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Report Profiles Secrecy at Apple's Asian Manufacturing Partners' Facilities
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Reuters today reports on the secrecy demanded by Apple of its Asian manufacturing partners, profiling a sprawling Foxconn facility in Longhua, China complete where employees live and work while producing many of Apple's devices. ...
seriously dude, it's just computers and phones.....give me a freakin break with all the security. it's not that important. geeez apple......
What is wrong with you? Do you really think Apple is not to blame for this behavior? Apple has a say-so over how the companies they EMPLOY treat employees and contractors! They made similar requests and requirements when it came to environmental factors such as RoHS and lead-free along with 80% recyclable notebooks et al...
You are burying your head in the sand if for one second you do not think Apple can mandate that manufactures treat employees with respect and basic human dignity! I am appalled by this type of action of the part of both Apple and the manufactures and contractors - not to mention all the mindless Apple apologists defending Apple and the manufactures. STUPID!
Tell me how you defend this culture just because it is the way it has always been in China and that is what they are used to? Wasn't the same thing said about slavery in America in the South in the early to mid-1800's? If you do a quick search on human rights and working conditions in China you will see that many employees who work in these 'compounds' are actually bared from leaving and are forced to work 7-days a week, 10-12-hours a day!
I am also sick of hearing that the MacBook Pro I am typing on would cost $3k if built in the States or Ireland - that is simply NOT TRUE! With the mechanization here is the US versus China or other third-world countries (based on the cost of that technology versus cheap human labor) the cost over time would actually be very comparable. Maybe Apple takes a small cut in profit for a couple of years to offset the technology costs associated with US/Ireland manufacturing and then when those costs are amortized out - you have comparable costs for production but with MUCH BETTER human rights and treatment of others! Why is that no longer important to large companies? There is simply NO EXCUSE for Apple and their partners to operate in this way - it is sick and reprehensible!
D
This is very similar to the MO of some of the most top secret military R&D facilities here in the USA. The Foxconn facility security profile described here is equivalent of Area 51 and other high level Top Secret facilities.
Also, the intentional misinformation given to Apple employees to see who leaks is classic Cold War and mole hunting techniques. The data given to someone is intentionally wrong and unique to that person. If it gets out, they can ID the source. Curious to see if any former intelligence community types are working at Apple working this security cap.
While Apple has a lot of bohemian and counter culture roots, how ironic they are acting like the system that they fought when they started.
seriously dude, it's just computers and phones.....give me a freakin break with all the security. it's not that important. geeez apple......
for apple it is not 'just computers and phones' - it's billions of dollars. profit if you stay ahead of competion, loss if your IP is stolen by a competitor.
i'm not condoning harsh working conditions, just saying that if you stood to win or lose billions of dollars, you might not say 'it's not that important'
i agree that humans deserve best possible working conditions, and i admire your fervour. one question: if it were not more expensive for apple to produce in europe or usa, how do you explain the decision to move to china? it can't just be sadism? surely there is an advantage, and judging by apple's record of thinking longterm, it can't just be for short term profit?
no longer? when was it important?
Unless it affects them all you said is true but like any religion people will not care, its not them who are been affected by how a company does business as usual.
Life is simple, care only about self and move on, there are more pressing problems that are worse than anything that Apple Corp. and Steve Sultan Jobs wants or is paranoid about.
Unfortunately these harsh working conditions are standard in the industry.
Any company including Dell (who may assemble some computers here but the parts certainly aren't made here) is guilty of contributing to sweatshop like conditions in periphery countries.
Frankly it is just par for the course, whether its electronics or clothing most of the things we buy these days are made in conditions like these.
It would be nice to see a forward thinking company like Apple, actually work to change these work environments, but I am not going to hold my breath.
Anyone who suggests that subsistence farming is somehow worse than sweatshop like working conditions really needs to think again and get more educated on these issues. That is a very, very western mindset and frankly
very much along the lines of colonial racism.
Most of the people in these regions that survive off of "subsistence farming" were doing fine before the influx and control of the western powers that came with the push towards developing these so called "backwards" or "undeveloped nations".
I am all for countries developing, but they should be allowed to do so on their own, without the control of the west and its many institutions like the IMF and World Bank. And we in the core countries need to change our mindset that every country is better off being "modernized" like we are.
There is nothing inherently better with the way we live than anywhere else. Most poor standards of living in poorer countries have more to do with the brutal history of colonialism than they do with whether or not they have adapted western ways of modernizing.
Any company including Dell (who may assemble some computers here but the parts certainly aren't made here) is guilty of contributing to sweatshop like conditions in periphery countries.
Frankly it is just par for the course, whether its electronics or clothing most of the things we buy these days are made in conditions like these.
It would be nice to see a forward thinking company like Apple, actually work to change these work environments, but I am not going to hold my breath.
Anyone who suggests that subsistence farming is somehow worse than sweatshop like working conditions really needs to think again and get more educated on these issues. That is a very, very western mindset and frankly
very much along the lines of colonial racism.
Most of the people in these regions that survive off of "subsistence farming" were doing fine before the influx and control of the western powers that came with the push towards developing these so called "backwards" or "undeveloped nations".
I am all for countries developing, but they should be allowed to do so on their own, without the control of the west and its many institutions like the IMF and World Bank. And we in the core countries need to change our mindset that every country is better off being "modernized" like we are.
There is nothing inherently better with the way we live than anywhere else. Most poor standards of living in poorer countries have more to do with the brutal history of colonialism than they do with whether or not they have adapted western ways of modernizing.
So I thought I knew the meaning of 'over-reacting' but now I've seen a whole new meaning in some replies in this thread.
They moved there for the same reasons as every other company...
Cheap labor, and lax environmental and labor regulations stimulate the bottom line.
To your next question, it was important to companies like Ford and GM after WWII and led to the largest growth of the middle class in U.S. history.
The idea was that even lowest level employees working in the factories should make enough money to buy the products the company made.
This led to an economic model of high production and high consumption which sky rocketed the U.S. economy, and helped cement it as the world super power. Well that and winning WWII.
Has nothing to do with generosity. Just that I don't blame them. I would blame them if they were violating law. As for which laws, that's simple. International law and local law prevails.
seriously dude, it's just computers and phones.....give me a freakin break with all the security. it's not that important. geeez apple......
LOL you MUST have been joking!
I REALLY hope you are being totally serious otherwise you are one sick mother f****r!!! who should be banned from these forums permanently.
Yeah right, it's a massive conspiracy of the French government against the Americans
got any reputable serious proof that isn't from the American Conspiracy forums?
In this day and age, corporations are ruthless when it comes to theft prevention of both physical and intellect capital. This is of paramount concern no matter which continent the company facility is located. I worked for a major diamond mine in South Africa and the daily screening process when leaving work every day was incredibly invasive. Everyone accepted it, knowing that was the price you paid for being employed with them.
Yeah, same here. From the comments on the thread, it is either they are 15 year old kids or have never worked in a big tech company before.
And I know people working at Apple right now. They are well paid, they go home every night. And they're happy. So the point is?
What they describe in China is pretty standard. A lot of the manufacturing facilities have dorms, cantinas, clinics. All the basic needs. Shifts are 12 hours a day for labor and 8 to 10 hour days for engineering and type. The workers have uniforms. These are considered perks for many in China. Place to live three meals a day, that isn't that bad.
I travel to factories in China and the Far-East quite regularly. I am always reminded of the poor working conditions relative to the west. Given that all products are made in this way, - yes Everything you buy in the shops, it is shocking that the public has no real response.
The compound nature of the foxcom factory is very common, and also sounds like the foxcom version is better than most others.
To give you some context most Chinese skilled workers i have come into contact with earn about US$2500 a year. Which is not a lot!
The compound nature of the foxcom factory is very common, and also sounds like the foxcom version is better than most others.
To give you some context most Chinese skilled workers i have come into contact with earn about US$2500 a year. Which is not a lot!
yea, it sounds like the perfect life to me. . ignore the link below. I'm sure Apple wouldn't contract with companies like the one featured.
http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=613
I can't say foxcon itself is like this, but China *DOES* have a reputation.
[and if you think THIS is bad, you should read up on their prison camps]
http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=613
I can't say foxcon itself is like this, but China *DOES* have a reputation.
[and if you think THIS is bad, you should read up on their prison camps]
Indeed, I think the saddest part here is that people will make some token protest and things will go back to normal. For things to change western consumers would have to change their habits/wants. We aren't going to do that so we'll just act like a bunch of hypocrites when we protest companies doing exactly what we demand (cheap goods).