Apple and Condition of Chinese Workers...

[ESUNintel]

News and technology outlets have not been very soft with Apple lately, mainly because of poor worker conditions in China.

It does bother me that Apple didn't resolve this quicker, but I don't plan on boycotting.

What do others think?

[curt]

Real Time with Bill Maher took on the issue last night. I have mixed feeling about the subject. At least when it comes to boycotting. I do think that Apple needs to be open and get things under control. I mean, this isn't something you just sweep under the carpet. It's a human rights issue at heart.

An argument can also be made to make some of this in the US. You have a 100 billion in cash. It's not like Apple can't take a hit on profit margins. Plus, it would be good for their image. That being said, at least they appear to be keeping their call centers in the US.

So, my vote ends up being maybe. I think Apple can do a better job here. Companies like Nike (here in Oregon) took on the issue and are doing a better job now.
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[Bandit Bill]

I chose other. I would have chosen no, but I prefer to state my own reason.

Nobody is forcing the workers to go to work at any of the factories in China. China's unemployment rate is 6%. These people have a choice. Some countries have over 90% unemployment.

It should be up to the Chinese government to protect their people if there is an issue.

I can't count how many times I've put in 30+ hour shifts in the Alberta oilfields. There is no law in place that says this cannot take place. My province (one of the richest areas in the world) has just over 3.7 million people. We have over 500 suicides per year.
Perhaps this is because we work so hard but hey, nobody is forcing us.

The media is simply making something out of nothing. Foxxconn has over 1,000,000 employees. Of course there will be issues. 18 attempts with 15 suicides is actually a relatively low number.

Apple is where the media is focused today. That's all there is to it. Two years ago we couldn't go a day without hearing about another earthquake in the news. Did they stop or did the media just stop covering it. I think we all know the answer.

[scooper]

Not as long as they have nets.

I'm just kidding around.

I mean, can the employees quit and go their own way? If so, I don't really care. Long work shifts don't necessarily mean poor working conditions either. I've worked over 24 hours straight before. Like Bandit, I think the media is just looking for a story here. Therefore, a big no for me.

[Smithcraft]

No, I won't boycott Apple because of Foxconn. That Apple doesn't have anything I want to buy makes that moot point though.

Otherwise, boycott Apple. What good is it going to do? Foxconn is not an Apple company, they build things for bunches of companies.

Or to quote Stephen Fry - "Kindle, Apple, PSP 3, Xbox,Nokia, Samsung, Wii, IBM, Intel, MS all made at Foxconn. Apple takes the flak but only Apple truly addressing it."

Greenpeace made a point of picking on Apple rather than all the other companies that did whatever Apple did.

I agree that this is a human rights issue at heart, but that is my western heart. The Chinese heart is different, and if you have followed any of the attempts over the last few decades to get China to start following western 'sensibilities' you will know that the Chinese heart and western hearts have different values. I'm not saying that either is better, it's just a fact of life.

If you want to get Foxconn to change it's ways, boycott every company that uses Foxconn parts, not just one company that uses their parts.

SC
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[epic_ed]

Not from Apple, but I will continue to boycott them from Microsoft.

[devo]

Foxconn isn't Apple, but they could pressure them to make working conditions better. It's just the right thing to do.

Not in the market for anything, but no on the boycott.

[Smithcraft]

Article posted at /. highlight -

[blazer]

[Smithcraft]

You also have to remember Apple and Foxconn have been together for a long time! I wouldn't doubt that my IIci was built by Foxconn.

SC
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Grumpy old man of computing.

[Desktop] G4 mini - 1.5Ghz 1GB 80GB HDD - Newer miniStack v2 500GB - 10.5.8

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[Y-Guy]

These sorts of protest do nothing but tick me off. They always seem to target the big companies and don't bother to tell the whole story. Back when Nike was a target and now Apple I did the same thing, I went shopping. Picked up a new iPad cover as my way of voting with my small pocketbook.
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