Laptop Supply Chains Hampered by Fresh Lockdowns

Laptop Supply Chains Hampered by Fresh Lockdowns

Thanks to a new coronavirus outbreak in Shanghai, the government has implemented rules requiring people to work from home when possible and it’s restricted the movement of labor within busy workspaces. These rules are already affecting production, reports Taiwan financial publication Commercial Times, as factories slow or temporarily suspend work. Another Taiwanese publication, Liberty Times, reports factory employees are even eating and sleeping at work so manufacturers can avoid restrictions on the number of employees allowed to enter, as well as comply with updated COVID-19 screening procedures.

Among those affected are contract laptop manufacturers Compal (which makes devices for Acer, Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba), Pegatron (Apple, Asus, Lenovo and Microsoft) and Wistron (Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Xiaomi). Monitor manufacturer AUO and semiconductor maker Nanya, along with several PCB factories, are also facing the impact of China’s updated regulations. The suspensions are expected to affect TV and smartphone manufacturing as the government seeks to “[let] the city calm down, slow down, cooperate to fight the epidemic, and look forward to the future.”

Laptop Supply Chains Hampered by Fresh Lockdowns

Manufacturing delays prompted by COVID-19 are nothing new at this point. News about supply chain woes is just about as expected as the weather forecast. Some have figured there was hope on the horizon with global COVID-19 cases taking a dip during the fall, but the new BA.2 Omicron subvariant has influenced many governments to renew their spread-prevention measures.

It’s worth noting that these companies have multiple factory locations, many outside of China. Pegatron, for example, has plants in Taiwan, Mexico, and Indonesia, while Wistron has some in Taiwan, Mexico, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It’s unlikely that production will be choked off completely with such a geographical spread. That being said, Shanghai—the nearest large city to Kunshan—is reportedly experiencing the strictest lockdown it’s experienced in the last two years, so it’s difficult to tell exactly how bad delays will get in China. More than 10,000 health professionals have been sent into Shanghai over the last week in an effort to maintain what it calls its “zero-COVID” strategy.

Continue reading

MIT Creates Battery-Free Underwater GPS
MIT Creates Battery-Free Underwater GPS

GPS radio signals dissipate quickly when they hit water, causing a headache for scientific research at sea. The only alternative is to use acoustic systems that chew through batteries. A team from MIT has devised a battery-free tracking technology that could end this annoyance.

Google Kills Free Photo Storage, Changes What Counts Toward Storage Caps
Google Kills Free Photo Storage, Changes What Counts Toward Storage Caps

Google has announced some significant changes to Photos, especially if you use the service for automatic backup.

How to Download Windows 10 for Free
How to Download Windows 10 for Free

If you want a free copy of Windows 10, you can still get it, if you've got a legal copy of Windows 7 or 8.

Foundry Freedom: AMD Loosens Wafer Agreement With GlobalFoundries
Foundry Freedom: AMD Loosens Wafer Agreement With GlobalFoundries

AMD and GlobalFoundries have amended their WSA, giving AMD complete freedom in its choice of foundry partners.