Looks like more Foxconn fun

[baseballbert]

Read this today...

http://m.gizmodo.com/5949406/foxconn-workers-on-strike-after-iphone-5-leads-to-physical-beatings

 

[palandri]

Faster, faster, faster, and be faster with higher quality control.

For some reason Foxconn reminds me of a rubber band being stretched to the breaking point. One of these days it's really going to snap.

 

[baseballbert]

Realllllllly makes me want to toss my apple products in lake!

 

[Laura Knotek]

I worked in QC, albeit in a chemical lab not an electronics manufacturer, in the past.

Rushing the process inevitably will have detrimental implications on QC.

 

[squire777]

Reading some of the comments there kind of annoyed me. I can't believe people are defending Apple and Foxconn in ways such as "that's just the way it is in China" or "these people are paid better than in other factories. they should appreciate it".

 

[Luminatic]

I can fully relate to what you're saying, squire777. Such people are, IMHO, ignorant and lack emphaty - they should work unter the same circumstances as those Foxconn workers for a few weeks. I wonder what they would say afterwards.

That being said, I would gladly pay more money than usual for a fairtraide-phone. If it did exist.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

It's embarrassing that we accept it that way in China but we would never tolerate it here state-side. In fact, we complain that we ACTUALLY have to work at all. And God forbid if we get held accountable for anything.

I guess this is why companies outsource to these countries though... why pay US top-dollar pricing for lazy labor, when you can pay minimal amounts to foreign slaves?

I guess it's true... no matter how things change, they always stay the same. History really does repeat.

And yeah, I know more than just Apple uses this company... so it makes me wonder why it's always Apple's Foxconn divisions that have these troubles. Is it truly the media shining a spotlight, inappropriately, on Apple... or is it that Foxconn's non-Apple divisions are more regulated by those partners like Microsoft, Cisco, etc. so we don't see these problems there? I mean, my understanding is that all these Foxconn plants are highly segregated, and each partner negotiates terms with Foxconn, so it seems logical that maybe Apple really isn't all that serious about dealing with the conditions.

 

[jimski]

Lets not forget that Apple is back at home counting their gold coins, due to their obscene profit margins, while these poor souls slave to produce their product. Not talking about sharing the wealth here, but it is certainly within Apple's ability (and budget) to improve conditions at these plants.

Worked in an industry that used hundreds of temp, minimum wage workers, every day. And while management couldn't pay them more in order to stay competitive, they were able to make working conditions comfortable, throw a couple off site parties each year, and do other things that went a long way to getting the most out of these hard workers. Keeping them happy was the basis for our survival.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[palandri]

....That being said, I would gladly pay more money than usual for a fairtraide-phone. If it did exist.

Nokia was making phones in Finland, but I think they stopped building them in Finland after the N8.

 

[WasteSomeTime]

Well because the workers have to assemble the phone piece by piece. They even have to etch the apple with the bite. They put together that tiny *** camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1_XAuJ8qCc

I think this was the video.


Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

 

[palandri]

It was nice of Foxconn to put the suicide nets up.

 

[WasteSomeTime]

Lol. Then just drag them back to work.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

 

[palandri]

Foxconn says this story is not true.

Foxconn denies China iPhone plant hit by strike | Reuters

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Well because the workers have to assemble the phone piece by piece. They even have to etch the apple with the bite. They put together that tiny *** camera.

Apple Chinese Factory Foxconn Nightline - YouTube

I think this was the video.

Interesting video, indeed. It does make me think... Apple could easily afford to double the wages. Let's do some math...

$1.78/hour doubled to $3.56/hour... heck even just $3.00/hour would be a huge advantage to the workers, based on the conditions described.

So let's just say $3.00/hour for a moment... for 70,000 workers. I forget the number they said were actually employed for Apple, and I'm not watching the whole video again to confirm, so I'm picking a ridiculous large number.

$3/hour * 70,000/people

That's $210,000/hour...

$210,000/hour * 24-hours/day * 7-days/week * 52-weeks/year

That's $1,834,560,000/year with the assumption they have a full 70,000 working 24 hours/day. Wait, the video said they work 12 hour shifts. So let's fix that number based on 12 hour shifts instead of 24 (in other words, it's likely to have 35,000 people per 12-hour shift)... $917,280,000/year (the only number that has to change above is 24 becomes 12, since same people total just less hours).


Would it impact their bottom line? Sure, even with 24-hour figures, $1.8 billion is no chump change, but it's a move that would certainly wow customers and investors alike. And $917.2 million? Well, that's a small price to pay for a LOT of good will.

 

[palandri]

The bottom line for me is, if you have to put suicide nets up at your factory, something is really wrong.

 

[WasteSomeTime]

maybe its that computer voice that repeats like a broken record. That might drive a person crazy. Foxconn seems to be the ultimate sweat shop.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

 

[palandri]

maybe its that computer voice that repeats like a broken record. That might drive a person crazy. Foxconn seems to be the ultimate sweat shop.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

Nah, there are garment shop that are much worse that pay $2 a day, plus some use child labor. I think Bangladesh is the worse, if I remember correctly. They make less than $2 a day.

 

[palandri]

Apple manufacturer Foxconn says underage workers used in China

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's largest contract manufacturer, Foxconn, has acknowledged hiring teenagers as young as 14 in a Chinese factory, in breach of national law, in a case that raises further questions over Foxconn's student intern programme

Apple manufacturer Foxconn says underage workers used in China | Reuters

 

[Laura Knotek]

Nah, there are garment shop that are much worse that pay $2 a day, plus some use child labor. I think Bangladesh is the worse, if I remember correctly. They make less than $2 a day.



Click to view quoted image

How old are the kids working in these factories?

This kid doesn't even look like he's a teenager yet.

 

[ironsoulreaver]

China has their own economic reasons. While I think it sucks, we have to remember that the United States is the most powerful country in the world (somehow). We are a privileged country and much of the world is similar or worse then that of China. Take in exchange rates, add in the fact that they are provided with food and shelter for them and their families an it's not so bad. Don't get me wrong though, it's still sucky. I'm in the military and I couldn't imagine if I had to live my whole life like I did when I was in Technical school.

Instead of raising the bar on the factory workers, apple needs to hurry up and revise their product's to make it easier to assemble and obviously of higher quality since even these skilled workers can't even assemble them without problems. nobody cares that your phone is so thin and light that it almost floats. a lot of people think its overkill and don't like it anyway.