Apple Publishes Annual Progress Report on Supplier Responsibility

[koruki]

Not a single white person? Or black? Or Indian? Or Mexican?...etc.

The Report states "As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States". 190 facilities!! Yet every photo is of an Asian. And don't tell me these are of Asian people working in Wyoming.

I am an American. I know that numerous ethnicities make up Americans. Yet I don't see a single photo of an American in this Report.

People are allowed to get outraged if such Reports or case studies only picture white/Caucasian people...but it's wrong for me to point out the opposite (not yelling at you).

"As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States"

Let see, Asia, Europe, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, U.S. Still outraged that all the photos (like what 5 images total?) are of asians? What the is the big deal? We see enough photos of Americans in the apple store photos.

 

[japanime]

"As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States"

Let see, Asia, Europe, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, U.S. Still outraged that all the photos (like what 5 images total?) are of asians? What the is the big deal? We see enough photos of Americans in the apple store photos.

+1. Good point.

In fact, in the window displays at the Apple Stores in Shibuya and Ginza, there are life-size cardboard cutouts of "employees." Most of them are non-Japanese. I certainly don't get worked up over that!

 

[ericinboston]

"As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States"

Let see, Asia, Europe, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, Asia, U.S. Still outraged that all the photos (like what 5 images total?) are of asians? What the is the big deal? We see enough photos of Americans in the apple store photos.

Yes I am still unhappy. There were 190 factories...yet they couldn't take a picture of a single non-Asian and display it on the Report? Seriously.

It doesn't say 185 of the factories are in Asia...does it? No. It simply states that the Report accounted for 100% of the 190 factories.

My outrage (a little harsh of a word) is that in this day, this year, everyone will scream and moan if it's 100% white people...but when I bring up that it's 100% non-white (and better yet, 100% of a particular race), I'm the bad guy...or the insane one.

Don't worry...I'm sure the point I'm making will be brought to the attention of Apple any day now...oh, and Apple's an American company. Nice discrimination, Apple!

Perception is reality folks. Regardless of how the math truly works under this report, the pretty 20+ PDF with all the pretty pictures still displays 100% Asian workers. Perception is reality.

-Eric

 

[Analog Kid]

Wow, typical Steve Jobs-- every detail accounted for. Even the manufacturers are beautiful!

 

[gingafeet]

brilliant grasp of the global economy, i must say. and what are your views on America entering WWII?



yup, like the iphone girl... a model who snuck in to take a secret photo of herself on one phone. you have no idea about any aspect of any part of those photos. i mean, you're in CANADA for pete's sake.

i dont know who the iphone girl is or what the case was.
and im not so sure what ur point is,, but i can easily assume that they didnt just give point & shoot camera to one of the assembly workers and asked him to take some snap shots. All corporate photos are calculated.
but how do YOU know how much i know about those photos?? i mean, you're not in CANADA for pete's sake

 

[Balthezor]

Do you REALLY want those manufacturing jobs to move from China to the US? We don't need low-skill low-pay jobs here. No one here wants those jobs.

Far better (for the US) if all the low-pay low-skill monkey-work jobs are in China and all the higher paying engineering, design and marketing jobs are here and that is pretty much the way Apple has arranged it.

That's because all the people here in the US are engineers and are all posses high levels of education.

I think you need some basic education yourself before making absurd statements like that. This country can use any jobs it can get. Look at the unemployment.

 

[Makindosh]

Talk to Steve about it...

Not a single white person? Or black? Or Indian? Or Mexican?...etc.

The Report states "As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States". 190 facilities!! Yet every photo is of an Asian. And don't tell me these are of Asian people working in Wyoming.

I am an American. I know that numerous ethnicities make up Americans. Yet I don't see a single photo of an American in this Report.

People are allowed to get outraged if such Reports or case studies only picture white/Caucasian people...but it's wrong for me to point out the opposite (not yelling at you).

Why don't you send a letter to Steve (Apple) and ask him (them) that why they are using only asians in their photos? See what they say. And we will know the real reason behind it. Otherwise, here, no one really cares about it.

If that's the case, then why all the magazine covers are filled with blue eyed blond women? Beauty standards?

 

[archipellago]

Archipellago, I'm curious as to the origins of this quote.

http://www.anti-keylogger.org/news-world/vista-windows-7-are-more-secure-than-snow-leopard-6468.html


lots of bing links everywhere...

 

[3282868]

http://www.anti-keylogger.org/news-world/vista-windows-7-are-more-secure-than-snow-leopard-6468.html


lots of bing links everywhere...

Interesting. While the "flaw" is interesting, it's hardly as big an issue that the article claims. I agree that OS X is less prone to hackers due to its lower market share compared to Microsoft's Windows, however simply stating such a claim does not invalidate the facts. One major benefit is OS X's permission based system, making it much more difficult to penetrate. Further, one security flaw does not level the playing field when compared to the many, many flaws oriented around Microsoft's Windows based systems.

 

[jimbobb24]

Does this sort of stuff impress someone?

Too me it looks like a lack of focus? I mean, you are building these in China, a totalitarian regime that oppresses its people and is incredibly corrupt. You want to impress me, move your factories to democracies like Taiwan or South Korea. Or work to free the people of Tibet.

But, I guess this is the fad they market too just like their "green" report cards.

 

[ericinboston]

Why don't you send a letter to Steve (Apple) and ask him (them) that why they are using only asians in their photos? See what they say. And we will know the real reason behind it. Otherwise, here, no one really cares about it.

If that's the case, then why all the magazine covers are filled with blue eyed blond women? Beauty standards?

Please don't speak in generalities...you look foolish. Do "all the magazine covers" in the world display blonde women with blue eyes? No.

This is a "Report" that an American company (founded in good 'ol USA and still is headquartered here) published on their website for the entire world to read...about factories all over the globe...yet the pictures are of a single ethnicity. I, as an (white/Caucasian) American reading this "Report" that Apple so badly wants me to read, am offended by its lack of photographic diversity.

Furthermore, Apple's site states: "Apple is committed to ensuring the highest standards of social responsibility wherever our products are made. We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes.
Apple’s program is based on our comprehensive Supplier Code of Conduct, which outlines our expectations for the companies we do business with. We evaluate compliance through a rigorous auditing program and work proactively with our suppliers to drive change."

Now let's flip my point of view...since the entire 24+ report concentrates so heavily on Asian pictures and Asian locations, is this Report implying that Asian workers/regions are so bad that Apple needs to step in and set them straight?

 

[Analog Kid]

Yes, that and US workers will unionize, driving up costs even more.

Better yet, let's go back to the original policies that made the US strong to begin with.

Unions, regulation,and the New Deal.

 

[farmboy]

Too me it looks like a lack of focus? I mean, you are building these in China, a totalitarian regime that oppresses its people and is incredibly corrupt. You want to impress me, move your factories to democracies like Taiwan or South Korea. Or work to free the people of Tibet.

But, I guess this is the fad they market too just like their "green" report cards.

Did you read the report? I'm guessing no, because you would have noticed that plants were located in many countries outside of China.

I'm no defender of PRC, but there is corruption in every government in the world, including ours (Nixon, Agnew, Foley, Delay, Tancredo, Cunningham, and thousands more)--and you know that.

South Korea is one of the most racist nations on earth, it's deeply embedded into their culture, or were you unaware of that? Is that OK just because they have recently become a democracy?

As far as freeing Tibet...Seriously, Apple is responsible for doing that?! But why stop there, how about Armenia, Kurdistan, etc. Or is it just because the Dalai Lama speaks English and has a great sense of humor. Maybe he can levitate Tibet out of their predicament, or cloud the minds of the Beijing Commie rulers.

As far as a "fad", if you stand to lose your lucrative contract if you fail to comply, and extensive audits and follow-ups are conducted, this is serious business with serious consequences. Go through even a quality audit once and see how much fun that is.

 

[Jaro65]

My outrage (a little harsh of a word) is that in this day, this year, everyone will scream and moan if it's 100% white people...but when I bring up that it's 100% non-white (and better yet, 100% of a particular race), I'm the bad guy...or the insane one.

Perception is reality folks. Regardless of how the math truly works under this report, the pretty 20+ PDF with all the pretty pictures still displays 100% Asian workers. Perception is reality.

You're raising good points.

Yes I do. A job is a job. And the more money we can keep within our borders, the better.

Exactly!

 

[koruki]

Yes I am still unhappy. There were 190 factories...yet they couldn't take a picture of a single non-Asian and display it on the Report? Seriously.

It doesn't say 185 of the factories are in Asia...does it? No. It simply states that the Report accounted for 100% of the 190 factories.

-Eric

Your right, there is probably 188 factories in Asia (190 - 2 non-asian) lol. I think theres a bigger world out there, no need to cry about this matter =)

 

[Bubba Satori]

Be the revolution Steve, build them in America.

Not gonna happen.
They won't be able to beat up employees who leak info about products.

 

[jimbobb24]

I'm no defender of PRC, but there is corruption in every government in the world, including ours (Nixon, Agnew, Foley, Delay, Tancredo, Cunningham, and thousands more)--and you know that.

South Korea is one of the most racist nations on earth, it's deeply embedded into their culture, or were you unaware of that? Is that OK just because they have recently become a democracy?

Sometimes the internet is the greatest source of smiles. Only someone whose list of corruption revealed such an incredibly narrow view could equate South Korean racism with the murderous rule of a billion people. When South Korean racism leads to a few million murders you let me know.

Apple is just whitewashing Chinese oppression with these social responsibility checks. I would just take all my business elsewhere if I were serious about social responsibility, freedom, human rights, the rule of law, or even...the environment.

 

[MaSx]

Apple is a commercial company,no doubt. So by principle, it is evil, it wants to make money, and loves to make money, lots of it!

However, you can still treat those at the bottom better.... than lots of Taiwanese companies. At least from that famous iPhone factory girl picture, we can tell, at least there are happy workers in Apple's associated factories. Hope they will keep this tradition...


Actually this is one of the reason I keep on buying

Simply you cannot tell anything from the picture unless you're working there and $$$ do almost^ everything nowadays. So yeah =)

 

[farmboy]

Yes I am still unhappy. There were 190 factories...yet they couldn't take a picture of a single non-Asian and display it on the Report? Seriously.

It doesn't say 185 of the factories are in Asia...does it? No. It simply states that the Report accounted for 100% of the 190 factories.

My outrage (a little harsh of a word) is that in this day, this year, everyone will scream and moan if it's 100% white people...but when I bring up that it's 100% non-white (and better yet, 100% of a particular race), I'm the bad guy...or the insane one.

Don't worry...I'm sure the point I'm making will be brought to the attention of Apple any day now...oh, and Apple's an American company. Nice discrimination, Apple!

Perception is reality folks. Regardless of how the math truly works under this report, the pretty 20+ PDF with all the pretty pictures still displays 100% Asian workers. Perception is reality.

-Eric

Is your real name Tekstud (Appleinsider)? Because only he and you express such weird contrarian ideas. No one takes your outrage "seriously". And no, perception is not reality unless you're still in grade school. Whatever. If this is your idea of an issue, you have a lot of free time. And I probably shouldn't be wasting mine. Next time I'll let you troll.

If you had paid attention in Geography, you would know that "Asia" consists of many nations and peoples, most of which are from the same genotype (I'll wait while you look that up). That's about 1.5 billion potential employees in the general area, all of whom may superficially look the same to western white folks. Phillipinos, Koreans, Taiwanese, Thais, Malaysians, Nepalese, Manchurians, Vietnamese are not the same, and the "Asian" factories employ visa workers from all those nations. So your perception about the lack of diversity is not real.

 

[gingafeet]

Yes I am still unhappy. There were 190 factories...yet they couldn't take a picture of a single non-Asian and display it on the Report? Seriously.

It doesn't say 185 of the factories are in Asia...does it? No. It simply states that the Report accounted for 100% of the 190 factories.

My outrage (a little harsh of a word) is that in this day, this year, everyone will scream and moan if it's 100% white people...but when I bring up that it's 100% non-white (and better yet, 100% of a particular race), I'm the bad guy...or the insane one.

Don't worry...I'm sure the point I'm making will be brought to the attention of Apple any day now...oh, and Apple's an American company. Nice discrimination, Apple!

Perception is reality folks. Regardless of how the math truly works under this report, the pretty 20+ PDF with all the pretty pictures still displays 100% Asian workers. Perception is reality.

-Eric

I understand your point. I just dont think diversity is something that applies in this case. the very major part (i cant say what percentage, but can be assumed its very high) of the production and assembly of apple products are done in China. And there has been some criticism directed towards apple recently because of the way Chinese/Taiwanese contractors are treating their employees. I believe this report is in response to those criticisms in order to convince consumers and shareholders that apple is doing what it can to "minimize" wrong behaviour.
There wouldnt be any point of showing some american software engineers in California and boasting about how well they get paid and how free they are to move. (referring to the compound story in China)

 

[kanon14]

Not a single white person? Or black? Or Indian? Or Mexican?...etc.

The Report states "As of December 2009, Apple has audited 190 facilities located in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States". 190 facilities!! Yet every photo is of an Asian. And don't tell me these are of Asian people working in Wyoming.

I am an American. I know that numerous ethnicities make up Americans. Yet I don't see a single photo of an American in this Report.

People are allowed to get outraged if such Reports or case studies only picture white/Caucasian people...but it's wrong for me to point out the opposite (not yelling at you).

I'm a Chinese and I have no problem with it. I mean China IS the world factory. Almost everything is built there, so what's wrong with the pictures? What I find funny is that when other companies put different ethnics groups into pictures like these, people complain how it's staged and blah blah blah. Now Apple show only Asians (because most of their factories are located in China), people complain.

 

[kanon14]

Perception is reality folks. Regardless of how the math truly works under this report, the pretty 20+ PDF with all the pretty pictures still displays 100% Asian workers. Perception is reality.

-Eric

And what exactly wrong is that? Are you implying Apple is trying to deceive us into thinking Asians are very hardworking people and White people don't work at all? What is your point?

 

[azshopper]

Now let's flip my point of view...since the entire 24+ report concentrates so heavily on Asian pictures and Asian locations, is this Report implying that Asian workers/regions are so bad that Apple needs to step in and set them straight?

Unfortunately, everything from Apple is made in Asia, even the electronics inside iPhone/iPod/Mac are made in Asia. Apple is not lying but this is the reality. So you expect they setup a mock factory in California just for this report?

It's not easy for American to accept this truth, but this world is a team. We can't live without each other. The reason why everything is made in China because their labor cost is a lot lower than the west. Until their wages go up and our wages go down, the situation will not change.

The world is changing so rapidly, you know there are more people speaking English in China than in the US today? There will be even more competition from other countries in next 20 years because they all will get the knowledge and money to do business.

For now, enjoy the LOW price high end products from Apple

 

[Makindosh]

Do a little research...

Please do some research on American Media (Hollywood, etc.) and about how asian folks and other ethnic groups are represented in today's media.

I have just read some articles, and watched some documentary clips and videos on youtube, and found out that modern american media is representing asians and others such as native americans in more negative and stereotypical way. I think we should give them a chance to stand out.

But, I don't see any problem here at all.

And also, again, you should contact Apple about it. They will take care of it.

 

[HowieR32]

I'm a Chinese and I have no problem with it. I mean China IS the world factory. Almost everything is built there, so what's wrong with the pictures? What I find funny is that when other companies put different ethnics groups into pictures like these, people complain how it's staged and blah blah blah. Now Apple show only Asians (because most of their factories are located in China), [ericboston] complains.

^ Correction made.

To be fair though, [ericboston] is correct, but he just needs to chill out a bit.