It's not absurd at all. Apple is, by far, the most visible customer of Foxconn and therefore the best place to start pressuring them.
Microsoft is also a large customer of Foxconn. So are most of Apple's competitors. Tell me, what fucking good will it do to put pressure on Apple only to turn around and give that money and support to companies that do the exact same shit?
I would, but it's is moronic to think that paying a US worker $20-$30 an hour as opposed to paying a Chinese person $17 a day would only increase the price of the iPad $70./quote.
The study that came to this conclusion simply said paying the Chinese "US Level wages". I don't know if that means just minimum wage here, or the average factory wage.
Here's the thing: Apple has been contracting manufacturing of their devices out long before the iPhone. Wouldn't it make sense that, if they were going to build in the US, they'd contract it out to a US company as well?
That is absolute horse shit, and you know it. All your bullshit amounts to is, "We have to actually treat our workers fairly, give decent working conditions, and not just spew our crap into the environment! Waaaaaah!"
Here's the thing: In the costs of an iPhone (somewhere around $195, I'm sure you can get the number by Googling it really quickly), the labor only amounts to about $10. However, that doesn't include the costs to set up the plant, and the costs of waste disposal.
So while it would only add about $70 in labor costs, that's not counting all of the other costs that building domestically would incur.
No, they won't. Not unless you actually put pressure on those companies too. If you boycott Apple, but then turn around and buy from the other companies who have worse conditions, you're sending mixed messages that won't actually get anything done.
Except Foxconn workers are some of the best paid in China. If you're gonna beat up on a company, maybe you should beat up on a company who's practices are worse.
I find it really funny that people accuse Apple of being the "toy" computer, yet when you ask people why they stay on Windows, one of the most common responses is "for games".
Honestly, to me, the wage itself isn't the problem. As you've said, they already make a decent wage for China, and I can't really expect them to make US level wages just yet. What I'd want is for them to be able to improve working conditions in the factories, and get them to stop spewing so much shit into the environment.
It's completely fucking hypocritical. What good does it do to say, "We're gonna boycott Apple because of their shitty labor practices!" if you just turn around and go buy shit from Dell, HP, or Microsoft who does the same exact shit?
It's still absolute bullshit that they are being singled out for what everyone else is doing. If "Everyone else is doing it" isn't a valid defense, then why does everyone else get a pass?
Of course there is another, more likely possibility, though I suspect you missed it because your post really sounded just like a thinly veiled "I love Apple and they can do no wrong!" post.
No, it didn't. It's pretty fucking obvious that this story is a "Let's pick on Apple because they're big, even though the entire fucking industry does the same shit."
Because we can't enact tariffs in a vacuum. The second you place a tariff on goods from another country, that country, and possibly others, will slap tariffs on yours, making it much harder to export your goods.
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And everyone else isn't? Do you honestly think that Dell, HP, et al wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money off it?
And how do you actually guarantee that the workers are seeing the improvements, and not just the executive's pocketbooks?
It's not absurd at all. Apple is, by far, the most visible customer of Foxconn and therefore the best place to start pressuring them.
Microsoft is also a large customer of Foxconn. So are most of Apple's competitors. Tell me, what fucking good will it do to put pressure on Apple only to turn around and give that money and support to companies that do the exact same shit?
Consistent means that selected corps like Apple and Democratic politicians don't get free passes./quote.
And yet, you want them to concentrate on one company, while throwing their support and giving a pass to every other company that does this shit.
Except Foxconn workers are already some of the best paid.
But regulatory costs are much, MUCH higher in the US
Probably because we don't like letting companies rape our environment and treating workers like shit.
I would, but it's is moronic to think that paying a US worker $20-$30 an hour as opposed to paying a Chinese person $17 a day would only increase the price of the iPad $70./quote.
The study that came to this conclusion simply said paying the Chinese "US Level wages". I don't know if that means just minimum wage here, or the average factory wage.
I mean, if people will pay $200 for an iPod when you can get a Sansa that plays even more formats for 25% of that, why not $250?
Because not everyone gives a rat's ass how many "formats" the device can play? Some people have other things that are more important to them.
While I disagree that you would ship electronics components by boat, even the 36 hours to fly something can have a significant impact on production.
Do you really think you could get enough components to come in by air, at a cost that wouldn't rival that of sending a payload to the moon?
Sending by boat is the most efficient way to move components by weight.
Here's the thing: Apple has been contracting manufacturing of their devices out long before the iPhone. Wouldn't it make sense that, if they were going to build in the US, they'd contract it out to a US company as well?
I think you're full of shit. There's already a bunch of people who work "On-call".
Hell, many doctors during their on-call shifts actually sleep at the hospital.
That is absolute horse shit, and you know it. All your bullshit amounts to is, "We have to actually treat our workers fairly, give decent working conditions, and not just spew our crap into the environment! Waaaaaah!"
That's all your load of shit amounts to.
This, OTOH, is legit. Apple wants everyone, customer and supplier to bend over backwards for them. And, for some reason, they do.
And no other company feels the same way, right?
No, that's not a solution to the problem, you idiot.
What happens when we enact a tariff onto other nations? Think long and hard about this one.
Here's a hint: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Act
Here's the thing: In the costs of an iPhone (somewhere around $195, I'm sure you can get the number by Googling it really quickly), the labor only amounts to about $10. However, that doesn't include the costs to set up the plant, and the costs of waste disposal.
So while it would only add about $70 in labor costs, that's not counting all of the other costs that building domestically would incur.
No, they won't. Not unless you actually put pressure on those companies too. If you boycott Apple, but then turn around and buy from the other companies who have worse conditions, you're sending mixed messages that won't actually get anything done.
Except Foxconn workers are some of the best paid in China. If you're gonna beat up on a company, maybe you should beat up on a company who's practices are worse.
No more than Dell is.
I find it really funny that people accuse Apple of being the "toy" computer, yet when you ask people why they stay on Windows, one of the most common responses is "for games".
And how does the fact that Foxconn's employees are some of the best paid in China fuck with your little equation?
Excpet Foxconn's employees are already some of the best paid in China.
Honestly, to me, the wage itself isn't the problem. As you've said, they already make a decent wage for China, and I can't really expect them to make US level wages just yet. What I'd want is for them to be able to improve working conditions in the factories, and get them to stop spewing so much shit into the environment.
It's completely fucking hypocritical. What good does it do to say, "We're gonna boycott Apple because of their shitty labor practices!" if you just turn around and go buy shit from Dell, HP, or Microsoft who does the same exact shit?
It's still absolute bullshit that they are being singled out for what everyone else is doing. If "Everyone else is doing it" isn't a valid defense, then why does everyone else get a pass?
Of course there is another, more likely possibility, though I suspect you missed it because your post really sounded just like a thinly veiled "I love Apple and they can do no wrong!" post.
No, it didn't. It's pretty fucking obvious that this story is a "Let's pick on Apple because they're big, even though the entire fucking industry does the same shit."
Because we can't enact tariffs in a vacuum. The second you place a tariff on goods from another country, that country, and possibly others, will slap tariffs on yours, making it much harder to export your goods.