Working conditions at Foxconn way above average, workers too bored, though
0. phoneArena posted on 16 Feb 2012, 03:39
Chinese workers making iPhones and iPads have way better conditions than garment factories and the general average for China…
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1. andro. posted on 16 Feb 2012, 03:50 10 8
Hmmm....someones been paid off here for their investigation report as i dont think anyone would consider a factory which has fence protection systems placed on its roof to prevent further mass sucides 'above average'. As always with apple theres nothing wrong here and who ever reported otherwise before was 'reporting the wrong way'
2. Sniggly posted on 16 Feb 2012, 04:01 10 8
Sounds like the new blankets and extra meals were passed out before the Geneva Convention guy got there.
3. XiphiasGladius posted on 16 Feb 2012, 05:19 4 4
I bet the word "MAGICAL" is applicable to that.
13. biophone posted on 16 Feb 2012, 10:05 6 2
Lets wait until this report is finishe to critisize it.
18. JeffdaBeat posted on 16 Feb 2012, 11:29 3 1
What I think is funny is if their initial findings were different, everyone would be preaching about how credible the reporting was. Foxconn was given notice that this was happening, but not weeks and weeks of notice. If their plant is a big as they say, there is no way they could get rid of all signs in such a small amount of time.
Now, of course it could be argued that Apple tipped these guys off well before they made the announcement. But Foxconn is partners with a LOT of companies. Acer, Dell, HP, Intel, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, and Nokia just to name a few. More companies have their reputations at stake other than Apple if Foxconn is as bad as they say. So, yes even your Android could have been made there.
I definitely think the conditions aren't as great as they would be here. Same with the pay. But of course if they were, the jobs would be in the US. But that's a whole different argument that's been made since the days of Nike.
Do I think Foxconn is better than most Chinese factors? Absolutely. Do I think there are human rights issues. Probably. But again, we would have to have a discussion of workers rights in China all together. We'd also have to be willing to pay more for all of our electronics/clothing/everything not made in America.
21. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 11:59 2 3
round and round we go.
each factory is different, according to the clients specs. they are run pretty independantly of each other.
it does not take too long to clean up when things stay clean to begin with. you only need to adjust a few things about the schedule an threaten people with jail time or termination if they speak ill about the company. this isnt america. workers have no rights there.
the ONLY way to see what is going on is to go in completely by surprise, which will be very hard to do since these places are remote and locked down.
Samsung makes their phones in house and offers things like sick time, higher (yet still bad) wages, and other things.. so no, my phone isnt made by foxconn.
we could easily change our draconian tax laws to entice business back to america. it wouldnt cost that much more. why dont you just convince apple to back off its 70%+ profit margins instead? they dont have to maintain that. the next highest company is samsung at 30%+. You dont hear about too many mass suicides attempts at samsung plants. Samsung also has factories IN AMERICA. Amazing that you try to justify why apple cant do it, yet non american companies are coming here.
I generally respect your opinion, but your so far off on this issue, its not funny.
27. dreammixer posted on 16 Feb 2012, 12:16 0 2
This post is so full of factual errors. Samsung has gotten in trouble plenty of times for poor working conditions. Apple does not have a 70% profit margin. This last quarter their profit margin was 40 some percent which was a record for them. There were no mass suicide attempts. The suicide rate at Foxconn is lower than the average for the US population.
Seriously your level of hate for Apple is ridiculous. We get it you don't like them. Lying and posting half truths isn't productive.
28. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 12:24 1 3
maybe you should go fact check before you post. just sayin.
30. dreammixer posted on 16 Feb 2012, 12:29 0 0
Although the number of suicides at the company is large in absolute terms, the suicide rate is still low compared to the rest of China.[13] A journalist from ZDNet even concluded that "working at Foxconn dramatically reduces people’s risk of suicide".[19]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn_suicides
32. dreammixer posted on 16 Feb 2012, 12:37 0 0
http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/24
/apple-q1-2012-results/
Q1 2012 Financials:
$46.33 billion in revenue
$13.06 billion net profit
International sales accounted for 58% of quarters revenue
Gross margins of 44.7%
Apple is currently holding over $97,600,000,000 (yes, billion) in cash
Note the 44.7% gross margins NOT 70%
34. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 12:57 1 1
why dont you just look at their iphone/ipad/ipod profit instead of their total company profit, which 44.7 is still massive.
35. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:12 2 2
iphone4s
16 gig.
to make - $196,
sold - $ 649
69.9% profit
32 gig
to make - $ 215
sold - $749
profit - 72%
64 gig
to make - 254
sold 849
profit 71%
And that includes the whopping 8 dollars worth of labor and shipping per phone.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20123112-17/iphone-4s-parts-cost-$188-study-finds/
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iph one/iphone4s
37. Paden posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:26 1 0
Marketing, Design, Retail Stores, Customer Service, and on and on and on... There's more to cost than production and shipping.
38. dreammixer posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:30 0 0
Thank you Paden I was just about to say that. Remix do you realize that a company has market and support products, legal cost etc?
Come one man you're clearly wrong here and obscenely exaggerating Apple's profits.
39. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:37 0 0
your absolutely right.
design? its the exact same design
the topic of my conversation was iphone profits, not total company profits. The bulk of the company's money comes from iphones. quit trying to muddy the conversation to make your point.
That price also includes all labor costs for building it as well as shipping per unit.
40. dreammixer posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:45 0 1
So developing iOS 5 cost Apple $0, retail stores are given to them for free and they pay zero on utilities etc? When a customer calls Apple for tech support that costs Apple nothing? Get it together man you're obviously wrong.
41. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 13:58 0 0
obviously not, since AGAIN, i am talking specifically about iphone's profit margin, not the entire company. everything u just said, comes off the total company, not the iphone... other than OS development. you keep trying to muddy the waters.
BTW, apple spends a relatively small amount on R&D compared to other companies, especially when compared to MS and Samsung and probably Google.
42. Whateverman posted on 16 Feb 2012, 14:06 1 0
Just wanted to add to what remix and Paden was saying...I think your both right! Remixes number for manufacturing are right as well as when Paden said it goes up when you consider customer service, retail stores and what not.
After adding in all those different missing factors, the iPhone cost $220 total from raw materials to a finished product in consumers hand. Someone also said something about it costing sooo much more if it were made here in the US. They were right as well, it would cost $240 to make here in the US. These companies want us all to believe that manufacturing in the US is just impossible, it would cost too much, people would pay the extra markup, etc, etc...
Being a daily visitor to this site, I've seen every defense and excuse as to why Apple and others shouldn't be held accountable for what's happening in Foxconn. But no one has offered ANY good reason why they shouldn't bring these jobs to America. Apple has the money, power and apparently the reputation, to influence change more than any other company or government on the face of the Earth! So why haven't they?
44. remixfa posted on 16 Feb 2012, 16:25 0 0
exactly. what WEM said.
45. Paden posted on 16 Feb 2012, 17:00 0 0
All that is valid.
However, its not just money. Its legislation and politics too.
