Should read... Apple caves to media pressure months after initial issues were brought up. Then just copy and paste that for every security and OS issues known on OSX.
I still don't understand why people are spitting venom at Apple in regards to their factories when there are other factories far far worse.
In the same line of thought, fewer media attack dogs nipping at their heels.
Non-rhetorical question: Why does Apple not just buy Foxconn?
That makes sense.
And makes them more popular with the Chinese public, I suppose.
A good move then.
A host of good reasons.
First of which is that Foxconn's operations are decidedly low-margin ones. Apple currently makes an astounding 45%+ margin on its hardware. Foxconn makes that hardware at less than 10% gross margin. Buying Foxconn would dilute Apple profit margins to an unacceptable degree.
Secondly, such as purchase would open the company up to anti-competition scrutiny. Foxconn makes phones and computers for many of Apple's competitors. Regulatory agencies would most likely not let such a transaction occur.
Thirdly, ownership of production facilities in China comes with all sorts of restrictions, local-partnership and investment requirements, etc. - things that Apple, as a publicly-traded US company, simply doesn't want to get involved with.
Lastly, Apple's greatest strengths as a company simply aren't in managing the sort of labor-intensive operation that characterizes most of Foxconn. Apple might be great design engineers (arguably the best in the world) - but thats a very different skill-set from being able to recruit, train, house, schedule, and manage an army of Chinese young people in cities like Shenzhen and Chengdou.
That sounds great.Foxconn has raised wages several times over the past couple of years as it has faced scrutiny over the treatment of its employees. And following a series of audits, Foxconn and the Fair Labor Association reached an agreement in late March to reduce overtime while boosting compensation packages to compensate for the reduction in hours.
Oh, never mind I guess.Analysts have attributed weaker-than-expected first-quarter results at Foxconn's flagship listed unit Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd mainly to rising salary costs. Hon Hai has been trying to cut rising Chinese labor costs in the past two or three years, and has been relocating plants to areas of China where wages are lower.
The only thing that's unclear is whereIt is unclear how much the actions are costing Apple and Foxconn and how the costs are being split, but with Foxconn operating on a very slim profit margin it has limited ability to finance such improvements without raising costs for its customers or receiving direct support from Apple to assist with the changes.
I wonder how the media and the public would respond to a $50 price increase on iPads and iPhones to cover higher commodity, labor, and labor workplace safety costs?
I still don't understand why people are letting Apple off the hook in regards to these factories.
Yes there are factories that are far far worse, but in general the working conditions at Foxconn are clearly not good enough, and shouldn't be an excuse for Apple to go, "well, the working conditions might be crap, but it could be worse!".
I'm sure if your employer had that attitude you wouldn't be happy!!!
Haters out there are just jelous.
I still don't understand why people are letting Apple off the hook in regards to these factories.
Yes there are factories that are far far worse, but in general the working conditions at Foxconn are clearly not good enough, and shouldn't be an excuse for Apple to go, "well, the working conditions might be crap, but it could be worse!".
I'm sure if your employer had that attitude you wouldn't be happy!!!
general the working conditions at Foxconn are clearly not good enough, and shouldn't be an excuse for Apple to go, "well, the working conditions might be crap, but it could be worse!".
I'm sure if your employer had that attitude you wouldn't be happy!!!
Apple seems to have grown more of a "heart".
Whether or not this is true....it at least appears that way.
No , dont buy foxconn .
Apple is the best company , cares about their customers.
Best design, expensive but it's high quality.
Haters out there are just jelous.
There are thousands of companies that treats the employees 100 times worse.
Working for foxconn is not so bad. The thing is that they choose to work overtime.
Whats the prob about that?
I still don't understand why people are spitting venom at Apple in regards to their factories when there are other factories far far worse.
I'm sure if your employer had that attitude you wouldn't be happy!!!
they might as well start manufacturing in the US then. the public would be much more willing to pay a price increase if most/all of the product is made in the USA
Would people honestly care?![]()
Apple is not Faxconn's employer, it's a cilent.
Why should a client be responsible?
Not to blindly defend Apple, or to over-simplify the situation, but I'm trying to wrap my head around the problem itself. Let me pose this hypothetical situation:
Let's say, for instance, you're a little local construction company. You build sheds that sell rather well. You buy your supplies at Home Depot or Lowes. When you're getting your supplies, you notice that the store seems sorta run down and the people seem upset and make a really low wage.
Now is it your responsibility to go out of your way and spend your money to improve their wages or conditions? You're already a customer and pay your invoices on time. Doesn't it behoove the company to use their income to improve their workforce's conditions/wages?
Personally, regardless of how much cash Apple has on hand, I don't see why it's Apple's responsibility to improve Foxconn conditions. At the end of the day, they're just another Foxconn customer. No more, no less. If Apple owned a substanital financial stake in the company, that might be different, though I doubt that's the case. Sure, there might be a moral obligation, but no more so than any of Foxconn's other customers. But you don't hear about them being at fault or contributing.
That being said, it really does appear to me that Apple's being raked over to coals simply because they have more money and they're a higher profile customer.
At least part of the reason is that mentioning Apple in your "cause" in almost guaranteed to get you more attention than if you mentioned some lesser company. The Apple name draws attention to people who want attention, e.g. Greenpeace, Mike Daisey, The NYT, the guy with the Foxconn petition, etc.
Non-rhetorical question: Why does Apple not just buy Foxconn? Apple could buy Foxconn, strengthen its supply chain, stop paying the Foxconn profit margin, and prevent Foxconn from being a manufacturer for rivals. Maybe I'm overlooking something obvious.
That being said, it really does appear to me that Apple's being raked over to coals simply because they have more money and they're a higher profile customer.
Labor costs are the least of it. There is a huge money laundering racket going on that keeps Apple (and others) from paying US and state taxes. In addition, huge amounts of money is stashed in off-shore banks waiting for a president who will give them a "tax holiday".
This is much more a factor than the few minutes (if that) of labor needed to assemble some robot-made components at Foxcon.
Also, the real abuses take place in the companies that supply Foxcon with components. From mining to making little parts, those companies are hardly regulated at all.