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The unpleasant reality of iPad production?

J

Jus11

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
23
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I haven't seen anyone on MacRumors mentioning this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-factory-workers-suicides-humiliation

It should get very special attention on/by MacRumors. Very worrying indeed.
 
Apple does not control how this company treats its employees, but they should take steps to make sure that the rules are being followed or take their business elsewhere.
 
Jus11 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; fi-fi) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

I haven't seen anyone on MacRumors mentioning this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-factory-workers-suicides-humiliation

It should get very special attention on/by MacRumors. Very worrying indeed.
Click to expand...

There was a lot on this awhile back. The working conditions in that whole country are a problem. However the Foxcom factories where Apple products are made are among the best on their areas as far as worker compensations, human rights, working hours, etc... It IS high stress and some people can not adapt. Imagine the working conditions of the poor fellows working at the competition where there are no reports trying to make a story every day. Where no one cares if your exploited and abused.
 
It's sad that there's mass workers like that, but that's the world economy. Like it or not. Agree with it or not. That's how business works.

If this is an issue for you, better take a look at nearly 95% of everything in your house/car/work because the majority of it was built the same way.

Unless people want to pay $3000 for an iPad and $300 for a cheap pair of shoes, this is the reality of our world economy.
 
Apple isn't the only one to blame in this...

There is a long list of people responsible including The Chinese Government which is not enforcing any rules on employment equality and fairness.



But reading the article did remind me of the stories from back in the 90s. I remember my mom telling me to finish my food cause there were kids in part of the world working in hot factories making the nike shoes i liked so much and they would love the food i don't eat.


Foxconn = modern day sweat shop?
 
Hankster said:
Like it or not. Agree with it or not. That's how business works.
Click to expand...

Thats how it works THERE, and thats NOT how it should work. They should change it. I can't believe none of these people retaliate. How could you not want to just throw these freakin ipads across the factory during assembly and quit your job? It seems like being homeless is a better choice.

Apple is partly to blame, but its mostly the ****** country to blame.
 
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Well, if it has been discussed many times before, that makes the news even more bothering. Apple is a company which certainly has much power of making it better for the workers. (After all, their profit rates are exceptional, you know.) So why on earth are we then still getting these news?
 
Fact:
Almost all electronics are made in China
Over 50% of electronics are made by Foxconn

Yes, the story has been on Macrumors front page. Guardian and you are way too late to the story.
 
Jus11 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; fi-fi) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

Well, if it has been discussed many times before, that makes the news even more bothering. Apple is a company which certainly has much power of making it better for the workers. (After all, their profit rates are exceptional, you know.) So why on earth are we then still getting these news?
Click to expand...

Your a little behind the times.

Apple Supplier Responsibility
http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/auditing-compliance.html

and

2011 Supplier Progress Report
http://images.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2011_Progress_Report.pdf

2010 Supplier Progress Report
http://images.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2010_Progress_Report.pdf

Apple Publishes Annual Progress Report on Supplier Responsibility (Published February 2010)
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/2...l-progress-report-on-supplier-responsibility/
 
This is indeed worrying and definitely unacceptable. Fact stays, in China these practices exist, and are not always containable (wish they were ...).

I believe it should also be seen in perspective. This is not a unpleasant reality of iPad production; it's an unpleasant reality of nearly all technology products ...
Often, this reality MAY be worser for non-Apple products than Apple products (I'm not saying it is!) The Acer's, HP's, Toshiba's etc. of these world usually aren't much better, it's just less known.

What I do find somewhat unnerving, are the numbers Apple possesses related to their audits. They do know XX % of their suppliers don't comply with their supplier COC. I do expect from a company like Apple -who claim to put quite some effort in sustainable products- to take action in these cases. Not just words. Sustainability cannot be just a marketing tool, it should serve a cause. I can believe this isn't always easy: for example Apple needs to keep customers happy too by meeting their demand in timely manner. Apple's challenge is to balance in such things. I like to believe they're pretty good at it, but it seems there is still room for improvement.

But honestly, I must admit I'm also a buyer of iPad nonetheless ...
 
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Funkymonk said:
Magic comes at a price.
Click to expand...

...at a price, yes; the question is, for whom?

Saving107, thanks for the report links. Good read. However, I wonder if Apple is riding two horses here. On one hand, they claim
being responsible; on the other hand, their timetables seem to lead to unacceptable pressures for the workers. Doesn't their left hand know what the right is doing?

For those who say that it might be even worse with non-Apple-related factories: come on, that's a lousy defense, in the last analysis.

We should wish that Apple would concentrate more on this matter. They have the money. No excuses.
 
Hankster said:
Unless people want to pay $3000 for an iPad and $300 for a cheap pair of shoes, this is the reality of our world economy.
Click to expand...

That's a simplistic view of the problem. The labor cost of our iOS devices is something like 1% of the purchase price, so even doubling or quintupling the wages paid to Chinese workers would have zero impact on retail price.
 
Roofy. said:
Thats how it works THERE, and thats NOT how it should work. They should change it. I can't believe none of these people retaliate. How could you not want to just throw these freakin ipads across the factory during assembly and quit your job? It seems like being homeless is a better choice.

Apple is partly to blame, but its mostly the ****** country to blame.
Click to expand...

Sounds like someone needs to spend some time in the Peoples Reeducation Camp. Every action has it's repercussions, and in China the repercussions can be pretty severe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

The workforce in China is to some degree a commodity, meaning it can be easily and cheaply replaced. The crusade you suggest would likely lead to a prison term and pretty much guarantee your prospects, and possibly those of your family, are pretty bleak.

I agree that China needs to reform it's labor policies but the pressure to do so will likely need to come from the market place rather than the work force pulling a Norma Rae.
 
kuebby said:
That's a simplistic view of the problem. The labor cost of our iOS devices is something like 1% of the purchase price, so even doubling or quintupling the wages paid to Chinese workers would have zero impact on retail price.
Click to expand...
For which you have offered a simplistic solution. The issue is not going to be solved by raising a workers wages from $0.60 an hour to $1.20 or $2.40 an hour, not when people are working 80 hours or more a week.

A second issue is in creating a situation in which the working conditions of one group of workers far exceeds those of all the other groups of workers in that industry. Let's say Apple were to insist that Foxcon quadruple the pay of the workers making Apple products and limit them to a 40 hour work week. Everything looks all sunshine and roses for Joe Foxcon worker until one of his neighbors whacks him to get his job.
 
reputationZed said:
For which you have offered a simplistic solution. The issue is not going to be solved by raising a workers wages from $0.60 an hour to $1.20 or $2.40 an hour, not when people are working 80 hours or more a week.

A second issue is in creating a situation in which the working conditions of one group of workers far exceeds those of all the other groups of workers in that industry. Let's say Apple were to insist that Foxcon quadruple the pay of the workers making Apple products and limit them to a 40 hour work week. Everything looks all sunshine and roses for Joe Foxcon worker until one of his neighbors whacks him to get his job.
Click to expand...

Something needs to be done. However, changing wages and changing hours may not be the answer. A complete overhaul of the working conditions in China is what needs to happen. Until then we will continue to read these kinds of articles.
 
hmmmm apple auditing their suppliers.
Yes Mr Fox, we have assigned you to guard the hen house. The lead hen will supply you with a daily inventory. All you need to do is make sure the numbers are correct. We'll swing by in about a year to check the progress of how the hens are. Just be sure to complete the necessary forms
 
The fact is that Apple have both the means and influence to greatly improve workers conditions there. That they aren't is troubling.

They have essentially just shrugged off the issue by saying that they are following legal guidelines and that other companies are worse. Why is that an acceptable response?
 
Jus11 said:
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I haven't seen anyone on MacRumors mentioning this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-factory-workers-suicides-humiliation
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing the article. I didn't know there is an official Apple Store in Hong Kong. When I went there in March, I thought there were none, perhaps it's new. I heard there's one coming in IFC. Anyone know if that's the one in the photo?
 
just my opinion...

I think these are getting quite exagerated mainly because of this fanboy hatred against Apple... A lot of electronics is made in China and, on factories with worse conditions. No one complains about that. Why?

If you want to see something bad and brutal... go down the road to the Chinese shipyards where ships that will carry a lot of the stuff you buy (that may not be made in China) are made and then complain about the working conditions. Like it was reported, the suicide rate inside Foxconn is lower than the national average... on the shipyards, it doesn't quite matter. People get killed all the time. Yet, no one really cares or complains...

It should also be noted that, people go to work in Foxconn because the salary is good. In China it is possible to work in one of the main cities making socks and then build a mansion in your home town in the middle of China.

Another interesting thing is to see the drop in the suicide rate after Foxconn cancelled the family bonus or insurance in case of suicide...
If you suicide yourself while doing your job, will your family get anything?
 
I spend a couple of years working in Shanghai when the company I was working for was setting up a factor for the test and assembly of semi-conductors. By our standards, it's brutal there.
 
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