Three Charged at Foxconn for Leaking Apple Designs

According to Digitimes citing a Shenzhen newspaper, the three Foxconn employees responsible for the iPad 2 design leaks have been charged with leaking to third party Chinese accessory companies.

While this particular leak was likely beyond Cupertino’s oversight, former Apple exec John Martello confirmed last year that controlled leaks are indeed a part of the company’s process:

Controlled leaks are almost always the solution to a problem. [Possible reasons for iPad 1 leaks were]:

• to light a fire under a recalcitrant partner
• to float the idea of the $1,000 price point and gauge reaction
• to panic/confuse a potential competitor about whom Apple had some knowledge
• to whet analyst and observer expectations to make sure the right kind and number of people show up at the (presumed) Jan. 26 event. Apple hates empty seats and demands SRO at these events.

So even though the Foxconn leak likely only contributed to the pre-release buzz surrounding the iPad 2, the key word here for Apple (and by extension, Foxconn) is control.

While Foxconn may have very well plugged this particular leak (so to speak), based on my few years in China I think that its not outside the realm of possibility that the leaking individuals have not been caught. Local managers at Foxconn under immense pressure from higher-ups to solve the problem could have very well created their own solution. Don’t be surprised if we see more information slipping from Foxconn in the future, especially considering the questionable working conditions down there.

Image: hothardware