Apart from the hassle and associated costs of moving from one OEM to another, there's also the risk that the move might prove to be very costly for Apple. The new OEM may not have the desired level of quality and efficiency to work with Apple. Foxconn had been there since Apple launched the iPhone and has grown along with Apple to reach this stage.
the arguments forwarded here are contrived and diversionery, perhaps motivated by a desire to defend Apple.
the most obvious way for Apple to build the so - called "ethical" iPhone would be to NOT replace Foxconn altogether and take 8 months in the process as suggested here ( a " red herring" if there ever was one ), but to pay Foxconn / Hon - Hai enough ( say 50 % over just the 5 % of total the assembly of an iPhone is supposed to cost - almost "noise" considering Apple's margin ) to cut work hours / hire more workers, even slow their lines down / build a few more.
slavery could not have flourished in America for 3 centuries w/o its direct beneficiaries and paid defenders / shills.
the same seems to be true even today 4+ decades after Civil Rights - only its being practiced out of sight in China by CEOs pretending to be Zen Buddhists - and being defended in the name of journalism.
@hospice--I agree, but the deadline of this summer is impossible. It will be a long, drawn out process for Foxconn to change--I think 5 years would be an optimistic estimate.
@Flyingscot: there's that, or the formation of unions...
I simply cannot see how an ethical movement will take hold unless it is mandated at the govt level. Customers in Best Buy look at three things only.....price, price and yep....you guessed it.
Instead of hoping that Apple would end its partnership with Foxconn Electronics Inc , why not rather send the message to Foxconn and ask them to improve their employees's working conditions. The main issues is not to know if Apple would be ethical, but rather if its parteners would learn the ethical lesson as well.
Besides moving manufacturing plants from the coastal areas to more inland provinces to fend off rising employee costs, last year, Terry Gou, who heads up Foxconn, announced 1 million robots will be in place over the next 3 years to replace workers performing routines assembly, welding, and painting tasks.Here is a link to one of many articles with the announcement: Robots to replace Foxconn workers; Chinese cities take notice.
_hm, how many of peoples are interested to pay more for ethical products. I don't think more than 1%, the other 99% peoples are not bothered about either its ethical or not. At the same time they are looking for the same product for a lesser price tag.
For ethical products, I think Apple has to manufacture all the components in US itself and the cost may shoot up to double or more. This is only by a simple comparison of wages in US and China.
"Bringing Chinese wages up to Western levels would increase the cost of a typical i-product by 35 percent. And that won't improve working conditions."
The situation is very complicated and n't exist an easy and quick way solution to the problem. For the moment, I think it will not help this instantly increment to the wages, and it needs a long way (maximum 10-15 years) plan to achieve that smoothly.
{At least the government must try to have the average cost of living in extremely low rate. }
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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