Apple and Foxconn Sharing Costs to Improve Factories

[exfileme]

Apple and Foxconn are reportedly sharing the cost to upgrade the factory working conditions.

Apple and Foxconn Sharing Costs to Improve Factories : Read more

 

[pedro_mann]

I'm not really an Apple fan. But I must say that I am impressed by their resposibility at this time. Hope this works out as they say it will.

 

[blazorthon]

Took them way too long to actually do something like this. Hopefully, they're sincere.

 

[molo9000]

The sad part is, that Foxconn is probably one of the better employers in China.

The only reason people pay attention to Foxconn is because it's so big and manufactures so many well known products in China.

 

[NuclearShadow]

It saddens me that they would do this not because its the right thing to do but solely based on PR reasons. Nor does this even bring up the treatment of the workers and deal with the reported assaults and other unacceptable treatments that workers reportedly endured.
So while they improve factory conditions "security" will continue to beat those whom management is unhappy with.

Remember this is a company that is so convinced it owns its employees that if they take time off they have to tell the company exactly where they will be going. They have been refereed to as animals. Yet somehow we the consumer are suppose to forget all of this because of improvements of factory conditions. Note that this does not include living quarters conditions which are terrible or anything else. (They are required to also live there)

I guess it beats Foxconn's original method of just shrugging their shoulders and putting nets up around the buildings....

 

[subaru41]

That's odd. On the NBC broadcast, Apple stated that conditions were way above standard. Why now do they change their mind?

On another note Apple has filed a patent on suicide nets and we should see the release of the new net model with the release of the iPhone 5.

 

[dimar]

Why not produce Apple stuff in North America instead, with highest-class working conditions? The holly followers will buy their products no matter the costs anyway...

 

[anti-painkilla]

Wasn't foxconn spending $1B over the next decade to replace all the workers with robots? Are they speeding it up or actually improving work conditions?

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]subaru41[/nom]That's odd. On the NBC broadcast, Apple stated that conditions were way above standard. Why now do they change their mind?On another note Apple has filed a patent on suicide nets and we should see the release of the new net model with the release of the iPhone 5.[/citation]

Apple was lying. Remember, these are the ones who said that their products were breaking because the customers were holding them wrong up until it blew up in their faces as a PR disaster and they started to take some responsibility to try to save their image. Apple either ignores a problem or lies about it until it becomes a PR disaster. It's their policy.

 

[Osmin]

The middle class in America is defined as making around $25,000 to $100,000 per year. The factory jobs that were plentiful in the past made a healthy middle class and created realistically low unemployment numbers. Nine out of ten products used to be made in America (1 out of 10 now)before the government opened the doors to foreign imports without tariffs and pushed for the global economy to make every American worker compete with the salaries of third world countries. As seen on Shark Tank, an American inventor asked for money to create American jobs for his new invention but all of the investors refused to help unless it was made in china to maximize profits. ABC immediately contacted some US factories and one said they could make it cheaper here and Home Depot offered to carry the product. We have fake unemployment numbers in order to push the global economy. Even the construction of the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco was contracted to a Chinese firm that brought Chinese workers to build the bridge for 75 cents an hour ($12 per day) and working 16 hours a day. We already lost so many jobs in payroll, medical billing, etc. to foreign contracts that now we have construction workers being out sourced too. What’s next to go? Just keep buying those foreign products and lets find out.

 

[molo9000]

[citation][nom]Osmin[/nom]The middle class in America is defined as making around $25,000 to $100,000 per year. The factory jobs that were plentiful in the past made a healthy middle class and created realistically low unemployment numbers. Nine out of ten products used to be made in America (1 out of 10 now)before the government opened the doors to foreign imports without tariffs and pushed for the global economy to make every American worker compete with the salaries of third world countries. As seen on Shark Tank, an American inventor asked for money to create American jobs for his new invention but all of the investors refused to help unless it was made in china to maximize profits. ABC immediately contacted some US factories and one said they could make it cheaper here and Home Depot offered to carry the product. We have fake unemployment numbers in order to push the global economy. Even the construction of the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco was contracted to a Chinese firm that brought Chinese workers to build the bridge for 75 cents an hour ($12 per day) and working 16 hours a day. We already lost so many jobs in payroll, medical billing, etc. to foreign contracts that now we have construction workers being out sourced too. What’s next to go? Just keep buying those foreign products and lets find out.[/citation]

How many unskilled factory workers were ever considered middle class?

I'd love to see all those communists, who want to bring all those menial jobs back to north-america or western europe, actually work a job like that.

If a Chinese worker is so much more cost effective, that shipping products halfway across the Globe is economical, then he deserves the job.

 

[Guest]

I am greatly saddened to see Apple investing into a country that is endeavoring to displace Americans from our homeland.

 

[testerguy]

[citation][nom]subaru41[/nom]That's odd. On the NBC broadcast, Apple stated that conditions were way above standard. Why now do they change their mind?On another note Apple has filed a patent on suicide nets and we should see the release of the new net model with the release of the iPhone 5.[/citation]

[citation][nom]blazorthon[/nom]Apple was lying. Remember, these are the ones who said that their products were breaking because the customers were holding them wrong up until it blew up in their faces as a PR disaster and they started to take some responsibility to try to save their image. Apple either ignores a problem or lies about it until it becomes a PR disaster. It's their policy.[/citation]

@both of you anti-apple trolls, the review confirming that the factories used by Apple were above standard was an impartial organisation. Go away and learn what that means.

 

[Guest]

Go away. To where? America is my homeland.
Just because you are an Apple fanboi, don't expect Chinese overloards to spare you.
Tap tap tappity tap tap, wank on your phone.

Walk around outside, that is sacred ground. Once lost, it's gone forever. Where will your children place their feet, how will explain that you traded our home for Angry Birds and fart apps?

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]testerguy[/nom]@both of you anti-apple trolls, the review confirming that the factories used by Apple were above standard was an impartial organisation. Go away and learn what that means.[/citation]

It doesn't matter who said it first because Apple agreed to it. Go learn what that means.

 

[sundragon]

I've tried to post thrice and my comments aren't appearing. Please forgive me if this appears more than once.

Funny, Dell, ASUS, Toshiba, Lenovo, and many more use Foxconn. They also have horrible working conditions yet none of you makes a comment that all of Apple's competitors should also invest in making their working conditions better...

The media focus has been on Apple, but they are one of many companies.

The same things happened in the US during the industrial revolution. It was PR disasters that made us change workers policies.

The fact that a company is making an effort change unlike of the competitors warrants praise. The negative focus of people on here should be at the competitors for not standing up to the task instead of making double standards for Apple.
Doing that destroys the validity of an argument.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]sundragon[/nom]I've tried to post thrice and my comments aren't appearing. Please forgive me if this appears more than once.Funny, Dell, ASUS, Toshiba, Lenovo, and many more use Foxconn. They also have horrible working conditions yet none of you makes a comment that all of Apple's competitors should also invest in making their working conditions better...The media focus has been on Apple, but they are one of many companies.The same things happened in the US during the industrial revolution. It was PR disasters that made us change workers policies. The fact that a company is making an effort change unlike of the competitors warrants praise. The negative focus of people on here should be at the competitors for not standing up to the task instead of making double standards for Apple.Doing that destroys the validity of an argument.[/citation]

The fact that Apple is doing something is not the problem, it's what it took to get Apple to do something and that Apple lied about it at first that are the problems. The other companies are also being yelled at occasionally, but Apple is the one that people see in the news, so people talk about them the most. The other companies also probably aren't spending as much on Foxconn products as Apple is (although altogether, they might), so Apple gets told to do something.

However, yes, the other companies should be forced into fixing this mess too. They're also a part of it, so they should be a part of the solutions. Still, should we praise Apple for something that they should have done a long time ago and that they shouldn't have lied about up until now? Same goes for Foxconn. They don't deserve praise (at least, I don't think so) because working conditions and such should have been kept high from the beginning.

 

[sundragon]

[citation][nom]blazorthon[/nom]The fact that Apple is doing something is not the problem, it's what it took to get Apple to do something and that Apple lied about it at first that are the problems. The other companies are also being yelled at occasionally, but Apple is the one that people see in the news, so people talk about them the most. The other companies also probably aren't spending as much on Foxconn products as Apple is (although altogether, they might), so Apple gets told to do something.However, yes, the other companies should be forced into fixing this mess too. They're also a part of it, so they should be a part of the solutions. Still, should we praise Apple for something that they should have done a long time ago and that they shouldn't have lied about up until now? Same goes for Foxconn. They don't deserve praise (at least, I don't think so) because working conditions and such should have been kept high from the beginning.[/citation]

Respectfully, I think we should praise any organization that makes a change in the right direction. Not knock them down when they are taking responsibility. Unless you are doing the same for all the other manufacturers of your favorite products that build in China and take advantage of their poor human rights.

Continuing to knock a company after this is where I see unfounded bias, which is quite rich here.

Working conditions in China are horrible - Sadly, Foxconn is actually one of the better places. This allows the rest of the world to purchase cheaper cell phones. This goes for Android, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Alienware and the list goes on...

China is going through an industrial revoultion - similar to the ones in the Europe and the US. Working conditions in factories at the turn of the century were awful to take advantage of cheap human labor. China will have to deal with the repercussions of this just like every country has before it... Just be prepared to pay a lot more for your all your electronic devices.

Finally, for people who say we should keep the jobs in the US - Unfortunately - US workers are too expensive - I choose to buy local products when possible, but for the most part manufacturing in the States is not a viable business option - which sucks. Companies would jump at the chance and the fantastic PR to say their product is built in the US but then who has the money to buy a $1500 cell phone?

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]sundragon[/nom]Respectfully, I think we should praise any organization that makes a change in the right direction. Not knock them down when they are taking responsibility. Unless you are doing the same for all the other manufacturers of your favorite products that build in China and take advantage of their poor human rights.Continuing to knock a company after this is where I see unfounded bias, which is quite rich here.Working conditions in China are horrible - Sadly, Foxconn is actually one of the better places. This allows the rest of the world to purchase cheaper cell phones. This goes for Android, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Alienware and the list goes on... China is going through an industrial revoultion - similar to the ones in the Europe and the US. Working conditions in factories at the turn of the century were awful to take advantage of cheap human labor. China will have to deal with the repercussions of this just like every country has before it... Just be prepared to pay a lot more for your all your electronic devices.Finally, for people who say we should keep the jobs in the US - Unfortunately - US workers are too expensive - I choose to buy local products when possible, but for the most part manufacturing in the States is not a viable business option - which sucks. Companies would jump at the chance and the fantastic PR to say their product is built in the US but then who has the money to buy a $1500 cell phone?[/citation]

I didn't mock Apple or anything like that for taking a step in the right direction and I clearly stated that the other companies should also be pitching in. I said that it doesn't deserve praise because it's something that they should have been doing in the first place, instead of now that it's gotten out of hand as a PR disaster for them. They're only doing this because they don't want to be boycotted or be litigated against and there's no reason to praise someone for trying to sugar coat their past misdeeds.

Manufacturing in the USA wouldn't be so expensive if everyone in these companies didn't get a huge slice of the profits. We did it before and it was fine, up until the companies and such got greedier. It could be done in the USA, it's just that none of the companies want to sacrifice the ridiculous profits they make in the other countries and the share holders and investors don't give a damn about who gets hurt along the way until it threatens their wealth.

 

[Kami3k]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]How many unskilled factory workers were ever considered middle class?I'd love to see all those communists, who want to bring all those menial jobs back to north-america or western europe, actually work a job like that.If a Chinese worker is so much more cost effective, that shipping products halfway across the Globe is economical, then he deserves the job.[/citation]

So people are communists for wanting to bring jobs away from a actual communist country, to a capitalist one?

Amazing fucking logic you have there, idiot.