MacRumors’ Erik Slivka:

Earlier today, labor rights group China Labor Watch issued a report making claims of poor working conditions at Apple’s assembly partner Pegatron.

The report, available as a PDF here, contains mentions of a new “low-priced” plastic iPhone that will “soon” released by Apple:

Pegatron (Shanghai) Ltd Co. is part of the Pegatron Group, which was a subsidiary of Pegatron Group until 2010. Pegatron primarily assembles cell phones and tablet PCs for Apple. Its assembled products include iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and low-priced plastic iPhones. Some of Pegatron’s major equipment, such as micro-computer and detection hosts, is provided by Apple.

In the report, a worker details the actual process of pasting protective film on the back of this unreleased iPhone:

Today’s work is to paste protective film on the iPhone’s plastic back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market by Apple. The task is pretty easy, and I was able to work independently after a five-minute instruction from a veteran employee. It took around a minute to paste protective film on one rear cover. The new cell phone has not yet been put into mass production, so quantity is not as important. This makes our job more slow paced than in departments that have begun mass production schedules.

The report also contains photos and details of poor working conditions at Pegatron, to which Apple has responded with an official statement. We’ve already outlined why it’d make sense for Apple to release a low-priced iPhone, and, at this point, several signs seem to be pointing to such a device coming out later this year.

One of the best methods of taking photos of stars, planets and satellites is with a webcam, like the old Toucam Pro, and processing with Registax. That’s not the easiest method though, and when you want photos of the moon, an iPhone does the job very well.

Jared Earle captures spectacular photographs of the moon by attaching an iPhone to a spotting scope with an interesting set of accessories and offers up some tips on how to get the perfect shot. So cool.

Brian X. Chen of the New York Times writes:

In San Francisco last year, nearly half of all robberies involved a cellphone, up from 36 percent the year before; in Washington, cellphones were taken in 42 percent of robberies, a record. In New York, theft of iPhones and iPads last year accounted for 14 percent of all crimes.

Some compare the epidemic of phone theft to car theft, which was a rampant problem more than a decade ago until auto manufacturers improved antitheft technology.

Michael Bloomberg has blamed Apple products for growing crime rates in New York City before, noting that the devices are the preference of thieves looking to make a quick buck. The New York Times has been increasingly and consistently publishing coverage on growing concerns over the theft of personal devices, and now several news organizations have referred to the act of snatching an iPhone away as “Apple Picking.”

 Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones slammed wireless carriers for not doing enough to prevent smartphone thefts, asking why the phones couldn’t be tracked once they reach secondhand markets. Brian X. Chen does the same, but additionally asks why tech giants such as Apple aren’t doing more to curb thefts. San Francisco’s district attorney, George Gascón, says, “Unlike other types of crimes, this is a crime that could be easily fixed with a technological solution.”

Finding the specific accounts and highlighting individuals on Twitter would be invasive, but I do recall clear cases where those I’ve followed have had iPhones snatched out of their hands while simply leaving a bar. My campus email address is occasionally sent incident reports of parking lot thefts where iPhones are stolen from students after being confronted. It’s a real issue that’s not just happening in major metropolitan tech hubs. While carriers are jointly working together to track smartphone thefts with a national database, the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number that identifies specific phones can be easily spoofed.

Many of those I follow have echoed requests for basic security precautions against thefts like this, such as requiring a password to power off iPhones so that features like Find My iPhone aren’t as easily combated by thieves. I think something as simple as that is smart, even if it’s a minor inconvenience for people who need to do so. We can argue that it is sole the responsibility of owners to hide their iPhones or be more discrete, but I do think tech giants should find ways make these kinds of thefts less lucrative. Thefts like this cost both consumers and local government — the NYPD even has their own division for responding to smartphone thefts. And no one should have to feel unsafe for taking a call or finding their way around town with their phones.

The iPhone does not know enough. Proper context will require data in many more dimensions, dimensions which can define the user and his state. Their sheer number will placate strenuous constraints on their size and energy consumption but demand ever more accurate data. It is not difficult to realize that sensors will ride the next wave of innovation in computing. These minuscule and sophisticated apparatus will usher in the age of personal data.

Great post by Amit Jain.

More sensors and new algorithms will make our devices more personal, context-aware, and versatile. Let’s keep in mind that, however, more always-on sensors will require Apple to make significant strides in another area.