Apple manufacturing capabilities

but to answer your questions, it might be an agreement with apple to keep stuff like that secret. I know they do have some of their own plants, but some for the other countries (i think like australia) those countries have their own plants i believe. I think japan also has one. The question really is "where are they?"

Moved.

Apple is known to be highly secretive about it's operations. Multiple names ffor different parts of the same product so that low rank employees won't be able to get the whole idea of the project, using NDAs to prevent suppliers from even admitting that Apple is a customer. Thus the whole rumor mill culture on the web about the future of Apple products. If it was clearly cut and dry about who was doing what for Apple, the rumor site would have so much less to work with, and a much less interested audience. The problem with trying to answer you question is that there are probably very few answers that would legally come from behind an NDA.

if you go to woz.org and watch/download the 1984 shareholders meeting, Mr. Jobs actually shows pics of the first plant, where they churned out a mac every 27 seconds. they also went through the complete manufacturing process (btw, what the hell is a "Burn In"?)

I know it's irrelevant today, but it shows you that at one time they wernt concerned with trade secrets and the like.

-digital

(btw, what the hell is a "Burn In"?)

That's where an image is burnt into a CRT, basically by an image being projected onto the phosphors so long, that it stays in there permanantly.

I know that kind of burn in, but in the video, Jobs mentions that the Macintoshes go into a 24 hour burn in. if it is the same kind of burn in, why does this need to be done? anybody with CRT manufacturing or w/e know?

-digital

The machines are run through a series of tests while powered up for 24 hours so that probles with over heating and such can be found before they go ou the door.

A process that is considered to be obsolete and outdated in this day and age of cheap electronics and Just In Time inventories. That's why older electronics were more expensive and tended to last a lot longer than they do now. I've worked with a number of Apple dealers that have been around since the old days. THe consistent theme I've heard has been that in the old days a DOA unit was something that was almost unheard of. Now, we see maybe one or two a week. With lower prices comes less quality control. As the old adage says, you get what you pay for.

They must be having the factories, but who owns these factories??? does apple have direct ownership or is it through contract manufacturers...

Apple contracts manufacturing to other companies. The 15" iMac, for example, was manufactured by Taiwanese laptop maker Quanta. Asustek has reportedly been awarded a contract to produce new laptops for Apple, but the product details for that contract aren't official yet (ie - rumourville).