Apple manufacturer Foxconn announces record $131.8 billion earnings

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn workers in Shenzhen will not report next week until further notice.
Photo: Foxconn

Having reportedly snagged the bulk of iPhone 6 orders from Apple, Taiwanese manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry, a.k.a. Foxconn, has every reason to be happy.

Earlier today it announced record breaking consolidated revenues of $131.82 billion for last year, while company chairman Terry Gou commented that he expects this year’s earnings to be even better.

Interestingly, Gou had some choice words to say about wearables, however — which is slightly surprising given how closely the company’s success is tied to Apple, which is expected to enter the wearables market with its forthcoming iWatch, supposedly coming this October.

Speaking about the future of mass market tech, Gou dismissed wearable devices —  saying that they headed in two development directions: one being as a fashion accessory, and the other an extension of smartphones. Gou believes that neither direction will go all that far.

His superior idea for development? Smart robots. Foxconn has been pursuing this line of business for some time, and has separated it into two main fields: robots for factories, and robots for consumers — which are used for applications such as enterprise activities or medical care.

Gou did, however, leave some wiggle room in his comments, by saying that wearable devices which combine with personal health monitors have the potential to become useful, while the existence of a strong ecosystem to support the device will help make it more than just a short-term toy.

Foxconn is the second-largest phone handset maker in the world in terms of annual shipments, with only Samsung shipping more units. It is also the world’s largest tablet maker.

Source: DigiTimes

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