Why does Apple choose these sorts of companies to do business with?
Oh yeah, I forgot. Because they can save a few bucks and make higher profits. Same old same old.
It didn't take long for the trolls to start spinning this as Apple's fault.
Hint: every major electronics supplier uses the same factories - and Apple oversees them better than anyone else (at least according to the suppliers themselves when the suicide issue first broke).
You're free to lobby for all products to be manufactured in the US, but be prepared to pay at least 3 times the price for everything if you were to win.
How friggin easy it must be to make such a statement when you're not running Apple and not responsible for its profitability, market position, and shareholder expectations.
Given the scale of these operations, I think accidents are inevitable even with rigerous safety standards. Suggesting Apple could have prevented this is like suggesting the government can eliminate car accidents.
That rather over simplifies things. Yes, it's true that accidents can happen even with rigorous safety standards, but at the same time, one thing that can help reduce safety incidents is spending enough money on accident prevention.
What we are all a part of, is a quest to continually have "things" for less and less money, and while it shouldn't, spending on safety is an area that companies will cut back on, in the absence of any oversight. Ultimately, that is one reason Chinese manufacturers can be cheaper than US counterparts - enforced safety standards are higher in the US (and even higher in Europe).
This is not something to blame Apple for over any other manufacturer. We all need to accept that if we want our devices to cost as little as they do, in some places, corners will be cut, and people will get hurt. We should also remember that while we attempt to push blame away from ourselves and the system we benefit from, our favorite companies etc. a person died here. Their family will be distraught. And that is incredibly sad.
So do all the other hardware companies. Are you trying to hold Apple to a higher standard than the others, or is your observation directed at all of them?
My observation was directed at Apple. The culpability is shared by most all of the multinational mega-corporations.
It's also Apple's fault Praxis exploded. At least 200 Klingons were killed, maybe more. The Klingon High Command would not release numbers.
This is total BS. Even though Apple has never released the official numbers, everyone knows that the number of dead from the Praxis incident were in the thousands. Only a die-hard Apple fanboy would try to maintain that a mere 200 Klingons died.
Take the wool off your eyes people! The fact is Apple doesn't care about it's Klingon workers despite all the propaganda the high command puts out.
All they are interested in is profit, and they will blow up as many moons as it takes to get there.
So do all the other hardware companies. Are you trying to hold Apple to a higher standard than the others, or is your observation directed at all of them?
My observation was directed at Apple. The culpability is shared by most all of the multinational mega-corporations.
I agree that they all should try to improve the situation. My impression has been that Apple have tried somewhat harder than most, for which I'm inclined to give them some credit.
Let's not forget that the suicide rate at that Foxconn factory is several times less that the suicide rate in the general population in the USA. The question we should be asking is, "How did Foxconn manage to get the suicide rate so low?"
Actually you are just making that up about it being "only for trivial things."
You sound way oversensitive to me, but possibly you are one of those that "doesn't like to be judged" as well?
Damn, I wish we could still use smiley's here!
If ever there was a post that deserved a :rolleyes: yours it it.
Sure, it's subjective, but if you put it in sentences like "a handful of kids died in a school bus accident" it amplifies how the inaccuracy of the word seems disrespectful. The connotation can be that the number doesn't matter, it was a small and insignificant amount of kids that died on the school bus. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
As I suggested in my post, my perception is that Apple is working hard to be an example of excellence when it comes to responsibility towards its suppliers. I'm not saying it's practical to prevent every accident or every abuse of workers in any part of the world. Maybe the idea that no one should die in a factory making an item of convenience is a bit dramatic. People die in the workplace doing even more mundane things that disposing of waste from a MacBook and it's simply an accident. Doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
Why does Apple choose these sorts of companies to do business with?
Actually in some cases it has little to do with the money issue and more about the fact that that company is the best at what Apple (and every other tech company) needs done. And/or has complete and exclusive access to some tech or rare metal that the companies need.
The bigger issue is how Apple is pushed by the press etc as if they are responsible for cleaning up all messes, many of which have nothing to do with them directly, but Dell etc get a pass. A fire breaks out in a building making Acer notebooks and the press still puts up headlines like "Fire at Apple Supplier kills 12, maims 200" and in the article they 'clarify' (somewhat) that the fire was at a building operated by X company of which Apple is one client. Without mentioning that the building in question had nothing to do with Apple and was even at a totally different site than all the Apple stuff is done.
Comments
It didn't take long for the trolls to start spinning this as Apple's fault.
Hint: every major electronics supplier uses the same factories - and Apple oversees them better than anyone else (at least according to the suppliers themselves when the suicide issue first broke).
You're free to lobby for all products to be manufactured in the US, but be prepared to pay at least 3 times the price for everything if you were to win.
Don't forget SJ
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quadra 610
How friggin easy it must be to make such a statement when you're not running Apple and not responsible for its profitability, market position, and shareholder expectations.
Totally easy. We are in perfect agreement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrubhar
Given the scale of these operations, I think accidents are inevitable even with rigerous safety standards. Suggesting Apple could have prevented this is like suggesting the government can eliminate car accidents.
That rather over simplifies things. Yes, it's true that accidents can happen even with rigorous safety standards, but at the same time, one thing that can help reduce safety incidents is spending enough money on accident prevention.
What we are all a part of, is a quest to continually have "things" for less and less money, and while it shouldn't, spending on safety is an area that companies will cut back on, in the absence of any oversight. Ultimately, that is one reason Chinese manufacturers can be cheaper than US counterparts - enforced safety standards are higher in the US (and even higher in Europe).
This is not something to blame Apple for over any other manufacturer. We all need to accept that if we want our devices to cost as little as they do, in some places, corners will be cut, and people will get hurt. We should also remember that while we attempt to push blame away from ourselves and the system we benefit from, our favorite companies etc. a person died here. Their family will be distraught. And that is incredibly sad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppetry
So do all the other hardware companies. Are you trying to hold Apple to a higher standard than the others, or is your observation directed at all of them?
My observation was directed at Apple. The culpability is shared by most all of the multinational mega-corporations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
It's also Apple's fault Praxis exploded. At least 200 Klingons were killed, maybe more. The Klingon High Command would not release numbers.
This is total BS. Even though Apple has never released the official numbers, everyone knows that the number of dead from the Praxis incident were in the thousands. Only a die-hard Apple fanboy would try to maintain that a mere 200 Klingons died.
Take the wool off your eyes people! The fact is Apple doesn't care about it's Klingon workers despite all the propaganda the high command puts out.
All they are interested in is profit, and they will blow up as many moons as it takes to get there.
I agree that they all should try to improve the situation. My impression has been that Apple have tried somewhat harder than most, for which I'm inclined to give them some credit.
Let's not forget that the suicide rate at that Foxconn factory is several times less that the suicide rate in the general population in the USA. The question we should be asking is, "How did Foxconn manage to get the suicide rate so low?"
For reference, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides
This is a pretty sad story, lets hope they put some more safety measures in place to prevent this from happening again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
Actually you are just making that up about it being "only for trivial things."
You sound way oversensitive to me, but possibly you are one of those that "doesn't like to be judged" as well?
Damn, I wish we could still use smiley's here!
If ever there was a post that deserved a :rolleyes: yours it it.
Sure, it's subjective, but if you put it in sentences like "a handful of kids died in a school bus accident" it amplifies how the inaccuracy of the word seems disrespectful. The connotation can be that the number doesn't matter, it was a small and insignificant amount of kids that died on the school bus. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
As I suggested in my post, my perception is that Apple is working hard to be an example of excellence when it comes to responsibility towards its suppliers. I'm not saying it's practical to prevent every accident or every abuse of workers in any part of the world. Maybe the idea that no one should die in a factory making an item of convenience is a bit dramatic. People die in the workplace doing even more mundane things that disposing of waste from a MacBook and it's simply an accident. Doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
Show some respect. Some people on here disgust me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun, UK
Show some respect. Some people on here disgust me.
Good.
Now you can go away.
"Wen, did you remember to close the number 4 valve?"
"The what?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26
Why does Apple choose these sorts of companies to do business with?
Actually in some cases it has little to do with the money issue and more about the fact that that company is the best at what Apple (and every other tech company) needs done. And/or has complete and exclusive access to some tech or rare metal that the companies need.
The bigger issue is how Apple is pushed by the press etc as if they are responsible for cleaning up all messes, many of which have nothing to do with them directly, but Dell etc get a pass. A fire breaks out in a building making Acer notebooks and the press still puts up headlines like "Fire at Apple Supplier kills 12, maims 200" and in the article they 'clarify' (somewhat) that the fire was at a building operated by X company of which Apple is one client. Without mentioning that the building in question had nothing to do with Apple and was even at a totally different site than all the Apple stuff is done.