Apple supplier Foxconn buys Belkin, Linksys, Wemo for $866M

Posted:
in General Discussion edited March 2018
A subsidiary of longtime Apple supply partner Foxconn on Monday announced the acquisition of popular accessory maker Belkin, which also owns Linksys, Phyn and Wemo brands, for approximately $866 million.




Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited and Belkin revealed the move in a joint statement published to Belkin's website, saying the acquisition will be accomplished in an all-cash deal.

"FIT is excited to acquire Belkin and its capabilities in the premium consumer products space," said Sidney Lu, CEO of FIT. "Integrating Belkin's best-in-class capabilities and solutions into FIT, we expect to enrich our portfolio of premium consumer products and accelerate our penetration into the smart home."

Belkin was founded in California some 35 years ago, subsequently making a name for itself as a quality peripheral manufacturer during the personal computing boom. Starting with an assortment of add-on devices like surge protectors, USB hubs and, of course, cables, Belkin went on to capitalize on Apple's renaissance with iPod products in the early 2000s.

Currently, the company produces a range of goods serving owners of computers, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other electronics. Belkin addresses the burgeoning connected home segment with a separate brand called Wemo.

In 2013, Belkin entered the networking hardware business with the purchase of Linksys, bringing the former Cisco entity and manufacturer of routers, switches and other equipment into the fold.

Most recently, Belkin and plumbing supplier Uponor in 2016 partnered to establish new company called Phyn. The firm's first product, an iPhone-connected water monitoring device dubbed Phyn Plus, debuted at CES earlier this year.

Under terms of the agreement with Foxconn, Belkin will continue to operate as a subsidiary of FIT with CEO and founder Chet Pipkin at the helm. Pipkin is expected to join FIT's management team as part of the arrangement.

According to the Financial Times, the merger must be approved by the U.S. Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment, which recently took exception to chipmaker Broadcom's hostile pursuit of rival Qualcomm.

President Donald Trump quashed the Broadcom takeover citing national security risks, perhaps putting Foxconn's purchase of Belkin, which includes networking technology, on shaky ground. Foxconn is, however, a major investor in the U.S., having announced plans to complete a $10 billion LCD factory in Wisconsin by 2020.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    magman1979zroger73anton zuykovcornchip
  • Reply 2 of 23
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    Neither is Linksys. 
    magman1979mdriftmeyerzroger73anton zuykovcornchip
  • Reply 3 of 23
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    willcropointdysamoriaanton zuykovwatto_cobracornchip
  • Reply 4 of 23
    h2ph2p Posts: 329member
    ... quashed the Broadcom takeover citing national security risks, perhaps putting Foxconn's purchase of Belkin, which includes networking technology, on shaky ground...

     I’m thinking this acquisition will get approved. They make wireless chargers, cables and accessories. Not super high tech... Unless Linksys or some other subsidy that they own is a defense contractor.
  • Reply 5 of 23
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    h2p said:
    ... quashed the Broadcom takeover citing national security risks, perhaps putting Foxconn's purchase of Belkin, which includes networking technology, on shaky ground...

     I’m thinking this acquisition will get approved. They make wireless chargers, cables and accessories. Not super high tech... Unless Linksys or some other subsidy that they own is a defense contractor.
    And since Belkin products last about two weeks before breaking down, there’s limited scope for long term damage to National security. 
    edited March 2018 magman1979GG1buzdotscornchip
  • Reply 6 of 23
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,292member
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    cornchip
  • Reply 7 of 23
    rain22rain22 Posts: 132member
    Belkin used to have the best cables and adapters back in the 90’s. 
    Havn’t bought anything else from them other than those products. Interesting to hear their quality isn’t there anymore.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 8 of 23
    Of all the Lightning cables I’ve used, only Belkin’s has caused RF interference that kept TouchID from working when plugged in. They also make a USB-C cable that will let you see, but not transfer, files from a GoPro. Good riddance.
    colinngdysamoriacornchip
  • Reply 9 of 23
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    My personal experience of both those companies products differs greatly to yours; I have had Belkin cables, cases and chargers that have lasted years and a few Anker chargers and cables that have actually arrived DOA or only lasted a few weeks before needing to be returned. Both offer decent bang-for-buck if you get a good one however.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,625member
    For your average consumer, both Belkin and Linksys have international brand recognition and strong distribution operations.

    Amazon and Amazon reviews will eventually erode that advantage if they can't build a portfolio of products that truly deliver on the premium promise.

    Personally, my experience with Belkin hasn't been too bad. My Linksys products worked but were not very secure out of the box. Security support was poor too. I had to hunt down alternative firmwares for them. On a hardware level they were solid though.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    d_2d_2 Posts: 117member
    adm1 said:
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    My personal experience of both those companies products differs greatly to yours; I have had Belkin cables, cases and chargers that have lasted years and a few Anker chargers and cables that have actually arrived DOA or only lasted a few weeks before needing to be returned. Both offer decent bang-for-buck if you get a good one however.
    Ditto - I coincidentally just tossed another Anker charging cable yesterday 
  • Reply 12 of 23
    d_2 said:
    adm1 said:
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    My personal experience of both those companies products differs greatly to yours; I have had Belkin cables, cases and chargers that have lasted years and a few Anker chargers and cables that have actually arrived DOA or only lasted a few weeks before needing to be returned. Both offer decent bang-for-buck if you get a good one however.
    Ditto - I coincidentally just tossed another Anker charging cable yesterday 
    Anker support seems very good though - sent them a picture of a cable that broke more than a year after purchase and a replacement arrived a few days later.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    I've not had any problems with Belkin products I've owned. I haven't bought a ton, so maybe I just had better luck than the people here who hate them?

    In no seriousness: More consolidation? Yay. That will be great for consumers. :-1: 
    holmstockd
  • Reply 14 of 23
    seanismorrisseanismorris Posts: 1,624member
    dysamoria said:
    I've not had any problems with Belkin products I've owned. I haven't bought a ton, so maybe I just had better luck than the people here who hate them?

    In no seriousness: More consolidation? Yay. That will be great for consumers. :-1: 
    Hate...no.

    But, if you want to pay 3x as much (for equal quality) you go to Belkin.  It’s been 10+ since I purchased anything Belkin.

    Linksys pricing isn’t to bad, but quality has gone down hill.  Routers/switches from Linksys we’re good enough for small businesses that Cisco bought them.  These days they’re just another junk brand where security never gets updated.

    I’m not sure why Foxconn bought them, they brand value is limited.  I’d rather purchase a Foxconn branded product...
  • Reply 15 of 23
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    I find the Linksys high end routers excellent.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    Neither is Linksys. 
    I think the problem might be most people only ever try out the cheap end of the brands.  The Linksys WRT 1200 AC for example is a superb router but costs a a few more bucks.  Well worth it though.
  • Reply 17 of 23
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    adm1 said:
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    My personal experience of both those companies products differs greatly to yours; I have had Belkin cables, cases and chargers that have lasted years and a few Anker chargers and cables that have actually arrived DOA or only lasted a few weeks before needing to be returned. Both offer decent bang-for-buck if you get a good one however.
    I agree. I actually use the charger pictured above for my 8 Plus every other day for months now with no issues. I have also used their matte screen protectors going back to Iphone 5 with no problems. I never thought of Belkin as having low quality products until reading here.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    I have the charger above also and it works well. I have a pair of Linksys Velop mesh WiFi routers that have been SUPERB so far, it is nice to have only one network name combining 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies. They are wicked fast too. I am certainly not saying they haven’t made some duds in the past but these two items are top notch.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 23
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    jcs2305 said:
    adm1 said:
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    In the global scope of 3rd party accessories they are better than most.
    Not really...

    When pitted against MFi-certified cable / charger / accessory maker Anker, Belkin looks like an absolute joke!

    Why Apple doesn’t carry Anker products at Apple Stores in Canada instead of Belkin I’ll never understand!
    My personal experience of both those companies products differs greatly to yours; I have had Belkin cables, cases and chargers that have lasted years and a few Anker chargers and cables that have actually arrived DOA or only lasted a few weeks before needing to be returned. Both offer decent bang-for-buck if you get a good one however.
    I agree. I actually use the charger pictured above for my 8 Plus every other day for months now with no issues. I have also used their matte screen protectors going back to Iphone 5 with no problems. I never thought of Belkin as having low quality products until reading here.
    Their screen protector installation system for iPhone is fantastic, and the clear glass one seems not to scratch at all, unlike the original screen on my iPhone 7.
  • Reply 20 of 23
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Premium and Quality aren't what Belkin is known for.
    They're also known for "dropping the ball" products. One example, Belkin GPS unit to work with Dell Axim 5 PDA 15 years ago. It stopped supporting that GPS unit and let me hang with a useless device:
    Image result for belkin bluetooth GPS
    Dell Axim X5 300 MHz Pocket PC
    edited March 2018
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