Talk about the comnponents that make the cell phone work, then talk Essay

Talk about the comnponents that make the cell phone work, then talk about the effect the cell phone has on people and culture in - Essay Example Naturally, this discussion of the production and internal componentry of the iPhone, as well as raw materials, will engage a discussion upon labor standards, working conditions, international trade, and a litany of other topics. It is the hope of this author that such a broad level of discussion will provide the reader with a nuanced understanding of how the globalization of the world is evidenced in something as seemingly simple as a cell phone. Firstly, it must be understood that the cell phone is not singular piece of technology. Rather, is a complex miniature computer that derives its compliments from a litany of different manufacturers in a great number of different places throughout the world. Whereas the previous era saw the flip phone being produced by a single manufacturer in only a handful of different factories, the current era is one in which smartphones dominate the market. By very definition, a smartphone is a type of small tablet PC; capable of light computing tasks, g aming, and processing of various types (Montlake 42). As one might expect, the increased complexity requires that an increased number of manufacturers and complement providers are responsible for providing these parts. Accordingly, the first section of this analysis will be contingent upon where most of the major parts for the iPhone come from. Although it is commonly understood that Foxconn is responsible for putting them together, it is only once these parts have been manufactured that Foxconn enters the equation whatsoever. Although a direct competitor to the iPhone, Samsung electronics is responsible for making the main processor as well as the flash memory that the iPhone relies upon to store data. Naturally, without the flash memory and/or the processor itself, the iPhone would be effectively useless. Samsung has a litany of different factories around the globe; however, the ones that are responsible for making the flash memory and the processor are located within the Peopleâ €™s Republic of China and South Korea (Wright 47). Interestingly, even though the processor is made by Samsung, it is made under license and ultimately legally owned by ARM Holdings; a British firm that originally designed architectural license for the way in which the processor works. Moreover, the iPhone does not simply have one processor; it has a minimum of two. As such, Germany’s Infeneon Technologies is responsible for supplying the second processor that serves as the phones brainstem. Moreover, the same company referenced above is also responsible for providing the transceiver for the iPhone. As such, these compliments are ultimately made within Germany and subsequently sold and shipped to Foxconn/Apple as a function of piecing the iPhone together. Another British firm, Wolfson Microeletronics, is responsible for the creation of the audio processing chip. This audio processing chip is used not for the calls that are made to it from individuals utilizing iPhone; rat her, it is used as a means of providing a transcription for the audio files stored on flash memory and encoding not surprisingly, the same