The Mobile Phones - Essay Example

?It is without question that one form of technology that is drastically change the way in which humans interact with one another is that of the mobile phone. Whereas previously, individuals relied upon a litany of low-tech alternatives for communication, the mobile phone has been able to not only provide high-quality audio calls from individual to individual, it currently provides SMS, MMS, email, web browsing, instant messaging, and a litany of other services that continue to develop and evolved as the need for communication and the overall number of indicating people continue to increase. In seeking to understand the impact that mobile technology has had upon the current environment and delineating the compliments of the most common smart phone, the iPhone, the following analysis will engage in a discussion of how this technology has come to impact upon culture and the way in which the actual process of production for the iPhone takes place. Naturally, this discussion of the production and internal componentry of the iPhone, as well as raw materials, will engage a discussion upon labor standards, working conditions, international trade, and a litany of other topics. It is the hope of this author that such a broad level of discussion will provide the reader with a nuanced understanding of how the globalization of the world is evidenced in something as seemingly simple as a cell phone. Firstly, it must be understood that the cell phone is not singular piece of technology. Rather, is a complex miniature computer that derives its compliments from a litany of different manufacturers in a great number of different places throughout the world. Whereas the previous era saw the flip phone being produced by a single manufacturer in only a handful of different factories, the current era is one in which smartphones dominate the market. By very definition, a smartphone is a type of small tablet PC; capable of light computing tasks, gaming, and processing of various types (Montlake 42). As one might expect, the increased complexity requires that an increased number of manufacturers and complement providers are responsible for providing these parts. Accordingly, the first section of this analysis will be contingent upon where most of the major parts for the iPhone come from. Although it is commonly understood that Foxconn is responsible for putting them together, it is only once these parts have been manufactured that Foxconn enters the equation whatsoever. Although a direct competitor to the iPhone, Samsung electronics is responsible for making the main processor as well as the flash memory that the iPhone relies upon to store data. Naturally, without the flash memory and/or the processor itself, the iPhone would be effectively useless. Samsung has a litany of different factories around the globe; however, the ones that are responsible for making the flash memory and the processor are located within the People’s Republic of China and South Korea (Wright 47). Interestingly, even though the processor is made by Samsung, it is made under license and ultimately legally owned by ARM Holdings; a British firm that originally designed architectural license for the way in which the processor works. Moreover, the iPhone does not simply have one processor; it has a minimum of two. As such, Germany’s Infeneon Technologies is responsible for supplying the second processor that serves as the phones brainstem. Moreover, the same company referenced above is also responsible for providing the transceiver for the iPhone. As such, these compliments are ultimately made within Germany and subsequently sold and shipped to Foxconn/Apple as a function of piecing the iPhone together. Another British firm, Wolfson Microeletronics, is responsible for the creation of the audio processing chip. This audio processing chip is used not for the calls that are made to it from individuals utilizing iPhone; rather, it is used as a means of providing a transcription for the audio files stored on flash memory and encoding not surprisingly, the same firm is also responsible for providing/decoding these into usable music. Not surprisingly, the same firm is responsible for providing Apple Inc. with the same audio processing chip for their iPods and other Apple branded electronics that are capable of playing audio files/movies (Horn 1). The componentry that is been referenced above with regards to Wolfson Microelectronics is invariably produced in China and then sold to Apple/shipped directly to Foxconn for final production. A United States firm, Marvel Technology Group Ltd., is responsible for making the Wi-Fi chip that is utilized to pick up Wi-Fi signals on the iPhone and ally people to search the internet using their web enabled Apple products. Like so many other of manufacturers which is thus far been listed, Marvell Technology Group, although based in the United States, contracts to producers in China to create is chip which is then in turn sold to Apple Inc. and produced in the Foxconn factory (Kumar et al. 1279). Although it may seem as if the compliments which already been listed account for the majority of technology within the iPhone, the list continues. Skyworks Solutions Inc. is a firm that is responsible for providing the cellular network power amplifier for the device (Guglielmo 118). Without this cellular network power amplifier, the iPhone in and of itself would be useless as a phone. Once again, not surprisingly, Skyworks Solutions, has its own factories within the People’s Republic of China which are responsible for the introduction of the device which is internships to the Apple production facility at Foxconn. Another British firm on the list is CSR Plc. This firm is responsible for creating the Bluetooth chips that helps to support wireless communication from one device to another for the iPhone. Rather surprisingly, rather than creating this device in Britain and then contracting it out to a Chinese manufacturer, this is one of the few devices that is made domestically within the country of financial holding. As such, it is one of the few on the list that is both a domestic entity of the country of origin and a product of the same. Yet regardless of where it is engineered and manufactured, the device is been shipped from the United Kingdom to the Foxconn facility within the People’s Republic of China for final assembly. Likewise, Linear Technology, a joint holding firm that is based in California as well as Singapore, is responsible for supplying Apple with the USB battery charger. This device is made within China and then shipped to Foxconn for final integration with the iPhone and other Apple branded products within their facility. The touchscreen is made under contract by two firms; both Samsung and Broadcom. Broadcom is responsible for providing the semicunductors that power the touch capability whereas Samsung provides the actual high resolution LCD display itself. Once again, Broadcom, although a US firm, contracts to Chinese manufacturers to provide these semicundtors which are then in turn provided to Samsung who integrate them with their screens and ultimately supply them to Foxconn. Another component of the phone that cannot be forgotten is the technology that drives the camera and image sensor within the phone. As such, Micron Technology, a US based firm is responsible for providing Foxconn the instrumentation for the camera from a litany of different providers/producers around the globe. Once all of these components are received, they are then put together within the Foxconn factory and then shipped elsewhere throughout the world for sale. From the information that has been provided it is patently obvious that the iPhone is not merely a singular technological device; rather, it is pieced together from a litany of different products that are produced by a myriad of different technological firms throughout the world. Only once they are pieced together at the Foxconn factory and branded as “Apple” do they become recognizable to the end consumer. From the description that is been given, to fundamental factors must be understood. The first of these is with regards the way in which globalization has completely altered the way not only that consumers buying habits shift, but that producers integrate with the given market. From the information that is been given, it is obvious that the cooperation of at least a dozen multinational firms is required to produce a single iPhone. A secondary unit of understanding they can be had with regards to the cultural shift that this particular device has been able to affect. Due to the ease of communication, both in terms of audio calls, text messages, MMS, email, instant messaging, social networking, and a litany of other avenues of communication, it is arguable that the smart phone, and specifically the iPhone, is responsible for a great cultural shift and leap into the future. However, it must not only be understood that the iPhone, and similar smart phone products, have ultimately improved the lives of individuals throughout the globe. Recent scandals involving the NSA and the means through which they can easily intercept and hack devices in order to view the data contents they house and/or to intercept their communications demanding one to question whether or not these devices are ultimately a help or hindrance to future modernity. Moreover, the current culture is indicative of one that is ultimately obsessed and/or addicted to the technology that smart phones and/or the iPhone is able to provide. The overall impacts of a culture that is addicted to nonverbal and oftentimes non-face-to-face communication has yet to be seen and ultimately felt throughout the globe; however, it is the belief of this author that the impact this will be on the whole negative. From the information that is thus far been provided, it can be clearly noted that the technology behind a device as seemingly simple as an iPhone is in fact greatly more complex than one would give it credit for. Moreover, the cultural and social implications of such a device have for the way in which individuals continue to communicate with one another is profound. If one considers the way in which the simple flip phone alter the way in which human communication took place, it is without question that the smart phone has taken on an entirely new dynamic and threatens to entirely redefine the way in which human communication is made once again. Moreover, as firms such as Apple and Samsung continue to offer lower-priced tablet phones to a litany of different markets, the range and extent to which developing nations and those who would otherwise be defined as “the poor of the world” can integrate with these technologies will have a dramatic impact with regards to the overall level of fairness and equality that is evidenced with respect to technological integration throughout the world. References Guglielmo, Connie. "Apple's Secret Plan For Its Cash Stash." Forbes 189.8 (2012): 116-120. Business Source Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Horn, Leslie. "Apple Divulges Supplier Names For First Time." PC Magazine (2012): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Kumar, Sameer, Steve Teichman, and Tobias Timpernagel. "A Green Supply Chain Is A Requirement For Profitability."International Journal Of Production Research 50.5 (2012): 1278-1296. Business Source Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Montlake, Simon. "Seeking Labor Compliance, Apple Suppliers Curb Overtime For Factory Workers." Forbes.Com (2012): 42.Business Source Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Wright, Alex. "Analyzing Apple Products." Communications Of The ACM 55.1 (2012): 27. Business Source Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. Read More