Apple’s N90, and a suicide

Apple 4th generation is called the N90 iPhone, and the disappearance of one has caused a newish employee to jump to his death. Strangely enough I discovered this after seeing traffic stats for an old post go through the roof. So as a favour to those folks coming here after that search, here are some links for you.

Note that the story is about the suicide, and that no details of the iPhone, beyond its existence, are emerging.

A Chinese employee committed suicide after one of 16 iPhone prototypes disappeared: mystateline.com

TPM has a bit more, including excerpts from Apple’s press release and some dirt on supplier Foxconn. It seems Foxconn isn’t known for treating employees well.

UK’s The Register says a security officer (Gu Qinming) has been suspended and that while stories are in dispute the engineer, Sun Danyong, was allegedly beaten by Foxconn security personnel – and that the later suicide was captured on security cameras.

The Independent points out that Sun Danyong was 25 and worked in product communications at Foxconn. The iPhone was reported missing on the 13th of July, and he committed suicide on the 16th. Moreover Gu Qinming denies hitting Sun.

TUAW highlights more on Foxconn’s past record – not good.

Thaindian news gives Gu Qinming’s full name and says Foxconn is owned by Hon Pai Precision Industry Co. who also make computers for Hewlett-Packard, consoles for Sony and mobile phones for Nokia. It’s quite a tough industry and times are tight.

China Stakes, in an excellent article, tells us that Sun Danyong graduated from university just last year, that the iPhone is called the iPhone N90, that Sun was in charge of transmission work for the prototype and that it was lost during mailing. China Stakes also says he was illegally detained and searched by his leader (boss?)

and, if you have access, the WSJ has the best written article, though nothing that isn’t reported above.