Foxconn Manufactures 137,000 iPhone 4 Handsets Each Day

The headline says it all, really. Foxconn, long-time Apple partner and iDevice manufacturer, manufactures 137,000 iPhone 4 handsets each and every day. Impressive, right? And, if you thought Steve Jobs' "200 apps a second" comment was cool, how about Foxconn's "90 iPhone 4 handsets a minute" claim? That's one and a half iPhones every second. Blink. There's another. Foxconn's manufacturing feats are displayed in BusinessWeek's profile of Terry Gou: "the man who makes your iPhone." As Foxconn's founder, Gou has a pretty interesting life story (he built the company out of nothing).

However, the figures behind Foxconn's many factories, which are revealed in the article, are of obvious interest to Apple fans. And, 137,000 iPhone 4 handsets produced every day is undoubtedly a great figure. The question on my mind (and probably on yours, too) is whether Foxconn's manufacturing rate comes at a cost. And, the answer, most probably, is yes. As the article itself states:

Foxconn founder Terry Gou might be regarded as Henry Ford reincarnated if only a dozen of his workers hadn’t killed themselves this year.

BusinessWeek's article is lengthly, but definitely worth checking out if you have the time. You can find it here. And, as always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments box below! [Image credit: BusinessWeek, and thanks to 9to5Mac for spotting this!]

Related articles