Why Apple doesn't do more to improve Foxconn working conditions - report

By Fred Dutton Published 26 January, 2012

"Because the system works for us," says former exec.

Foxconn, the enormous Chinese manufacturer that pieces together products for Nintendo, Microsoft and Apple, among many others, has been the subject of numerous recent reports of atrocious working conditions and employee suicides.

With every new story, commentators are invariably quick to ask "why don't the platform holders hold Foxconn accountable and demand change?"

Well, an anonymous former Apple executive has offered a little insight as to why that doesn't happen.

"We've known about labour abuses in some factories for four years, and they're still going on," the source told The New York Times.

"Why? Because the system works for us. Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn't have another choice."

"If half of iPhones were malfunctioning, do you think Apple would let it go on for four years?"

The New York Times report adds that there is a desire within the company to bring about change at the plant, but that falls by the wayside when conflicts crop up over the need to deliver new products on time.

Apple has brought in a code of conduct that it expects suppliers to adhere to, and some improvements have reportedly been seen.

Its published reports insist that every disclosed labour violation be addressed, and suppliers that refuse to do so are terminated. However, former executives admitted that, in reality, finding a replacement supplier capable of picking up such a huge manufacturing burden would be both expensive and time consuming so infractions are often over-looked.

"If you see the same pattern of problems, year after year, that means the company's ignoring the issue rather than solving it," said another former Apple executive.

"Non-compliance is tolerated, as long as the suppliers promise to try harder next time. If we meant business, core violations would disappear."

Another source suggested that Apple's demanding list of requirements and the meagre profit margins offered to suppliers is partly to blame for corners being cut and labour regulations being neglected.

"The only way you make money working for Apple is figuring out how to do things more efficiently or cheaper," said an executive at a company who worked with Apple on the iPad. "And then they'll come back the next year, and force a 10 per cent price cut."

Apple is "not going to leave Foxconn and they're not going to leave China," predicted Heather White, a former member of the Monitoring International Labor Standards committee at the National Academy of Sciences. "There's a lot of rationalisation."

Apple, who earlier this week announced quarterly profits of around $13 billion, declined to comment for the story.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (94) Latest comment 4 weeks ago

  • manic_mouse #1 4 weeks ago

    No idea why Apple take all the flack from this when everyone and their mother use Foxconn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn#Major_customers

  • deez #2 4 weeks ago

    I just wish I was man enough to give up consumer electronics :(

  • Yuroko #3 4 weeks ago

    Don't change supplier, it's expensive enough as it is to buy your products!

  • darkmorgado #4 4 weeks ago

    So they're happy with human rights abuses as long as their product is made on time?

    That's pretty sickening to be honest.

  • telboy007 #5 4 weeks ago

    Only 13 billion? Poor show...

  • Timotei #6 4 weeks ago

    Wow, what's his name, Emperor Palpatine?

  • Rajin #7 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    Perhaps the insane profit marges have something to do with it?

  • telboy007 #8 4 weeks ago

    Microsoft: "Change your ways!" Foxconn: "Nope!"
    Nintendo: "Change your ways!" Foxconn: "Nope!"
    Apple: "Change your ways!" Foxconn: "Oh, actually..."

    It is as simple as that.

  • Atolm #9 4 weeks ago

    @darkmorgado: Yeah, very sickening, and while I'm not guilty of Apple's products I am guilty of purchasing 'other' electronic products where the executives of those corporations also hold such a view.

  • Syrette #10 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    Funny how one of the most popular stories on here is about Microsoft's use of Foxconn then, isn't it?
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 20:03

  • anomagnus #11 4 weeks ago

    @darkmorgado

    In fairness to them dark, as Manic_mouse pointed out, they're hardly alone.

    Also, they're only supplying the product that people want to buy. The vast majority of the buying public are more than happy to accept human rights abuses for their products, you, me, everyone.

    You really think you own something that wasn't made in a sweat shop?

    I'm not looking to pick on you. I'm as guilty as you are. How many of us here own a piece of equipment made in the foxconn plant, or clothing made in a sweatshop.

    I really cant see the entire western world saying, i tell you what, we'll stop buying our toys.

    I accept that that this is the way of the world. It probably makes me a total cunt, though.

  • TazerFan #12 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    Guess you somehow missed the huge "Xbox 360 assembly workers threaten mass suicide" story a few weeks ago?

  • arcam #13 4 weeks ago

    A depressing read.

  • uiruki #14 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse It all depends on which company is most relevant to the story. In the last one it was MS as it was the 360 assembly line, in this one it's an alleged Apple exec talking.

  • manic_mouse #15 4 weeks ago

    @Rajin

    What would that have anything to do with it? Apple make that insane profit margin by flogging their software and hardware engineers. When it comes to Foxconn they simply contract out the manufacture, no differently than MS, Nintendo or Amazon.

    @Syrette

    And out of every article on the internet about Foxconn abuse, how many emphasise that Apple is only one of many companies using it? Most make out like Foxconn is an Apple owned factory. I've read two Apple-centric ones on EG compared to one MS one. Being a game site shouldn't it be focusing on Nintendo, MS and Sony making their consoles there?

    As for boycotting electronics, having a crappy job is probably a lot better than no job for these people - which is why they choose to work there. Not saying it's a good thing, but it's better than the alternative of unemployment which would be the result if we boycotted Foxconn.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 18:18

  • TazerFan #16 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    Okay, seems like you're just trolling. Best of luck!

  • Rajin #17 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    Is it possible that you're a Apple adopter?:p

  • manic_mouse #18 4 weeks ago

    @Rajin If anything I would say I'm a Foxconn adopter. ;)

  • Zaiz #19 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse Because Apple is supposed to be the granola and world peace company, not restrictive profiteers. They have a tightly controlled image that makes people love them, when in truth they are easily amongst the most greedy and money-grubbing companies there is. "Micro$oft" wishes they made the money that Apple did with similarly overpriced products.

  • Dr.Buckles #20 4 weeks ago

    If anyone is truly upset by this they should look into alternatives that aren't made in places like this.
    I couldn't care less.

  • threemoh #21 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse It's probably because most of these stories originate from outside the games press, such as the New York Times in this case/

    For them a story about Apple who makes that shiny phone everyone likes and that shiny music player everyone likes will resonate with their readership more than a story about that Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo company that makes those silly children's toys that are making everyone violent and distracting kids from their homework and otherwise ruining civilization.

  • Les #22 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse Simple, they're the top dog.

  • silversun #23 4 weeks ago

    we need a response from more than just some guy from apple , it would be intresting to hear someone from nintendo view on this place, reguardless if it good or bad.
    Should we fear speaking up about this issue?
    all we really want is to see people that work in places like this treated fairly. which they might be. we dont really know, and paid fairly, enough so they can feed themself and family and have an ok life.
    once again i cannot really comment as i dont know about this, but the suggestion is this is not happening and that is a really bad thing in my view.

  • arcam #24 4 weeks ago

    Apple are also clearly Foxconn's biggest customer. Like the story says, if Apple told them to change their ways, they would do it.

  • manic_mouse #25 4 weeks ago

    @Zaiz +1 Good post. People need to get a bit more cynical.

  • Les #26 4 weeks ago

    By the sound of it, this 'former' exec has an axe to grind with Apple. Guess he/she's a little upset about missing out on those nice stock options...

    There's little news here. Working conditions at manufacturers in China of Western luxury products have been shit for decades.

    Maybe articles like this will lead to more awareness and consumer outrage, but I'm afraid this will be forgotten soon.

  • shadow651 #27 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse their profits have everything to do with it, they can afford to make changes and still make a profit.
    Quite frankly your defence of apple seems idiotic, because other companies use Foxconn that some how exonerates Apple's own wrongdoing, oh and you may as well say slavery is better than no work for these people.

    Your apathy and misplaced concern are part of of the problem

  • Les #28 4 weeks ago

    @arcam It would be really great if the world was that simple. But it isn't.

  • mastablasta #29 4 weeks ago

    At least this year will be the start of the decline in Apple shares.

  • arcam #30 4 weeks ago

    Guess he/she's a little upset about missing out on those nice stock options...

    Let's not assume that everybody's only motivation is money. Some people actually do care about how people other than themselves are treated. I'd imagine there are lots of people at Apple, MS and elsewhere who don't like how their bosses are doing business.

  • weebl #31 4 weeks ago

    Surely Apple tendered a contract to build their hardware in sufficient numbers and under a particular price point, same as any other company in the electronics industry? Foxconn agreed to meet the targets and won the contract. What responsibility does Apple have in this over the Chinese government who have little to no employment law?

    What if the Raspberry Pi was made under similar conditions?

  • Les #32 4 weeks ago

    @arcam True. His/her remarks might sound vengeful because the person was appalled at how Apple let its suppliers treat its employees. It's just not the most likely explanation. Ockham's razor, etc.

  • arcam #33 4 weeks ago

    What responsibility does Apple have in this over the Chinese government who have little to no employment law?

    They have no legal responsibility, but it's possible to argue they have a moral responsibility. That's what most people are talking about.

  • DodgyPast #34 4 weeks ago

    <quote>manic_mouse wrote:
    No idea why Apple take all the flack from this when everyone and their mother use Foxconn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn#Major_customers </quote>

    Intriguing...

    No Sony, just Sony Ericsson, no Samsung ( my phone ) and no JVC. Somehow my recent purchases have allowed me to be Foxconn free.

    So apparently I can slag Apple and MS off without being a complete hypocrit. Well I probably could except I bet whoever I've bought from probably use someone just as bad.

  • Timotei #35 4 weeks ago

    I'm not trying to justify anything but the only reason we hear so much about Foxconn is that they have so many high profile customers. You can bet your ass most of the electronics in your homes came from sweatshops with entirely similar conditions.

    What's the solution? genuine question.

  • byakuya83 #36 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    It's because Apple announced profits in the billions whereas others are struggling, i.e. Nintendo.

    Using Apple makes a more interesting story.

    On balance though, they should mention that Apple seem to be doing far more than anyone else in respect of being actively involved in trying to change things for the better.

    At the end of the day, it might seem unethical and damage sales slightly but it's China's problem to sort.

  • Mister-Wario #37 4 weeks ago

    @darkmorgado Welcome to the world of business. And also welcome to the world of consumerism. But you're right, it's awful.

  • man.the.king #38 4 weeks ago

    @DodgyPast

    No Sony, just Sony Ericsson, no Samsung ( my phone ) and no JVC. Somehow my recent purchases have allowed me to be Foxconn free.

    Indeed - I took a look as well. Looks like Sony Playstation consoles are not being built at FoxConn. Interesting, I wonder where they are built.

    I have a PS3, a Samsung Galaxy S 4G phone and a Sony 3DTV. Seems that as far as these are concerned, I am not a customer of FoxConn.

    However, I have a Cisco LinkSys router, an HP laptop & a Dell laptop, both with Intel chips, 2 XBox 360s, a Wii, a Nokia phone (my wife), a Panasonic phone, and a Philips DVD player. So - as far as these are concerned - I am a FoxConn customer.

    /feels ashamed now

  • arcam #39 4 weeks ago

    What's the solution? genuine question.

    The solution, albeit an incredibly naive one, is for Western companies to accept a smaller profit margin in return for a better standard of living for workers in China.

    I admit it is incredibly unlikely, but there is precedent. Starbucks used to have a terrible relationship with farmers in developing nations, but after protests they now use only fairtrade coffee - they pay more for coffee than they did before, but their suppliers are better off and they have managed to use it as a selling point, so has been a big success.

    Not only that, but because Starbucks are market leaders, their influence meant that lots of their competitors moved to fairtrade coffee as well, so Starbucks used their success to make a really big difference to the lives of thousands, maybe millions, of very poor people. That is something Apple should think about when they are counting the bilions of dollars that poor Chinese people have enabled them to earn.

    Fairtrade computing? That doesn't sound so bad.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 19:12

  • Timotei #40 4 weeks ago

    @arcam Fairtrade computing? That doesn't sound so bad.

    No it doesn't.

  • KanePaws #41 4 weeks ago

    "their profits have everything to do with it, they can afford to make changes and still make a profit"
    ↑
    This. Once companies get as large as Apple, they're really just making money simply to make it; it's not like the people in charge could really improve the quality of their lives by having even more income so, really, it's just pointless. Like a fire, such greed, that burns, consumes, and grows without stopping to reflect.

  • nazzyq #42 4 weeks ago

    @arcam I don't think that your proposed solution is naive. Sounds reasonable to me!

  • funkateer #43 4 weeks ago

    "Don't change supplier, it's expensive enough as it is to buy your products!"

    The retail price is most of all based on what people are willing to pay!
    If Apple would move back to the US, Apple's profit would go down but it wouldn't necessarily mean that the retail price would go up.

    I've read somewhere that the costs to assemble an iPhone at Foxconn is about $8, and it would be about $64 to assemble in the US. Profit per iPhone would thus go down only $54. The article also said that currently, the iPhones make Apple a profit of about 40% per phone.
    (I'll try to find the source again of these numbers)

  • agent55 #44 4 weeks ago

    I'm not religious in the slightest, but...

    "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"

    - New Testament

    Rather than risk the company (perhaps) losing some small percentage of market share, Apple would rather these workers continue to suffer.

  • dirtysteve #45 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse Im not sure Apple are taking all the flak, it's just that the source for this particular chapter of the Foxconn saga is an ex-Apple exec.
    To be honest, I don't see the need to defend any company, or single it out. I think the entire industry is at fault here.
    I like that fairtrade idea, but there's no chance in hell they'd do it without passing on the cost.
    A drop in profits, for any reason, impacts share price. And if that goes into freefall, even a well-meaning gesture can doom a company.
    Sad, but it's the system.

  • tassletine #46 4 weeks ago

    To all the Apple fanboys complaining about this story being anti apple, and not mentioning other companies:
    This is about an interview with an ex-apple executive -- Not a Microsoft executive or a Nintendo executive. Do you honestly think that these sorts of stories grow on trees?

  • Casserole #47 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse Because they are the ones in the best position (see profit margins from recent articles) to incite change. They have the money, thus they can either increase wages or improve working conditions and still surpass profit margins of other companies that use them...I hate the sort of crap that westerners assume about the Chinese, how they put up and shut up - OF COURSE they want better lives, at home and work. But the relentless need to push demand - to satisfy YOU, the consumer - forces them to abandon any internal working conditions improvements they may have had.

  • Casserole #48 4 weeks ago

    @weebl
    What responsibility does Apple have in this over the Chinese government who have little to no employment law?

    =====

    DO YOUR RESEARCH.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Labour_Contract_Law_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China

    Little or no employment law myarse. The Chinese Government ARE doing things about it, and look where it gets them:

    "Small and medium enterprises in particular have already particularly felt the effects of the law. For example, some Korean companies have already decided to move their business from China to Vietnam or other developing countries where labor is much cheaper. About 98 percent of Korean enterprises in China are independent small and medium firms.

    Other companies reacted to the law by proactively firing employees who would have come under the new guidelines. In October, US-based retail giant Wal-Mart fired about 100 employees at a sourcing center in China. The company said the layoff was part of its global restructuring. LG and Olympus have respectively announced plans to lay off employees. Carrefour China has asked over 40,000 of its Chinese employees to re-sign a two-year labor contract before December 28, 2007 regardless of an employees' service length or the expiration of their current labor contract."

    Note that this is western companies firing workers because the Chinese government dared to improve working conditions. We in the west, with the luxurt of our cheap Chinese made goods, can easily criticise them for it and even (like in your case) flat out lie from ignorance, when the reality is that the corporations based in the west are pulling the strings. Not the Chinese government, and not the Chinese people.

  • FireMonkey #49 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse - "No idea why Apple take all the flack from this when everyone and their mother use Foxconn"

    Well in this case it is because it's a former Apple exec talking. He can't really make any comments about MS (or any of the others) as he didn't work there.

  • Casserole #50 4 weeks ago

    @man.the.king

    No need to feel ashamed, it is unavoidable for one to be involved in modern life without buying something Foxconn - or if we're looking at the wider picture - buying something that has, in some part of the production chain, used exploitation of workers or a country's resources.

    What is important is for people not to pressurise foreign governments on change, but on the large corporations to do so. Of course it seems marketing overwhelming wins the day over boycotting, but the next best alternative would be to push and campaign for the large corps (not just Foxconn client related) to sacrifice a small percentage of their profits to go towards improving the "lower" - and usually forgotten - end of their production chain.

    Unfortunately, the world situation is at a point where it seems even our governments cannot control what the private corps do.

  • DurzoBlint #51 4 weeks ago

    Of course they don't care about fixing this, it would hurt their bottom line. The idea that Apple isn't a horribly scummy company is a myth perpetuated by the people who define themselves by their products.

  • septimus #52 4 weeks ago

    Typical shitty article using Apple name to get clicks (not pointed soley at EG obviously). Every moffo uses them in the industry.

  • Les #53 4 weeks ago

    Fairtrade computing? That doesn't sound so bad.

    It doesn't, no. But fair trade coffee is quite different from this.

    The problem with the coffee is that there's being so much produced that the commodity price is so low that it can't really sustain small farmers. Fair trade affiliated companies pay a premium, more than the stuff is worth on the market, basically to subsidize those small farmers. Quite noble but you could argue that it would be better if there was less coffee being produced in the first place.

    In the case of Chinese workers, it's the companies that they work for that 'exploit' them, within the system as set by the Chinese government. But the fact that they are 'exploitable' is also the reason they have their jobs in the first place.

    The Times article was a follow-up to one last weekend that explained why iPhones etc. are not being made in the US but in China. Labor costs are only a minor factor. It's primarily about the flexibility and scale of the Chinese manufacturing infrastructure. If you need thousands of skilled engineers on short notice to manufacture a new, advanced tech product, China is the only place to go. And constant technological progress is what's being demanded by Western consumers.

    No company operates in a vacuum and it's not as simple to just say that Apple should demand better working conditions at the cost of lower profit margins. Their shareholders will not be happy and their customers won't be either if it slows down time-to-market for new products.

    Unless consumers get more vocal about this issue and factor it in in their buying decision, not much will change. But given how little pressure consumers have put so far on the big oil companies, who besides exploiting workers, also destroy the environments of poor countries, count me skeptical.

  • Arsecake_Baker #54 4 weeks ago

    The mainstream media should be all over this!

    It's beyond disgusting, write to your favorite news channels now!

    Edit: "No company operates in a vacuum and it's not as simple to just say that Apple should demand better working conditions at the cost of lower profit margins. Their shareholders will not be happy and their customers won't be either if it slows down time-to-market for new products."

    This is the kind of attitude that has caused suffering worlwide on an unparrelled scale, i don't care about "product" i care about people, whether it's the countries fault or the companies fault, there is a moral obligation!
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 20:06

  • RedRain #55 4 weeks ago

    What annoys me more is all the do gooders moan about it but still buy from these companys yes YOU support these conditions sigh

  • Les #56 4 weeks ago

    Good to see that many anti-capitalist rhetoric here by the way :)

  • Syrette #57 4 weeks ago

    @manic_mouse

    If there are stories to tell that involve MS then I'm sure EG would publish an article about them. If there's nothing to say - no quotes, no situations, no particular events - then what do you expect EG to do?

    There isn't some quota that they need to fill to make sure that every company gets an equal number of Foxconn-related articles.

  • DirectAim #58 4 weeks ago

    So what if the consumer cares about working standards in another country, at the end of the day China is a superpower, it needs to sort out working conditions for its people, NOT Apple!!

  • DirectAim #59 4 weeks ago

    Also just goes to show that Steve Jobs RIP was a visionary and talked the talk but his company Apple does tend to fuck over anyone and everyone in the name of profit!

  • Timotei #60 4 weeks ago

    @Syrette If there are stories to tell that involve MS then I'm sure EG would publish an article about them. If there's nothing to say - no quotes, no situations, no particular events - then what do you expect EG to do?

    To be fair, they could contact every company listed as a customer and ask for their stance on the conditions at Foxconn. Isn't that what journalism is about? rather than y'know, just skimming other sites for info?
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 20:16

  • TarickStonefire #61 4 weeks ago

    @Zaiz "similarly overpriced products."

    Ah, the old "overpriced" bullshit. You mean "expensive". And when compared to similar products, most of their stuff is pretty well priced. I think my iPad was worth the money, don't see anyone else outdoing it for the same price. But that argument is pretty well covered elsewhere on the web… ;)

    manic mouse is right to some extent in that Apple gets named in most media stories about Foxconn, as if it's just Apple that uses them. However, they're named here because former Apple execs have spoken about it, like everyone else has observed!

    On the whole I read enough about Apple and Foxconn elsewhere. I think EG should be more concerned with reporting which of the major gaming companies use Foxconn, in my opinion. Like they did with MS, yes, I did read that story.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 20:23

  • anomagnus #62 4 weeks ago

    @arcam

    A great post. I don't think its naive to ask for a better world. I think that it would take a lot for the world to change though.

    I am a cynic, and i get the feeling that if we did raise the standard of living in China, there need for consumer products would rise, and they would expect cheap products from the next step down on the food chain.

    That's not a slight on the Chinese, but an observation of human nature.

  • TarickStonefire #63 4 weeks ago

    @byakuya83 "At the end of the day, it might seem unethical and damage sales slightly but it's China's problem to sort."

    Um.

    Noooo… I don't think it's entirely their problem to sort. We live in countries whose industries exploit workers in China and 'China' as in their government probably doesn't really give a fuck, and 'China' as in the people being exploited are in absolutely no position to sort it.

    We're all on this planet together. There's a much wider responsibility to this problem than just China.

  • Syrette #64 4 weeks ago

    @Timotei

    Maybe they're in the process of doing just that for all we know?

    Or maybe they just don't think it's worth the time.

  • Les #65 4 weeks ago

    This is the kind of attitude that has caused suffering worldwide on an unparrelled scale, i don't care about "product" i care about people, whether it's the countries fault or the companies fault, there is a moral obligation!

    I care about people too. I also care about products.

    The world is a complex mechanism and while human emotions often point to simple solutions ("just do this", "just stop doing that" ) they're generally quite hard to implement or simply just don't work.

    Might be a bit fatalistic but I don't believe in change being forced from the outside. As standards of living will continue to improve in China, at some point workers will no longer put up with it. And they won't have to because there will be nobody else desperate enough to do so.

    Edit: why the hell is there a smiley in my text?!

    Edit 2: fixed, at the cost of ugly layout...
    Edited by 3 at 26/01/12 @ 20:50

  • byakuya83 #66 4 weeks ago

    @TarickStonefire

    It's the employment law in China that needs work. Apple cannot influence that.

  • Timotei #67 4 weeks ago

    @Syrette Or maybe they just don't think it's worth the time.

    Yeah, that sounds more like EG's style tbh.

  • jefranklin18 #68 4 weeks ago

    People should not be laying into Apple about this, they need to maximise their profits as they barely have two pennies to rub together.

  • funkateer #69 4 weeks ago

    Just wait 20 years and it will be us working at Foxconn US while these abused Chinese workers moved to management jobs in a wealthy China! ("they took our jobs! Drrrp-dee-drrrp!";).

    ...unless we start making sense and start dealing with these issues on a global scale in a respectful cooperative way...

    You can't expect customers to simply vote with their wallets against inhumanity. And you can't expect companies to do the same. It's just not realistic.

    I think this needs global guidelines and laws to enforce a better and fairer world. In the end, the majority of people *is* in favour of humane and fair working conditions everywhere if you ask them.
    (but maybe I'm just being a simplistic idealist there...)

  • threemoh #70 4 weeks ago

    @Timotei >What's the solution? genuine question.

    One story seems to be that Apple tells Foxconn to play fair and report back when they don't, at which point Foxconn tells Apple that all is well and employees say otherwise.

    Whether you choose to buy that or not is up to you, but Apple opening their own factory in China and not contracting to Foxconn would be a start, because then at least Apple are in a position to weed out, erm, bad apples in the management chain directly rather than everyone passing the buck down the line.

    It's only a small solution for one specific problem with one specific company, though- the Chinese more generally are still going to get the shitty end of the stick for some time with that one.

    @man.the.king >a Nokia phone (my wife)

    You're married to a phone? You're weird.

  • natureboy #71 4 weeks ago

    As long Foxconn and the others keep serving their imperial master, then Apple will always look the other way. I mean the iPhone 5 must launch this year at the cost of living conditions and lives right? The dirty side of capitalism for you
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 21:36

  • DrStrangelove #72 4 weeks ago

    @darkmorgado

    It is quite sickening, but that's how large-scale economy works. Profit is top priority and more important than health, life, happiness, fairness, social matters or any other guardian-reading communist nonsense.

  • funkateer #73 4 weeks ago

    "I like that fairtrade idea, but there's no chance in hell they'd do it without passing on the cost."

    But the fairtrade idea and the Starbucks example is not about cost, it's about success! Starbucks made more money and enjoyed a better reputation after going for fairtrade.

  • Lunatic4ever #74 4 weeks ago

    Never change a running system,hu?

  • PalNova #75 4 weeks ago

    Why Apple doesn't do more? Do you think Apple is the only company that uses Foxconn? Maybe the "anonymous former Apple executive" actually works for, say, Samsung or Microsoft..? Check out YOUR OWN ARTICLE HERE: http://www.eurogamer .net/articles/2012-01-10-workers-at-xbox-360-plant-threaten- mass-suicide

  • DrStrangelove #76 4 weeks ago

    I said it before, and I'll say it again: with consoles like XBox or Playstation, the producers are under massive pricing pressure, and their decision to make contracts with companies like Foxconn may be understandable (not right, but somewhat understandable), because, you know? Would you buy their consoles if they cost a 100 quid more?

    With Apple it's different, because people happily pay a lot more for their products, and also they enjoy an idealist reputation (for little reason--I have a Macbook, because it's really good, but I find that Apple/Steve Jobs cult disgusting). For Apple, it is about making 30 billion dollars in a quarter year, because with a lousy net profit of 29 billion their share price goes down. Apple is so filthy rich, they could easily change something, but of course they don't.

    I say, with ability comes responsibility, and on that notion, Apple fails miserably.

  • man.the.king #77 4 weeks ago

    @Casserole
    Unfortunately, the world situation is at a point where it seems even our governments cannot control what the private corps do.

    Indeed - especially here in the US where, since Corporations can "contribute" to campaigns like individuals, seemingly without a ceiling to said "contribution", their lobbying power is immense.

    It seems, depressingly, that, short of a revolution (not just writing to representatives or useless fluff like that), this state of affairs doesn't have much chance of changing.

  • man.the.king #78 4 weeks ago

    @threemoh

    You're married to a phone? You're weird.

    Haha - nice one dude. Should have thought about an apostrophe following 'wife', but I guess, unlike you, I'm not perfect. :)

  • drSchiwago #79 4 weeks ago

    The $13 billion quarterly profit is a good example on how the system works. In order to maintain that amount of profit you have to deprive a lot of others of their fair share.

    "Maximizing profit" is concept that can only work for a small minority, like a pyramid scheme.

    We - the consumers - are part of this also, getting the cheapest possible price is the consumer view of "maximize profit" and contribute to the issue also.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/12 @ 07:29

  • dagas #80 4 weeks ago

    Apple has more money than most countries at this point, they can afford to not have such crazy high margins. The only other company I can imagine that are more about cutting cost than Apple would be IKEA, but at least they pass on the cost cits to the consumer by selling very inexpensive things. But I guess that if you can get away with paying less and charging more for your products than anyone else you will.

  • madmaardigan #81 4 weeks ago

    NEWS SHOCK: Apple doesn't give a fuck about employee working conditions

  • dagas #82 4 weeks ago

    @drSchiwago Are you saying we are getting the cheapest possible price? Please, Apple overcharge more than just about anyone. Apple does not pass down the savings to their customers, that is way they make so much money.

  • dnd #83 4 weeks ago

    many have said it, and i agree, it's not a problem restricted to apple/ms/foxconn, or even to the consumer electronics industry. we're all interested in prices as being as low as possible, there's a consequence to that:

    http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/slave -elves-online-shipping
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/12 @ 07:45

  • up_the_ante #84 4 weeks ago

    Apple are managing to squeeze the suppliers for every cent at one end and charging the consumer with a massive premium at the other

  • Porko_Rossi #85 4 weeks ago

    I've never bought an apple product, they always look cute and pretty, but somethings never smelt right about em... its like they have a glint in their screens you know ?

  • suicidal_penguins #86 4 weeks ago

    Ex employee? Would have found the story more valid if someone employed by Apple was resigning over this, not someone who was fired having a pop at their old employer. Apple's response today has been fairly comprehensive given it refers to actual program's in place to attack the problem:


    "Earlier this month we opened our supply chain for independent evaluations by the Fair Labor Association. Apple was in a unique position to lead the industry by taking this step, and we did it without hesitation. This will lead to more frequent and more transparent reporting on our supply chain, which we welcome. These are the kinds of actions our customers expect from Apple, and we will take more of them in the future.

    We are focused on educating workers about their rights, so they are empowered to speak up when they see unsafe conditions or unfair treatment. As you know, more than a million people have been trained by our program.

    We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word. You can follow our progress at apple.com/su pplierresponsibility." (from Apple head email)

  • CORIANA_SIX #87 4 weeks ago

    BASTARDS!!!

  • UncleLou #88 4 weeks ago

    I said it before, and I'll say it again: with consoles like XBox or Playstation, the producers are under massive pricing pressure, and their decision to make contracts with companies like Foxconn may be understandable (not right, but somewhat understandable), because, you know? Would you buy their consoles if they cost a 100 quid more?

    With Apple it's different, because people happily pay a lot more for their products,

    /facepalm

  • super_monty #89 4 weeks ago

    This has always been the way the rich step on the poor and the poorer you are the bigger the foot.

    It's not right and as the gap between rich and poor becomes bigger their will be more civil unrest.

  • super_monty #90 4 weeks ago

    @Casserole @man.the.king
    'Unfortunately, the world situation is at a point where it seems even our governments cannot control what the private corps do.'

    great comment look at out MPs and the House of Lords most of them own or rub shoulders with these corporations.

  • PixelPirate #91 4 weeks ago

    @weebl "What if the Raspberry Pi was made under similar conditions?"

    Raspberry Pi Work Plan
    1)Slaughter ALL THE RASPBERRIES
    2)Bake them in a pie
    3)Sell to bedroom coders
    4)?
    5)Profit

  • TechnicPuppet #92 4 weeks ago

    The problem with apple compared to other manufacturers is that they take an obscene profit margin on their products, they could easily afford to pay more.

  • Lunatic4ever #93 4 weeks ago

    @man.the.king

    that really is disgusting. I don't understand why this is possible in the first place. Every sane person will understand that this "contribution" is nothing else but corrupting and distorting the system. is it really so hard to see?

    But the smell of fresh dollar notes makes one forget about repsonibilities right? It's always "what's in it for me?"

    It's miserable.

  • ballshock #94 4 weeks ago

    Not only do get exploit the guys making the iPhone's, but the materials they use like coltan fuels the civil war in the D.R of Congo which has killed 5 million people.
    Fuck Apple