457933754237101…>. According to the report, a former general manager is being held on bribery charges and three former employees are released on bail. However, Apple and other Foxconn clients are not being investigated as authorities do not believe those companies were involved in the kickback scheme. [foxconn-iphone_production] The bribery allegations were made public last year when an internal Foxconn audit revealed several employees were accepting kickbacks from supply chain companies. Foxconn then acknowledged the criminal activity and turned the employee(s) over to the Chinese police for investigation. "We can also confirm that our internal investigation found these violations to be limited to the procurement of consumables and accessory equipment related to a small part of our business," Foxconn said in a statement. "The employees in question are no longer with our company." The charges come as Foxconn has been under fire multiple times in recent years for labor violations. The company has also been working with Apple to improve conditions for employees in its city-like factories, but it has been a slow process. After agreeing in 2012 to examine worker pay and limit working hours, a recent Fair Labor Association report<http://www.macrumors.com/2013/12/12/foxconn-and-apple-make-strides-towards-…>shows the company now is meeting the FLA's 60-hour work week, but still exceeds China's legal limit for weekly working hours and overtime.

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INTEREST: Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report: recent attack methods
by Wayne Billing 26 Jan '14

26 Jan '14

While most of the "Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report" is behind a userID and password, they have put the following information on the download page: ...from: http://www.cisco.com/web/offers/lp/2014-annual-security-report/index.html [cid:4A58B22B-7A84-4453-AF88-11438CA0C491]

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INTEREST: LA Board of Education to bring iPads to 40 campuses
by Wayne Billing 15 Jan '14

15 Jan '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/15/la-board-of-education-approves-115-million-de… LA Board of Education approves $115-million deal to bring iPads to classrooms<http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/15/la-board-of-education-approves-115-million-de…> [cid:56665592-656E-4236-8833-26A9BC78AA8D] In an ongoing effort to equip more classrooms with tablets and computers, the Los Angeles Board of Education has green lighted a plan to distribute and integrate iPads in nearly 40 campuses throughout the school district, the Los Angeles Times<http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lausd-20140115,0,5059681.story#axzz2qUB0…> reports. The deal which was approved allots $115 million for deploying between 40,000 and 70,000 tablets to classrooms for use by students and teachers used especially for spring-scheduled standardized testing. While the final count has yet to be determined, the agreement approved by the education board omits a specific limit on number of iPads deployed. The board and district superintendent have both expressed plans to expedite the deployment, though that effort has not been without critics looking to spend more time on the plan specifics. Board member Monica Garcia said moving quickly was an educational imperative. “The whole point of this program is to revolutionize instruction,” Garcia said. Low-income students don’t get access “to what is a part of all our worlds today…. I don’t understand how cutting back what’s good is good for kids.” LA Times also reports the district will pay $768 per device which is relatively higher than what other districts spend, but includes network upgrades to the schools as well as iPad-specific curriculum for the classrooms. Officials representing the school district appear to be in talks with Apple on discounted tablet pricing for devices used solely for student testing where a curriculum may not be necessary.

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