Prior to the iPad 2 announcement, a number of “leaked” case designs surfaced, providing a good idea of what the iPad 2 would look like. This morning, Digitimes reported that three Foxconn employees were arrested for leaking the information.
These cases all showcased the same elements – tapered edges, thinner body, and flat back, which suggested that manufacturers seemed to have access to design documents. The three Foxconn employees were all charged with violating trade secrets.
From Digitimes:
Several online shopping retailers in China were able to sell iPad 2′s protective case products before the iPad 2 was even launched, leading Foxconn to suspect that there might have been some employees leaking the design of iPad 2 which it reported to the local police.
The local police on December 26, 2010, arrested three employees that were suspected of leaking the design, and officially charged the three employees for violating the company’s trade secrets on March 23, 2011, the reported added.
For those that don’t know, Foxconn is one of Apple’s main manufacturing companies, assembling products such as iPhones, iPods, and iPads. It’s not the first time we’ve seen leaks like this from China… but the widespread nature of the leaks did post some significant threat for Apple last year, at least from a design perspective.