Tim Cook's Email to Apple Staff Regarding Supplier Responsibility Report

[AppleScruff1]

You are either very uneducated or spreading falsehoods intentionally. Apple has been conducting audits at companies in China and providing reports about the results since 2007.

That's why the email is front page news, because Apple has been so concerned about the working conditions for years? Foolishly, I thought that it was now important due to the rash of suicides etc that have been getting publicized recently. Please forgive my lack of education, Also, you should recall that several days ago I stated that I wasn't a match for you intellectually when you made a similar comment about my lack of knowledge/stupidity.

My post made complete sense to what I replied too. No need for your accusations.

 

[Ferry888]

Nothing but a PR stunt if you ask me. Why did it had to take some suicides from Foxcon workers before any action was taken. If they were so concerned about manufacture workers they would've cut ties with Foxcon at that time.

 

[barbarasfdavis]

Agony & Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

I hope all Apple employees listen to Mike Daisey's coverage of Fox Conn, where employees can lose the use of their hands as young as in their 20s due to the outrageous working conditions: "Mr. Daisey’s trip to Shenzhen, China, where he posed as a wealthy businessman to infiltrate factories where Apple products and other electronics are made. He says he witnessed inhumane conditions and interviewed workers outside of factories who said they were as young as 12." Apple employees in the U. S. can change things.

After the This American Life podcast that came out exposing the poor working conditions, they are going to need this PR.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/454/mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory

Examples:
- Employees ages 12-14
- Dorms with bunk beds the size of coffins

 

[Dr McKay]

My point is Ford assembles their product here, along with many other companies. Why doesn't Apple open more factories here like an American company should do?

I'll tell you why. GREED! That is why America is dying and all the jobs are being outsourced to China.

China, forget our debt we owe you... Just take Apple.

Not all jobs are being outsourced to China, An Indian Telephone Company recently began outsourcing jobs to the USA

You think most customers will care about where their phone is made? Most American customers will only notice that the cost of their phone has probably more than doubled, for no reason except it now says "Designed & Assembled in California".

And a huge chunk of Apples market overseas in places like Europe who are already getting shafted paying way more for Apple products will suddenly have to pay ludicrous amounts, just for Apple products to be made in a different foreign country.

 

[rkahl]

Not all jobs are being outsourced to China, An Indian Telephone Company recently began outsourcing jobs to the USA

You think most customers will care about where their phone is made? Most American customers will only notice that the cost of their phone has probably more than doubled, for no reason except it now says "Designed & Assembled in California".

And a huge chunk of Apples market overseas in places like Europe who are already getting shafted paying way more for Apple products will suddenly have to pay ludicrous amounts, just for Apple products to be made in a different foreign country.

Most countries get their iPhones free with a 2yr contract. Wake up if you don't see our country being shipped off to China... sorry, and India too!

 

[Dr McKay]

Most countries get their iPhones free with a 2yr contract. Wake up if you don't see our country being shipped off to China... sorry, and India too!

It's places like China that allow the conveniences that you've gotten used to, to be as cheap as they are. Certain jobs go there because it's cheaper, Instead of blaming the corporations and expecting them to change and front all the losses because they've had to jack up the cost of all their products, Maybe it's time people changed.

 

[mrmister]

Now let's address all of this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/b...and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html

 

[luist3k]

Your figures are actually quite far off. I'm not sure if you're a troll or just ignorant. You also chose to ignore how I said the real problem was outsourcing of positions requiring skill or a degree.

The manufacturing thing has been ongoing since the 70s or so. It's become noticeable because things have hastened over the last decade. Consumer spending power has been in a slump, so companies cut costs. It will only get worse. When you start to source out things like IT jobs, engineering positions, etc. you grow the skilled workforce in a country that has yet to go through the periods of inflation seen in the US. If it matters, your theoretical numbers are highly inaccurate. There are a few companies that manufacture here in computers, ram, and SSDs. Intel did for a bit (on SSDs), but I'm not sure if that changed more recently. Boxx makes their towers here. Laptops are still sent out. You pay more, but not 3x as much. You're just coming up with arbitrary numbers that sound good to your troll mind. Mexico's situation has been shifting. Again I think you're just making up numbers.

Wouldn't say I am trolling since what I do is market analysis and actually invest . But hey, I don't blame you. Supply chains are very complex and I tried to oversimplify it as this is not a SCM forum. Anyway, bumps are not taking cheap jobs (agriculture for example; can earn more as unemployed). Electronics can make sense as long as labor time per product is very low. But assembly process are another kind of beast.

By the way, Mexico's situation hasn't been shifting that much (read the Siesta Congress article by the Economist http://www.economist.com/node/21543172).

Anyway, Apple recently stated why they don't produce in America. Hope you don't call that source a troll.

 

[thekev]

Wouldn't say I am trolling since what I do is market analysis and actually invest . But hey, I don't blame you. Supply chains are very complex and I tried to oversimplify it as this is not a SCM forum.

That's why I figured you were trolling. The article was okay for light reading, but again it lacked a lot of detail, and it doesn't make them sound any worse than our own politicians (not that I would extrapolate data from that single article).

By the way, the real issue isn't the loss in domestic manufacturing. Cheaply made items like electronics aren't coming back unless the US becomes a third world country. The real issue is outsourcing of R&D, engineering positions, etc. Those are the kinds of things that will really kill the economy, but it will take some time.