LG iPhone camera module factory closed after first coronavirus case

AppleInsider

The LG Innotek factory that supplies iPhone camera modules has closed in Gumi, South Korea after the first case of coronavirus was discovered in the workforce, delivering yet another blow to the Apple supply chain.

The coronavirus can be identified by its halo like ring

As the coronavirus continues its global spread, more news of industry closings and event cancellations arrive each day. Sunday morning's closures include an LG Innotek and Samsung Electronics plant responsible for mobile device manufacture.

LG Innotek specifically affects Apple, as it is responsible for supplying the camera module for assorted models of the iPhone 11. The unannounced "iPhone 12" may also rely on LG Innotek, which does not bode well for its early production.

Reuters reports that the factory intends to re-open on Tuesday after the infected employee's floor can be properly disinfected. There are conflicting reports about this in South Korea, however, and AppleInsider is attempting to get clarity from LG on the matter.

The 2019 coronavirus has become a global problem, and we are only just seeing the results of its spread. Apple has backup production facilities in India and Japan, but it is only a matter of time before the backups are affected if the virus continues its spread.

Coronavirus infections vs deaths (data from WHO)

The industry is feeling the effects of the virus as conferences are being cancelled, and stores and buildings being shut down.

Tim Cook is on record saying that the coronavirus is not a long term concern, as he is confident it will be contained. Apple is supplying relief to victims of the virus, and has even started sending care packages to Chinese employees.

sirozha

Supply chains are funny that way. This is the price of globalization. 

chasm

sirozha said:

Supply chains are funny that way. This is the price of globalization. 

Your comment makes no sense. Are you under the impression that Apple has only one supplier of iPhone camera modules (you would be mistaken)? Are you saying that diversifying your manufacturing base was a mistake (again, wrong)? Are you implying that this disease is limited to foreign countries (maybe pick up a newspaper -- you're again wrong) or that NOT using global resources would have prevented this problem (uh, nope)?

Gotta love these armchair CEOs who can't even articulate what it is they are trying to say ...

chasm

sjworld said:

I’m sure he meant that Apple should have had more than just foreign suppliers for their main product’s components.

Well, a) they do for some things, and b) why are you under the impression that the US is immune from this pandemic?

hentaiboy

Stores in Australia are starting to run out of iPhone 11 stock. Cue the scalpers...

seanismorris

South Korea wouldn’t have been my guess to where the virus would spread, and be having the worst time after China.  This just tells you how vulnerable even the most advanced countries are.

I wasn’t that surprised about Iran, they don’t seem to have the medical infrastructure to deal with this.  Italy is a small surprise, but they probably have an aging population (who are particularly vulnerable). 

People are responding to the President’s words that the virus is a hoax.  I see them repeating it all over social media.  I hope the people in charge are saying one thing, but preparing like mad behind the scenes...

I haven’t purchased a mask yet, but every time someone says hoax my buy finger gets twitchy.

kevin kee

Even an advance country like South Korea can hardly contain the outbreak, it's worrisome to think how difficult it's going to be for a lot more countries like Iran.

sjworld

chasm said:

sjworld said:

I’m sure he meant that Apple should have had more than just foreign suppliers for their main product’s components.

Well, a) they do for some things, and b) why are you under the impression that the US is immune from this pandemic?

Yeah, some things. Oh, please point out the part where I stated that the US is immune from this “pandemic”.

Carnage

seanismorris said:

I haven’t purchased a mask yet, but every time someone says hoax my buy finger gets twitchy.

The mask is not for your protection. You use it to avoid infecting other people when you are already sick!

larryjw

seanismorris said:

South Korea wouldn’t have been my guess to where the virus would spread, and be having the worst time after China.  This just tells you how vulnerable even the most advanced countries are.

I wasn’t that surprised about Iran, they don’t seem to have the medical infrastructure to deal with this.  Italy is a small surprise, but they probably have an aging population (who are particularly vulnerable). 

People are responding to the President’s words that the virus is a hoax.  I see them repeating it all over social media.  I hope the people in charge are saying one thing, but preparing like mad behind the scenes...

I haven’t purchased a mask yet, but every time someone says hoax my buy finger gets twitchy.

The occurrence of Covid19 virus has nothing to do with medical infrastructure. The rapidity of its spread has to do with the still generally unknown properties of the virus itself and globalization.

Globalization is big.  SARS took 120 days to spread to the extent it did, and that time allowed responses to be developed. For Covid19, that spread was 10 days, 30 days to become global. 

steven n.

seanismorris said:

People are responding to the President’s words that the virus is a hoax.  I see them repeating it all over social media.  I hope the people in charge are saying one thing, but preparing like mad behind the scenes...

I haven’t purchased a mask yet, but every time someone says hoax my buy finger gets twitchy.

You do realize this is a blatant lie and trump never once said or implied the coronavirus was a hoax? He was referring to the democrats blatant politicalization of the virus.  

beowulfschmidt

What is it with graph makers who have to use such closely matching colors when there's only two stats?  They had to pick two shades of purple, instead of say black and red, or blue and orange?

Not everyone has perfect color vision.

urahara

sjworld said:

chasm said:

sjworld said:

I’m sure he meant that Apple should have had more than just foreign suppliers for their main product’s components.

Well, a) they do for some things, and b) why are you under the impression that the US is immune from this pandemic?

Yeah, some things. Oh, please point out the part where I stated that the US is immune from this “pandemic”.

Don't you see what you have written? Sometimes the words could be also interpreted. And it seems that @chasm have a good understanding what multilple meanings can the words have. So we can't find the words where you directly stated that. But we certainly can find meaning your words imply.

My interpretation is this:

"more than just foreign suppliers" -> have US suppliers -> having them solves the problem -> because only in foreign countlies there is a problem -> US is safe from pandemic.

So maybe it is worth for you to take a look at your own words. They might convey other meanings than what you have intended them to do.

I hope I could organize my words in an easy to understand way, with not much room for the interpretation.

steven n.

urahara said:

sjworld said:

chasm said:

sjworld said:

I’m sure he meant that Apple should have had more than just foreign suppliers for their main product’s components.

Well, a) they do for some things, and b) why are you under the impression that the US is immune from this pandemic?

Yeah, some things. Oh, please point out the part where I stated that the US is immune from this “pandemic”.

Don't you see what you have written? Sometimes the words could be also interpreted. And it seems that @chasm have a good understanding what multilple meanings can the words have. So we can't find the words where you directly stated that. But we certainly can find meaning your words imply.

My interpretation is this:

"more than just foreign suppliers" -> have US suppliers -> having them solves the problem -> because only in foreign countlies there is a problem -> US is safe from pandemic.

So maybe it is worth for you to take a look at your own words. They might convey other meanings than what you have intended them to do.

I hope I could organize my words in an easy to understand way, with not much room for the interpretation.

If you jumped to that far reaching conclusion, I think you have neither good reading skills nor reading comprehension skills. There no indication where “sjworld” remotely implied the US was immune to viral pandemics. 

sjworld

urahara said:

sjworld said:

chasm said:

sjworld said:

I’m sure he meant that Apple should have had more than just foreign suppliers for their main product’s components.

Well, a) they do for some things, and b) why are you under the impression that the US is immune from this pandemic?

Yeah, some things. Oh, please point out the part where I stated that the US is immune from this “pandemic”.

Don't you see what you have written? Sometimes the words could be also interpreted. And it seems that @chasm have a good understanding what multilple meanings can the words have. So we can't find the words where you directly stated that. But we certainly can find meaning your words imply.

My interpretation is this:

"more than just foreign suppliers" -> have US suppliers -> having them solves the problem -> because only in foreign countlies there is a problem -> US is safe from pandemic.

So maybe it is worth for you to take a look at your own words. They might convey other meanings than what you have intended them to do.

I hope I could organize my words in an easy to understand way, with not much room for the interpretation.

What in the heck are you on about? I never implied anything... you inferred incorrectly. I understand if you or him suffer from dyslexia, but don’t come jumping down my throat just ‘cause I wrote something you didn’t understand.