Tim Cook Responds to Report on Working Conditions at Suppliers' Factories

[kdarling]

Speaking of foreign companies building things in America:

Due in part to meet Apple's needs, Samsung has invested $9 billion into their Texas memory and non-memory chip plants, its only such plants outside of Korea.

Samsung likes Austin partly because of the availability of skilled workers coming from the nearby Engineering school at the University of Texas.

Besides the over two thousand workers at those plants, Samsung employs about 10,000 corporate and R&D workers around the USA.

If Samsung can do it...

 

[Choctaw]

If Samsung can do it...

Apple can do it along with all the other compaines in the US...they are just too cheep and want big profits and low wages.

 

[Rocketman]

When Apple builds its "spaceship" campus it will already be full and they have plans for yet another one. Apple hires massive retail employees. Apple has server farm employees, although that is not many by comparison.

Apple is pretty good for the domestic economy and like Samsung has some operations domestically and some foreign. Apple spends less and employs far more folk foreign. It directly impacts upward mobility from dirt poor to working poor in those countries including China and Malaysia.

They contribute to the middle class in Japan, Brazil, United States and a couple other places.

It's pretty complicated and impressive too.

Rocketman

 

[benjaminm3]

Precisely!

That's just one more reason that Apple is guilty turning a blind eye, and of blatant profit taking.

This as opposed to spending their money to build factories in the US which would provide jobs for those in the country Apple calls home.

As far as many of the uniformed and unrealistic comments here in the forum, one must remember the demographic. Young people with very little life experience, college graduates with no real world business experience, and those cult members that just plain worship Apple.

Take note, I am NOT addressing everyone in this forum, but simply those whose unrealistic regurgitation of what Apple says, or what they have read in one single article is the basis for their "knowledge".

Those members of this great forum that are wise, educated, level headed and possess a measure of common sense, are not making posts that are so far off the mark.

Everyone's an expert, yet few have a good solution other than to defend Apple, or say Apple is not the only one using Foxconn, or other weak excuses.

The bottom line is that it's high time to make a change.

Apple prides itself in portraying an image as the "Think Different" company, well let's see them put their money on the line and do something for the USA.

No one has more money, more skill and more expertise in this field than Apple. Instead of a "Space Ship" tribute to Jobs massive ego, why not build a suitable campus in Cupertino and choose an American City to revitalize with state of the art manufacturing plants as the Japanese have shown us is possible.

If the ever so stubborn and proud Germans, like Mercedes Benz, can admit they admire Toyota and follow suit, so can Apple.

Thousands and thousands of Americans now have very well paying jobs, insurance for their families, and safe working conditions, instead of unemployment, all thanks to the likes of Toyota, Honda, Subaru et al.

If one cannot understand what that's all about they have no business acting the expert.

Thanks once again for taking examples which are not similar to apple's situation in any shape or form and acting as though Apple can apply them. The germans as well as the japanese manufacture in the US because it is cheaper to do so, and there is a supply chain here to support that activity. Lots of grandiose verbage from you without a single ounce of substance.

 

[Rocketman]

International States of Apple, Inc.

AAPL

To say otherwise is to miss the point. Form an entity to engage in your own agenda and see if rumor sites form to follow it.

Or not.

 

[maverikv]

I think you need to read up on the concept of the Straw Man Fallacy.

I don't think anyone here is disputing the basic facts of the New York Times series. But its also important to look at the issues raised by those articles with some perspective: Apple, by dint of its considerable market success, is simply the biggest "target" for journalists. The jobs created by its Chinese contractors are, relative to other employment options in China, actually quite desirable.

The Times series was, I think, important. While many of us MacRumors regulars are quite familiar with the FoxConn/Shenzhen nexus that fills our Targets and Best Buys with electronic gizmos - I'm not sure that knowledge is widely appreciated by consumers in general. And I think its at least worthwhile having a conversation about why the jobs that Apple, and so many other companies, have created are in China, as opposed to California or Texas. That it is not simply a matter of dirt-cheap labor rates, but in fact the issues of logistics and flexibility play at least as big a role in Apple's decisions. If we, as consumers and voters, don't understand the basic issues involved, we are hardly going to be in a position to make informed decisions about them.

I certainly don't kid myself that Apple is a charitable institution. What I'm confused about is why so many people think that it should be.

Do you know why logistics and flexibility are so much better in China? Because the entire supply chain is there. Do you know why the entire supply chain is there? CHEAP LABOR.

 

[jackc]

Do you know why logistics and flexibility are so much better in China? Because the entire supply chain is there. Do you know why the entire supply chain is there? CHEAP LABOR.

Congo has cheap labor. It doesn't mean you want to put your supply chain there.

 

[maverikv]

Congo has cheap labor. It doesn't mean you want to put your supply chain there.

OK, fine. They are in China and NOT the Congo because of Cheap labor AND the long, bloody wars over minerals and the rampant disease and famine. Those two things.

 

[AidenShaw]

Protests planned for Apple stores Thurs, 9 Feb.

Watch the news tomorrow....

Protesters target Apple stores in 'ethical iPhone' campaign
By Laurie Segall @CNNMoneyTech
February 8, 2012: 6:52 PM ET Email Print

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Apple is facing demonstrations on Thursday at a half-dozen of its retail stores around the world from customers concerned about how Apple's suppliers treat their factory workers in China and other overseas locations.

The protests are the offline outgrowth of an online petition drive launched two weeks ago on social activism site Change.org. Created by Mark Shields, a self-described lifelong Apple customer who says he was "shocked to learn of the abusive working conditions in many of Apple's supplier factories," the petition has drawn almost 200,000 signatures since its launch.

more at http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/08/technology/apple_foxconn_petition/?npt=NP1

 

[JesseFogarty]

I always find it fascinating how people take it as evidence of evildoing and admitting guilt when someone acts in a way that does actually help.

Fact is that some people killed themselves by jumping off roofs. Fact is that the number was actually smalled, compared to the number of people working there. Fact is that Fact 1 comes up again and again totally exagerrated, while Fact 2 is conveniently ignored. Fact is also that employers should take action when there are problems, and Apple and Foxconn _did_ take action.

Now Jesse, if you stood on top of a roof ready to jump, and you see they put up a net, would you (a) jump into the net and feel like a prick, (b) try to run very very fast and jump over the net, or (c) climb down, find the person who put up the net and try to punch them very hard? The intended effect of the net is that choose (c), which then saved your life. You can only see that putting up these nets is very annoying. Yes, that is _exactly_ the intent. Foxconn and Apple didn't do this to please you. They did it to save lives.

Gnasher, don't get me wrong the nets are useful. But its horrible to think that a manufacturer (let alone the wealthiest companies manufacturer) has such horrendous working conditions that lead to workers taking their lives. Sure, the actual working conditions within the plan aren't the worst we've seen but there has to be a point made for those workers that are working a minimum of 12 hour shifts with two hour breaks to eat (which most use to sleep).

I could keep going on.. but it would be a little redundant - there's a great nightline episode on foxconn that I think you should watch. In case you cant find it - below is my gist of the episode enjoy!

http://www.jessefogarty.com/my-blog/nightline-foxconn/

Finally I'd like to address you comment that Apple didn't do this to please me, hell they didn't do it out of their own free will - they did it because of the negative publicity that follows when your manufacturer's employees would rather take their lives than continue working. WHATEVER reason you come up with: them being farmers adjusting, no support etc. is great but in reality this should've been avoided from day one.

 

[Macman45]

I did stick up for Cook on his appointment, and got flamed for it...He remains the right choice, and it's starting to show...The guy's genuine.