Your iPhone Was Built, In Part, By 13 Year-Olds Working 16 Hours A Day For 70 Cents A

[raypin]

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mmm.......I find it mildly stupid to say that labor is exploited in China. The title is attention-grabbing. For Americans, 70 cents an hour is shockingly low and screams exploitation for a manufacturing job. Of course it is low but only if you compare it with a comparable U.S. job. But if we compare it with an equivalent Chinese manufacturing job the wages are probably shockingly high. The article, in the interest of balance and context, should have touched on the minimum wage or labor laws and standards of CHINA but it is clear, from the activist tone of the article, that providing context (example: just how many of Foxconn's million-man labor force are underaged) and balance are the least of the author's concerns and it is enough to cite "Daisey" to support it's conclusions. Does she even exist? Is she just a composite figure to dramatize and justify the article? Besides, there are other major factors that shapes cost. The author fails to cite foreign exchange as a factor. We know that the Chinese government pegs an artificial rate between the U.S dollar and the Chinese renminbi. It is intentionally undervalued and not reflective of the strength of the Chinese economy to provide Chinese manufacturers and exporters a huge cost advantage. Then there's also efficiency provided by economies of scale which keep costs down. What about competition from other Chinese manufacturers and other countries like Vietnam? What about corporate taxes and the overall cost of doing business in China?

This is clearly a hatchet job against Apple. I'm not buying it.

[elbert]

The cotton in clothing you wear may have been picked by 10-year old Indian kids working long hours, in fields under the sun, with their skin full of scratches from the bushes (I just saw the BBC report about this).

The cacao in the chocolate you eat is probably peeled by some of the estimated 200,000 children working in cocoa fields in the Ivory Coast. (I just saw the CNN report about this).

The coffee in your latte, the rubber in your shoes, the uni in Japanese restos... everything for sure at some point has an element of child labor in it. It's an age-old problem that has not been resolved.

My understanding is that things are improving and there are less and less incidents of child labor in the supply chains.

Apple's supplier Foxconn is likely not immune from this issue. What's important is that it is not condoned and that the end client is adamant about maintaining acceptable labor practices throughout its supply chain. That, Apple is doing.

[Salaryman Ryan]

so it boils down that Gov't is at fault for raising high taxes then? no wonder alot of Americans are complaining why there are no available work in the US.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini think so too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGw8fIPOkEk

"It cost a billion dollars more to make a factory here (In the US),"

I have noticed that countries which currently have good business environments like Singapore and Hong Kong tend to keep business taxes to a minimum. This is why I disagree when the Occupy Wall Street crowd and Obama wants to Tax and OVER-regulate the "rich" like big corporations. I got news for you guys, if you make it unprofitable for companies to operate in the US they will take their business (and their jobs) overseas. Actually this is exactly what they were doing this past 20 years with manufacturing.

[mactrix]

and that is why we too shouldn't be overly concerned with this article. The Philippines is becoming like America with all these moral/social concerns/blogs. Next thing we know, we too suffer the same fate as the Americans, too proud, too moral but no job lol.

for all we know, the families of those children consider themselves fortunate for getting hired by that apple contractor.

what we should get rid of (redundant jobs) or ignore are these writers who solicit emotional reactions, too many of them out there, always sitting comfortably in their office chairs, utak lang gumagana, hindi magbanat ng buto.

[Tuli$an]

I'm not for child labor but the question is, are they forced to do it? The way I see it, the opportunity to earn is there and people grab it, regardless of age. I still remember when I was 12 years old (vacation time), scraping old paint in some dilapidated multi-purpose hall from 8-5 and getting paid only 50 pesos a week. Guess what? I was happy. It made me learn the value of money at an early age. I was proud of myself and so were my parents. And I thank them for giving me the opportunity to experience that instead of gifting me whatever I want just because they can.

So much for the children and parents nowadays

[randytamayo]

Heres a bit related article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/bu...pagewanted=all

[Salaryman Ryan]

Heres a bit related article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/bu...pagewanted=all

Good article but you need to register before you can read it. If you don't want to register, can just google "Apple, American and a squeezed middle class." and you'll get sites reblogging the article.

Here is another more detailed take on Apple, and why they decided to move their operations out of the US. Its a very long and very thoughtful article a recommended read.:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/460915.../#.Tx1D4M3fKkJ

[Ron]

Now at the front page of the NY Times, a comprehensive article on Apple and Foxconn's labor practices, recent issues, and how Apple addresses (or tries to address) them. While Foxconn does manufacture for numerous US tech companies other than Apple, the report is about Foxconn factories that make Apple products.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/bu...pagewanted=all

And lest some of us dismiss any negative report on Apple as a "hatchet job", the article is actually based on Apple's own annual reports and audits, Foxconn's own statements and researched new reports.

See Apple's annual Supplier Responsibility Report here: http://images.apple.com/supplierresp...ess_Report.pdf

See NYT's illustration of those reports stats history here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...l?ref=business

While Apple is not unique to these type of issues (eg: chocolate, cotton, garments, coffee etc), it's still quite unsettling being that Apple is one of the world's most admired companies. At the very least, Apple can be commended for being transparent about their own failings and efforts. Hopefully things improve soon.

[Seven Leaves]

The problem here some bloggers/journalist tend to sensationalize their articles to get page views. Its pretty blatant to anyone with some sense.

[raypin]

mmm....Tim Cook responds.