[b]Apple is the most valuable brand on the planet, making products that everyone wants - but how are its workers treated when the world isn't looking? Panorama goes undercover in China to show what life is like for the workers making the iPhone 6. And it's not just the factories. Reporter Richard Bilton travels to Indonesia to find children working in some of the most dangerous mines in the world. But is the tin they dig out by hand finding its way into Apple's products?[/b]
Another reason to not bother with them. Linux is THE ethical computing experience!!
And look at that hypocrite Bono playing a concert at one of their events.
“How do we have this amazing microtechnology? Because the factory where they’re making these, they jump off the roof because it’s a nightmare in there. You really have a choice – you can have candles and horses and be a little kinder to each other, or let someone suffer immeasurably far away just so you can leave a mean comment on YouTube while you’re taking a s**t.”
-Louis CK, Of Course, But Maybe
I hate stories like this, not because it’s terrible, but that it isn’t news. The third-world has been exploited by the West as long as I’ve been alive, I don’t see it changing for the time I have left either. Today, the media pick on Apple, tomorrow it’ll be Primark, the next day it’ll be Starbucks. Big companies that need resources that come from the third-world, make their millions by exploiting those countries. It’s not right from a human perspective, but it’s naive to think it will change. There isn’t, and in my opinion never will be, enough people voting with their feet to bring these companies down. It still hasn’t happened with Microsoft, and they haven’t put a “decent” product out in over 10 years. Consumerism has been growing since the 50s, and although the recession curbed it a little, it wasn’t long enough to change people’s attitudes to imported goods. These companies are merely supplying a demand, the entire basis of the Western economy. Yes these companies are terrible, and wouldn’t get away with it in the Western world, but you have to accept that a decent part of the blame has to go to the government of the relevant third-world countries, and the rife corruption that exists in order for this situation to happen.
Supply and demand is a double edged sword … we all complain about high prices, but at the same time bitch at companies that use cheap labour to keep costs down.
Another way of looking at it is … if Apple had to pay third world workers a first world wage, they’d employ people from the first world instead, saving on transport costs and employing local workers, so the third world workers would be unemployed … I’m fairly sure they’d prefer a low paid job than non at all. You also have to consider their cost of living is likely much lower (I’d be fairly certain a bag of rice costs them MUCH less than it does us).
Take China … they’ve become a huge commercial success through cheap labour, but now that their workers are demanding higher wages a point will come where they no longer have that advantage.
Good working conditions and high wages are really pretty recent thing even in the first world … and precisely why nothing is made here any more.
Supply and demand is a double edged sword .. we all complain about high prices, but at the same time bitch at companies that use cheap labour to keep costs down.
I have watched that program few days ago and what got me that apparently (if memory serves me right) Apple makes around $250 from a $600 selling iPhone, but the cost of putting it together in that (slave labour) factory is $5 per unit. That does not come across as keeping costs down, but as total exploitation. They could easily double or treble the amount they pay to assemble the units which would make a world of difference to the workers (assuming this would be passed on to them).
I have watched that program few days ago and what got me that apparently (if memory serves me right) Apple makes around $250 from a $600 selling iPhone, but the cost of putting it together in that (slave labour) factory is $5 per unit. That does not come across as keeping costs down, but as total exploitation.
but the cost of putting it together in that (slave labour) factory is $5 per unit. That does not come across as keeping costs down
But it’s keeping costs down for them (Apple) and maximizing their profits and that’s all their interested in but if you try to explain that to the millions of isheep (which includes my 2 young daughters) they don’t want to know and Apple depend on that
Apple is simply a product of self obsessed ignorance
I told my bro about Apple as he’s a right Mac fan- loves his macbook. He said he has to have Mac as it does music programme/media stuff Linux can’t do and in fact no other OS can do ( as yet). He did give me the name of the programme he uses but I forgot it. I told him Linux has media/audio distros though.
I believe the only music production software that is Mac exclusive is Logic, and I hated it. Sad to say, that Windows is the best environment for music production in my opinion - all the software just seems aimed at that environment (much like gaming). That said, I haven’t had an opportunity to play with Bitwig yet, and that’s available on Linux (pricey though)
It all comes down to personal preference, and how easy it is to “get your thoughts down” into it. Getting bogged down in a GUI is a surefire way to kill creativity (hence why there’s always a market for hardware!). I couldn’t work with Logic, it seemed unnatural to my way of thinking. No problem, as there are many other DAWs out there.
“People” don’t say it’s the best … only “Apple people” say that, and they have a need to justify spending 5 - 10 times as much for their PC’s, so according to them everything Apple is the best
Best is in their opinion, it’s like asking “what’s the best food?”. Different people have different preferences. I’d tell you that curry is the best food, and Ableton Live is the best DAW. Your brother may well disagree on both counts
And I wouldn’t guarentee that someone will bring out a superior DAW for Linux, it’s commercially unlikely. Bitwig have made a bit stab at it, but it’s cross-platform so it’s a bit of a cheat (big sales probably still come from Windows). Still, really positive to get that far!
lets differentiate between apple workers & workers of other companies who manufacture products on behalf of apple. if i subcontract work am i responsible for the working conditions of my subcontractor.
Erm, YES if you know about it … otherwise it’s purely a “pass the buck” exercise.
Sticking with that supplier is to perpetuate the situation, and surely makes Apple at the very least “complicit”, so why should they be absolved of responsibility ?
If it were criminal law we were talking here, they’d be a knowing accomplice and as guilty as the primary perpetrator … would they not ?
Try telling a court you bear no responsibility for the brand new 50" plasma TV you got for £2 from your “supplier” … and see if they’ll absolve you of any responsibility for his “business practices”
Whether it’s ethically right or wrong for western companies to use cheap foreign resources/labour is another question … but YES, if/when there’s a known “issue” and you choose to take part, you also bear responsibility.
