Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Sweatshop Factory
- Thread starter Phatcat73
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can't really single out Foxconn in this category. These labor conditions are widespread across almost all of the factories in China. Clothing companies are just as bad. These are unfortunate conditions for these people though. They sleep in bunk beds in the factory, shower with buckets of warm water, and eat the same thing everyday. It basically is prison with a salary.
Realistically if you are against these labor conditions you should probably sell everything you own including the clothes on your back because they were likely made in a factory just like this one.
Realistically if you are against these labor conditions you should probably sell everything you own including the clothes on your back because they were likely made in a factory just like this one.
Just because the Giz, which we all know are full of **** most of the time anyways, claims that Apple is a "main customer" does not in fact make it true.
Foxconn cranks out 300,000 - 400,000 computers per month. Last time I checked Apple isn't selling 300,000 - 400,000 computers per month. (These stats are from 2001) So basically, no Apple is not one of their main customers.
Foxconn's customers include, but not limited to: Compaq Computer Corp., IBM Corp., Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Cisco Systems Inc., Korn Corp. and Motorola Inc.
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring-job-listing/994816-1.html
Most importantly:
Among other things, Foxconn produces the Mac mini, the iPod, the iPad, and the iPhone for Apple Inc.; Intel-branded motherboards for Intel Corp.; various orders for American computer manufacturers Dell and Hewlett-Packard; motherboards for UK computer manufacturer Zoostorm; the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 for Sony; the Wii for Nintendo; the Xbox 360 for Microsoft, cell phones for Motorola, the Amazon Kindle, and Cisco equipment.
So if all of the above are made through Foxconn, then no, Apple is not their main customer. I'm sure there were more xBox sold than iPhones. I'm sure there were more Wii sold than MBP. I don't have time to keep looking up stats - so take your dribble somewhere else.
P.S. Learn to think for yourself!
You can't have it both ways. Either you have to pay a fair wage to these people and pay considerably more for your iPad, or you have to stop pretending to be shocked when people are being exploited. We've been turning a blind eye to this forever in this country, and the solution is easy; Raise the price of the products, pay these people a decent wage. Most people don't like that solution though, shame there aren't any others.
yes, but they have multiple plants for these things. I'm pretty sure that location is mostly pumping out Apple products.
+1. The same arguments apply to those who say they want American made products. What they really want is American made for the same price if it was made in China.
yeah...people are jumping out of windows and commiting suicide to make steve jobs looks bad..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10137101.stm
I'd pay more, but unfortunately Apple can't do that. If they do, other companies will under-sell them.
The only solution is for the U.S. government to make a law requiring a set minimum wage for all employees making products that enter the U.S.
But that'd probably make China angry which is why it'll never happen. So...politics as usual.
The situation frustrates me and I wish I COULD pay more for the things I buy. But I don't blame the companies themselves. If they actually did that they'd soon go out of business which doesn't help anyone. You've got to be frustrated with the people who have the power to change it, but don't.
In this case there's 2 sources of frustration: The Chinese government and the U.S. government. Since I don't have much to do with the Chinese government, I'll focus my attention on my own.
Sorry, I worked at an American factory during college. Its not just the wages that keep companies going over seas. The union had fosterd such a strong us vs them mentality that no one gave a @#$ about what they built. Its also about quality.
It would be nice if their was some kind of middle ground and I hope their is some day but it is going to take work.
It would be nice if their was some kind of middle ground and I hope their is some day but it is going to take work.
An interesting point was made in the comments on that article - obviously I don't know if it's true or not:
All Foxconn employees working on Apple products must live on-campus - presumably for secrecy reasons, other employees are free to live off campus. And all of the suicides have been among these 25,000 or employees (which makes the suicide rate abnormally high).
All Foxconn employees working on Apple products must live on-campus - presumably for secrecy reasons, other employees are free to live off campus. And all of the suicides have been among these 25,000 or employees (which makes the suicide rate abnormally high).
That's ignoring the margins Apple makes on its hardware.
There are more than two, black and white options here. (Pay workers very little, or raise prices).
It's a two way street. Management in a lot of companies see their workers as a resource, to be used as much as possible for as little money as possible. Unsurprisingly, the workers react by wanting to work as little as possible and be paid as much as possible. So you have two sides of the company fighting against each other.
I don't think production moved from the US because of the Unions, just because of pricing. Apple employed a lot of people here in Ireland (myself included!) largely because wages here are lower than in the US, and corporation tax is very low. When the cost of living rose here, they moved on again to cheaper facilities on the Pacific Rim. I don't think it had anything to do with quality, just price.
have you ever been outside of the US? in a lot of countries people will kill for a job like that. since the alternative is working on a farm with worse food and in worse conditions. or not working at all and living like it's the middle ages
Agreed, it's not quality, it's price. But I do honestly believe that in some industries *cough*Auto workers*cough* the unions have such a stong stranglehold on the companies that they end up hurting themselves as they basically choke the company, their own livelyhood, and remove their ability to compete.
I'm not sure what its was like in Ireland. I sure would LOVE to take a vacation there and find out!! Amazing place!
I know their are other factors but I worked at the plant in emergency response as a contractor for 6 years so I dealt with management and hourly equally. A lot of managers were so frustrated that they also stopped giving a @#$ and the company did what they could to make as much profit as possible. The line workers were making 22.00 per hour (15 years ago) and benefits that rival the military. It most likely costs the company 70M per year for each person on the line and they were the "cheap" ones. Any other job paid "premium". I'm sure the wages have gone way up in the last 15 years.
I drive an American car and I do prefer to buy American when I can. Its not a patriotic thing I just worry that were losing to many jobs. That being said I dont think I would trust a computer built in a (US) union shop, at least not until their products had been on the market for a year or two.
On the other hand if they are seriously paying people 130 a month then that is INSANE. I dont care how bad it is anywhere else in the same country.
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, kinda makes my problems look even more trivial.
Ya I'm not saying what factory I worked in but I did go to UTA (in Arlington) so I'm guessing that since youre in Dallas you know what I'm talking about.
It's either working in a factory or a rice paddy for these people. Plenty of factory jobs in China because of cheap labor, and many people in China to fill those positions. Chinese manufacturing = massively produced and affordable, but lower quality, product.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's Chinese suppliers were caught violating labor laws and Gizmodo, et al. were completely silent on the issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/technology/20soft.html?scp=7&sq=microsoft china&st=cse
Apple is clearly better clickbait these days.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/technology/20soft.html?scp=7&sq=microsoft china&st=cse
Apple is clearly better clickbait these days.
I see these labor practices as China's problem, not ours. Unfair labor practices have been rampant in all countries as they develop, including USA. The workers addressed the issue. No help from outside interests or countries requested or desired. China can do the same. In most of these developing countries, those people are just damn glad (and damn lucky) to have a job at all.
In the meantime, it has nothing to do with whether or not I buy Apple products. I don't care how Apple's suppliers treat their workers, I care how Apple treats me. And they're treating me just fine.
In the meantime, it has nothing to do with whether or not I buy Apple products. I don't care how Apple's suppliers treat their workers, I care how Apple treats me. And they're treating me just fine.