Eupraxsophy

Apple and it’s suppliers are hardly alone in this regard of course. Such suffering and exploitation is built into almost every commercial system. 

Looks like Apple fans really are fanatical, in more ways than one :P

Even though Apple is being unfairly singled-out for it’s unethical labor practices in China (indeed, just about any company that outsources there is guilty of gross mistreatment), this article makes one excellent point about the cost to Apple of treating its workers better:

Course, this is going to cost Apple big time. I mean the manufacturing labor content of an iPhone or iPad is now about 5 percent of the total cost. By accepting every one of those recommendations, Apple might push this to 6 percent, meaning that its 30 percent operating profit margin might drop to 29.5 percent (if Foxconn shares part of the hit with Apple) or even to 29 percent.

Just think of the implications of that. Instead of $100 billion lying around the Apple headquarters in cash waiting to be invested, there might in the future only be $99.5 or $99 billion. But that’s only if the deal is actually fully implemented.  So I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

All right, let me stop with the sarcasm and just ask straight forwardly, why does Apple have to do it this way? Making iPads is not war. Why does anyone have to work 60 hours a week? Why does anyone have to work eleven and a half days without a break day? Apple would be the world’s most profitable company even it its gross profit margins dropped by a few percent.

Indeed, the choice between cheap products and treating people like human beings is often a false one. Both can be possible in most cases if companies were less greedy.