Report: Apple Does Not Care Enough About Workers in China

[Guest]

Oh please, get off your high horses. None of you hypocritical chumps would give half a damn if this article was written about Microsoft, or any other tech company that buys their hardware from the Foxconn sweatshops. You think your shiny new Android phones and Asus motherboards were magicked into existence by happy little elves?

 

[lordstormdragon]

[citation][nom]Netherscourge[/nom]REPORT: Apple, Intel, AMD-ATI, Microsoft, Google, LG, Nvidia and every other American-based Tech company that outsources manufacturing jobs to China don't care about workers in China.It's cheaper not to care than it is to care. If anyone of them cared, they'd contract factories in the US to make their products.[/citation]

Intel's fab plants are in the US, my friend. Perhaps not all of them, but their major ones. And no, I'm not an Intel fanatic - won't buy one and recommend nobody else does either. I'm just stating this for the record. Not all tech companies farm out their production.

 

[rawful]

[citation][nom]potmeetkettle1212[/nom]Oh please, get off your high horses. None of you hypocritical chumps would give half a damn if this article was written about Microsoft, or any other tech company that buys their hardware from the Foxconn sweatshops. You think your shiny new Android phones and Asus motherboards were magicked into existence by happy little elves?[/citation]

Hypocritical? We have no choice but to buy things made in China. We go to a store, what choices do we have? We need to buy a new phone, what choices do we have? We need a new computer/part, what choices do we have? I do whatever I can not to fund the corporate system. I buy food locally whenever possible from local farmers/butchers. I do not buy things I do not absolutely need. I do not have a smartphone or a tablet.

You say that if we don't like it, don't buy things made in China? Ok, I guess we will all just live in empty houses with absolutely nothing because we can't buy anything else. Sounds like you are being more hypocritical than me.

 

[elkein]

It's so good to know that Adnriods are made in so much better conditions!

 

[internetlad]

Report: clouds produce rain and snow

 

[-Fran-]

[citation][nom]rawful[/nom]Hypocritical? We have no choice but to buy things made in China. We go to a store, what choices do we have? We need to buy a new phone, what choices do we have? We need a new computer/part, what choices do we have? I do whatever I can not to fund the corporate system. I buy food locally whenever possible from local farmers/butchers. I do not buy things I do not absolutely need. I do not have a smartphone or a tablet.You say that if we don't like it, don't buy things made in China? Ok, I guess we will all just live in empty houses with absolutely nothing because we can't buy anything else. Sounds like you are being more hypocritical than me.[/citation]

You can always buy the next non-made in China product. You can always send emails to companies making yourself clear about this issue. You can always donate money to ONGs that protect civil rights and help them reach out more folks in their conditions (since China is not the only country like that). You can go help those ONGs. You can always tell the folk at your side about this issue and spread the word.

And those are the not-over-the-top things you can actually do to help improve this situation, but the thing is, we are all lazy and don't really care since it's "far away" from us anyway and we DO WANT THE CHEAP PRODUCTS.

Feel bad about yourselves when buying things made in China. At least you could do that. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

Cheers!

 

[leon2006]

its more of a question of local labor laws not the customer.

If they speak this people are jailed, or shot.

Its easy to complain about certain customer or the biggest customer. Foxconn is squeezing its factory workers to get more profit

 

[gogogadgetliver]

Newsflash!

 

[Skeete_UK]

If Apple decide to employ a 3rd party company to build their products then Apple are responsible for the conditions they work in. Apple has the choice to change. Apple decided to use that company. If Apple had any ounce of Corporate Social Responsibility it would do something drastic and quickly to give these people safer working conditions. Hiding being a contract with a 3rd party just stinks of arrogance. Personally I think Steve Jobs with his Messiah complex managed to manipulate the press for far too long and now he is gone all of Apple's dirty little secrets will come out. Why are they not paying a dividend.. its because they know as soon as its all out in the open the liberal limp wristed lefties that buy Apples overpriced low tech gadgets will start realising they have been duped for so long and stop buying. Then Apple will be totally fubar'd

 

[Guest]

As long as we desire the cheapest available price, there will be sweatshops, regardless of what laws are implemented. What bothers me is that business are becoming more profitable yet there is very little or none at all trickle-down effect for the worker. I can imagine the foxcomm worker thinking, "I am working harder than ever, yet i don't see any increase in salary or treatment".

PS. I enjoyed playing the game 'Sweatshop'. I haven't played an internet game for years.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

Does China even care about its own people?

 

[discboy321]

As far as Apple is concerned it is all about Profit. Lets face it ..If it was about Quality we would have the largest plant here in the U.S of A. Not some 3rd world country where they get away by paying employees the equivalent of $3.00 for the whole day,No Health insurance or benefits and long hours of work 12 hr shifts 7 days a week.

 

[lordstormdragon]

While not feeling that this type of situation is "ideal", this type of situation is simply "capitalism". This goes across the board, for almost every transnational company and corporation. Apple is the worst and most blatantly obvious, of course, because they represent a greed-driven market wholeheartedly. Greed for the sake of greed alone. But every other company in the world does the same thing to one extent or other.

When was the last time your boss or company kicked down any kind of bonus? Hopefully it's more recent than the last time mine did!

 

[rantoc]

[citation][nom]lumberjack86[/nom]Apple in the hands of Jobs would plow over any man, woman, or child to move toward innovation. It's to early to tell what Cook will do with these leftover lingering problems.[/citation]

I bet he will go down in history with the name Crook in peoples eyes not Cook

 

[del35]

The tragic part of this story is that Apple couldn't care less about its US customers, much less its Chinese workers. Why then would Apple be stealing 40% on almost all transactions by charging a premium for mediocre drm infested locked-down hardware often with no way of being serviced?

Apple is a death parasite in cahoots with dinosaurs like the US media and the record industry, industries that were supposed to die had technology marched unhindered by nefarious agreements like those forged by Apple. Apple has delivered a blow to the freedom of the people and has set us all back years.

 

[rooket]

Give me a break. Look at all the foxconn parts inside any modern non-apple computer.

I've had enough of talk about these laborers. Every computer manufacturer is to blame quite frankly.

And no I don't own an ipod, iphone, mac, macbook, etc.

 

[lordstormdragon]

I couldn't agree more, Del35. Apple and other transnats and metanational companies are a sickness, an aberration. A plague on humanity itself, really. They're certainly not the only one, but since the Earth has been populated by dim-witted, short-sighted imbeciles purchasing all that garbage hardware and software, Apple consumers are certainly at the forefront of the picture.

In the US, they simply need to reinstate "The Duel". Then it would be perfectly legal to challenge an Apple-sportin' iPod douchebag on the streets or in public, and the problem would simply solve itself.

 

[bildo123]

The kicker is that these workers are essentially working for Federal Reserve Notes. The US's biggest export is money. If the only knew what's gonna happen to their hard earned "savings".

 

[__-_-_-__]

[citation][nom]Netherscourge[/nom]It's cheaper not to care than it is to care.[/citation]
for the company not for the consumer. Foxcon still has huge profits, companies still have huge profits.
But would we have to pay MORE if labour laws were applied because costs would rise?
OF COURSE NOT! have you seen the insane profits??????? they could increase the labor costs 1000 TIMES! the companies would still get huge profits!

 

[fritters]

Foxconn manufactures products for companies including:

(country of headquarters in parentheses)
Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
Amazon.com (United States)[27]
Apple Inc. (United States)[28]
ASRock (Taiwan)
Asus (Taiwan)
Barnes & Noble (United States)
Cisco (United States)
Dell (United States)
EVGA Corporation (United States)
Hewlett-Packard (United States)[29]
Intel (United States)
IBM (United States)
Lenovo (China)
Logitech (Switzerland)
Microsoft (United States)
MSI (Taiwan)
Motorola (United States)
Netgear (United States)
Nintendo (Japan)
Nokia (Finland)[28]
Panasonic (Japan)
Philips (Netherlands)
Samsung (South Korea)[30]
Sharp (Japan)
Sony (Japan)
Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)[31]
Toshiba (Japan)
Vizio (United States)

 

[QEFX]

I'm going to have to call BS on this title. Apple cares just as much for it's Chinese workers as they do their American workers ... unless they've managed to discover a value less than zero.

 

[tomfreak]

its the Apple's partners to be blame for worker, why target Apple? Apple do not employ these workers directly.

 

[in_the_loop]

[citation][nom]sundragon[/nom]Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Toshiba, Asus, Acer, Samsung, Motorola, Cisco - none of them care - I appreciate targeting Apple because they are making lots of money and are visible but let's put them all to task or admit being hypocrites.[/citation]

No, lets focus on Apple just because they are, by far, the biggest player.

Otherwise people wouldn't care, since it looks like it's all of them (which isn't true).

 

[in_the_loop]

[citation][nom]fritters[/nom]
Foxconn manufactures products for companies including:

(country of headquarters in parentheses)
Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
Amazon.com (United States)[27]
Apple Inc. (United States)[28]
ASRock (Taiwan)
Asus (Taiwan)
Barnes & Noble (United States)
Cisco (United States)
Dell (United States)
EVGA Corporation (United States)
Hewlett-Packard (United States)[29]
Intel (United States)
IBM (United States)
Lenovo (China)
Logitech (Switzerland)
Microsoft (United States)
MSI (Taiwan)
Motorola (United States)
Netgear (United States)
Nintendo (Japan)
Nokia (Finland)[28]
Panasonic (Japan)
Philips (Netherlands)
Samsung (South Korea)[30]
Sharp (Japan)
Sony (Japan)
Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)[31]
Toshiba (Japan)
Vizio (United States)
[/citation]

Apple is by far the one that makes the biggest earnings. Probably more than all the others combined!

 

[Guest]

I'm no Apple fanboy but this just isn't news. BUSINESS 101: RULE #1 SELL YOUR PRODUCT FOR ALL THE TRAFFIUC WILL BEAR. RULE #2 PRODUCE YOUR PRODUCT AS CHEAPLY AS POSSIBLE.

These rules apply to all businesses everywhere including Apple. Those who express amazement or indignation at articles like this are simply naive.
..


ok here's another rule for you -- YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

produce the products as cheaply as possible -- underneath the nice packaging/case -- its just that -- CHEAP CRAP.........look at all the bugs with Ipad 2 -- example a friend of mine has one that you can take a pic with but can't edit the pic and there is no patch for the "known issue" as yet........really apple? I can edit pics even on the cheapest of my 10+yo old cell phones that are sitting in a box in my garage.........heck my samsung stratosphere android phone surfs the web faster then my computer LOL.