09-16-2012, 05:22 AM | #76 |
Groupie
Posts: 182
Karma: 1316076
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Florida
Device: iPad
|
That is almost entirely made up by the haters. The haters put words in the mouths of Apple users, things the users themselves don't think or say. They do it so often that before long, they've come to believe their own lies. It's fairly pathetic, really.
|
09-16-2012, 06:46 AM | #77 |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Is it so pathetic to question how much money from the profits goes back to the assembly line workers who build these models? Is it so pathetic evaluate wthe discrepancy between the lifestyle that your typical worker is forced to adopt as opposed to the typical lifestyle of a person who can afford to buy apple devices? Is it so pathetic to question Apple's effect on culture as they become ever more embedded in the sale of music, books, and films for example?
|
Advert | |
|
09-16-2012, 07:23 AM | #78 |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Just to give an example of the kinds of people Apple is in business with. Well to say in business with is a bit of a misnomer as these companies have been practically absorbed into Apple.
One of the manufacturers Hon Hai chair Terry Guo is quoted as saying about his workforce... "Hon Hai has a workforce of over one million worldwide and as human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache." While some said he was kidding when he said that, it's true that Guo invited Chin Shih-chien, who is the director of Taipei Zoo, to his company to teach his own managers exactly how animals should be "managed." And apple has no problem with this. |
09-16-2012, 07:25 AM | #79 | |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Quote:
|
|
09-16-2012, 07:29 AM | #80 |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Would that be workers in Taiwan or China? My understanding is that Hon-Hai and such are Taiwanese companies who take advantage of the cheap labor in China. Are you really telling me that the workers in shenzhen have iPhones?
|
Advert | |
|
09-16-2012, 07:32 AM | #81 | |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Quote:
|
|
09-16-2012, 07:38 AM | #82 |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Yes, a lot of the workers in Guangdong have iPhones, though Android is doing better. Factory workers now make around US$ 500 per month, the good ones more. And wages are going up 20-30 pct each year, factories are closing. Those looking for cheap labor now go to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, etc. The days of cheap labor in China are definitely over. In Taiwan workers even get $1000 to 1500.
|
09-16-2012, 07:44 AM | #83 | |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Quote:
And Apple went for it, because it leaves them more money to create new shiny toys for the masses, and build UFO style buildings out in sunny Cupertino. Anyone whos looked at the way the Foxconn factories are managed knows that the Taipei Zoo comment was no joke. They really took it to heart. Put down 'Das Kapital'? There couldn't be a better example than the difference of environment between Shenzhen, Cupertino. |
|
09-16-2012, 07:46 AM | #84 | |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Quote:
|
|
09-16-2012, 07:57 AM | #85 | |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Quote:
|
|
09-16-2012, 08:03 AM | #86 | |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Quote:
And yes, an iphone is still a little more than a month's salary, but they buy them. Status symbols are extremely important to the Chinese. And I repeat, nobody goes to China for cheap labor today. They did 20 years ago. Most of them have already left for greener pastures during the last 3 years, or are about to. Last edited by HansTWN; 09-16-2012 at 08:06 AM. |
|
09-16-2012, 03:57 PM | #87 | |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Quote:
Its companies like Apple which actively encourage the cult like status of their silly little device, and it plays to their interests that China has become a capitalist economy where wealth determines your social status. Gee whatever happened the noble ideals of communism there? Recently some newspapers got undercover agents in on the factories preparing for the iPhone 5 and found the conditions and stories of labor appalling in some cases. And it was even worse before until people called Apple out on it, who then forced Gou and his associates to make it look nice. I'm sorry but Gou and other industrialists do look upon the population as animals to be harnessed, they're getting very rich of it, and as usual with slaves, the workers do not have a real choice, particularly as in the case of Foxconn workers they have no education other than what Foxconn provides. Gee great, now that Apple's ready to move onto poorer nations, they can just leave and set up camp somewhere else, effectively taking away all the jobs and money that have evolved around them. Let the Chinese get poor again, and then Apple will be back. Make no mistake, these capitalists play the global economy like the stock exchange, I was hoping that China could evolve above that. Already the signs are that China's economy is slowing. The correct thing of course would be to pay workers the right amount, ban overtime, and charge the rich americans 10 dollars more for an iPhone. Gosh how terrible would that be? Or better yet, why not put Americans to work making their own devices, and promote the rise of other companies around the world to create a more balance and fair market, instead of suing competitors and accusing them of copying. |
|
09-16-2012, 04:04 PM | #88 | |
Zealot
Posts: 129
Karma: 3000000
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Canada
Device: Kindle Keyboard, Asus Transformer
|
Quote:
Do you want Apple to provide jobs for these people or not? |
|
09-16-2012, 04:12 PM | #89 | |
Banned
Posts: 109
Karma: 821236
Join Date: Sep 2012
Device: none
|
Quote:
The cost of living is low, because the standard of living is low. Also Apple doesn't set the wage, it just chooses the company who offers the lowest price for manufacture. How do they lower the price? Cheap wages. Apple is at the top of the pyramid if you like, and the economy forms around their business in this case, so if they move... it crumbles. Also bad. This is the problem with globalization. It benefits the companies, but workers can fall through the gaps. Morally, as the head of the business, Apple should be directly concerned with how the devices are built, and charge a little more to consumers, if need be. They should also recognize the nature of this industry by encouraging the growth of other companies, and not try to monopolize it. |
|
09-16-2012, 04:59 PM | #90 | ||
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,034
Karma: 39379388
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: near Philadelphia USA
Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)
|
Quote:
Economists have done a lot of research on whether export-oriented industry pays more. We could potentially start a war of scholar.google.com links on this, but the general answer from mainstream economists is that export industry pays more. Quote:
So, factually, I doubt your claims. No serious student of the Chinese business cycle blames Apple. The democratic alternative to globalization is the old Indian socialism. Import controls meant that only a few of the rich could afford the lousy local automobiles, while the peasants starved. But in as much as pressure from your side of the fence reduces labor exploitation, people saying what you say, however mistaken, may do some good. Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 09-16-2012 at 05:32 PM. |
||
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
WiFi-Only iPhones | tubemonkey | Apple Devices | 46 | 09-01-2012 05:04 AM |
If You Think The Cost Of 'Piracy' Is High, What About The Cost Of Enforcement? | xg4bx | News | 136 | 05-21-2012 01:03 PM |
iPhone How many iPhones has apple sold. | monkeyluis | Apple Devices | 13 | 04-19-2012 02:20 AM |
New story - The High Cost of Living, or The Cost of Doing Business | garp1781 | Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers | 0 | 06-03-2011 05:13 PM |