The iPad’s Human Cost

Deadly conditions, long hours, cramped quarters and little pay. Reports of Apple suppliers’ derelict manufacturing practices and their devastating effects on Chinese factory workers have been appearing in the press for a while now. After an explosion that killed a supervisor in charge of iPad construction in Chengdu, The New York Times adds a new exhibit to the case. — ARK

The New York Times:

Some former Apple executives say there is an unresolved tension within the company: executives want to improve conditions within factories, but that dedication falters when it conflicts with crucial supplier relationships or the fast delivery of new products. Tuesday, Apple reported one of the most lucrative quarters of any corporation in history, with $13.06 billion in profits on $46.3 billion in sales. Its sales would have been even higher, executives said, if overseas factories had been able to produce more.

Executives at other corporations report similar internal pressures. This system may not be pretty, they argue, but a radical overhaul would slow innovation. Customers want amazing new electronics delivered every year.

“We’ve known about labor abuses in some factories for four years, and they’re still going on,” said one former Apple executive who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality agreements. “Why? Because the system works for us. Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn’t have another choice.”

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