Explosion at iPad plant in China

Explosion at iPad plant in China

Explosion at iPad plant in China. Apple Inc is investigating an explosion that killed two people and injured 16 at a Foxconn factory said to produce the popular iPad 2.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported a large explosion rocked the Hongfujin Precision Electronics plant in a high-tech industrial zone west of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, on Friday evening.

Local officials are also looking into the cause of the blast. Apple shares closed down 1.56 percent at $335.22 on the Nasdaq, which saw a broad sell-off on euro-zone debt worries.

The explosion in a key factory owned by Foxconn International Holdings Ltd -- Apple's main manufacturing partner -- could affect the supply of iPads and investors were watching closely. Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company was assessing the situation.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the Foxconn plant in Chengdu and our hearts go out to the victims and their families," he said. "We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event."

Foxconn representatives did not immediately respond.

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White said Foxconn's Chengdu factory makes a lot of iPads because some production had been shifted to that facility from factories in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Apple's iPad 2 commands 80 percent of the burgeoning tablet market in which Motorola Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd also compete.

Apple sold 4.69 million iPads last quarter and is scrambling to meet staggering demand for the mobile device, but is heavily backlogged. Executives had expected production to ramp up during the present quarter to meet demand.

The plant explosion is the latest setback for Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer and an affiliate of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Ind Co Ltd.

The Taiwanese company made headlines last year after reports emerged about poor working conditions at factories in southern China, which critics say may have helped drive several employees to suicide.

The company pledged to improve employee welfare.

Facing higher wages in the southern China manufacturing belt, the scene of labor disputes last year, some Taiwanese manufacturers have opted to shift some operations to the country's interior, where costs are lower.

Foxconn also has plants in North America and Mexico, as well as in European countries, including Slovakia and Poland.

Apple Music Service

Apple Music Service

Apple Music Service: According to reports, Apple is almost ready to release a cloud-based music storage service compatible with iTunes.

Sources say the product is finished, and Apple might be ready to launch its service before Google’s competitive product sees the light of day.

Several sources close to the matter and aware of both companies’ plans told Reuters that Apple will soon let iTunes customers keep their music libraries on a remote server. The music would then be accessible from any Internet-connected, iTunes-running device.

But though the technology is in place, one all-important piece is missing from both music offerings: licensing agreements with major record labels. Google is stalling on its own music projects due to rumored tiffs with record labels, and Apple has yet to discuss any new licensing agreements with labels, according to Reuters’ sources.

However, since the latter company has been working with musicians for a long time vis-a-vis iTunes and iTunes’ new social component, Ping, one might imagine that Apple has a laid some groundwork for fruitful discussions around licensing.

Google was rumored to be building an iTunes competitor in the summer of 2010. The service was said to have an Android-friendly component or two, and the Android music store was expected to launch with the release of Gingerbread. The service was also rumored to include music-streaming options in addition to music locker features.

However, more current reports suggest that Google may be further than ever from an actual launch due to licensing snafus with major record labels, particularly Warner Music Group.

iPad 2 Accessories You Need Right Now

Thanks to the Vogel Flex Mount, however, I can turn my tablet into a wall-mounted candid photo of Justin Bieber getting an allergy shot.

Vogel Flex Mount, $70

Now that the written word is completely obsolete, the days of taping up mini-posters of J.C. Chasez and Devon Sawa from my Tiger Beat subscription are gone (this may have contributed to everyone being gay all of a sudden).  The button can attached to most surfaces, and the mounted iPad rotated in any which way or direction. Pretty slick.

Miniot Wooden Cover, $70

Miniot’s ultra-suede lined wooden smart cover turns the iPad on and off when opened and closed, respectively, but it’s way better than the smart covers Apple’s putting out. The rolling wooden cover can be turned into an upright stand, folded over to give that book-readin’ feel, or put in a keyboard position. If you buy now, they’ll even engrave your cover with any image for free. Not too shabby. The whole thing costs 50 Holland dollars, which is equivalent to most likely $70 American or five tulip bushels.

DODOcase, $60

Don’t you love the smell of a new book, that feel of a well-wrought binding between your thumb and forefinger? Enjoy it, nerd, because that ship is sailing fast. If you really must prolong the inevitable digitization of things to look at, you can get yourself the DODOcase, which just came out in an iPad 2 version. It’s built from Moroccan cloth using actual book-binding techniques and feels like an honest-to-goodness hardcover. And for only sixty bucks, natch!

BookBook, $70 Apparently there is quite the market for iPad 2 accessories, as it can sustain at least two items that make your thing that cost hundreds of dollars look like a rummage sale, booger-covered copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover. Also also a case that is a stand, the BookBook has a vintage leather look that will cost you $10 more than the new-appearing DODOcase, but this is the price you must pay to appear like you are too ethical to take your businessman father’s trust fund money.

ZAGGmate, $99.99

You could just buy a laptop, but that’s for poor people. Instead, please spend one hundred dollars on the ZAGGmate, which now comes in an iPad 2 version. Perfect for turning your iPad 2 into a holder for the embedded Bluetooth keyboard, the ZAGGmate case will also offer some protection against your stale PBR spills.

Nomad Brush, $24

Fancy yourself an artiste? Of course you do. Now you just have to prove to your parents that your Ivy League art major wasn’t a poor decision. The Nomad Brush isn’t going to do that, but it will be a helpful distraction when your parents are on the phone talking about your brother’s investment banking job. It is a magical paintbrush whose synthetic and natural fibers can tickle your iPad 2 into art submission.

Griffin Technology x Col. Littelton No. 42 Courier Bag, $695

Handmade by Lynnville, Tennesee’s finest whiskey-swilling leather workers, the No. 42 Courier Bag has a special pocket up inside of it just for your gentleman’s electricity reader. Gorgeous detailed include a lock and chain and a serial-numbered brass ID plate on the inside.

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One, $99.99

You don’t have to nab this HP Photosmart directly from Apple, but it may be just the extra influx of cash they need to save Steve Jobs’s life. Just saying.  Also, it’s got AirPlay, which lets you print directly from your iPad 2 without a filthy norm computer getting involved.

SmartFit2 Smoke, $29.95

If I’m going to spend nearly a grand on a new iPad 2, I am going to take absolutely every opportunity to make sure each and every person I encounter knows it. That’s why I am all about this smoky-clear case from the Joy Factory, a thin and durable protector that will ensure nobody mistakes your tablet for a Xoom.

Belkin FlipBlade, $29.99

The FlipBlade, coming soon in a model specifically for the iPad 2, is a hard-working, durable, and super-slim convertible stand. It’s got four different positions, which let you view and type on your tablet from all kinds of crazy angles, like straight up or straight up and a little backwards.

Digital AV Adapter, $39.99

The official Apple AV adapter hooks your iPad 2 up to your TV (provided it’s got an  HDMI in-hole) so you can look at things on a small screen and a big one at the same time. Your iPad 2 will also charge up while it’s plugged into your television, so don’t let that be the excuse your girlfriend gives you for not wanting to join your marathon of the entire series of Soap.