What is Digg?214 Comments
- carguy84, on 10/12/2007, -8/+94It's 200,000 metric workers, so like 80,000 really.
- roastedbagel, on 10/12/2007, -3/+85And people wonder why US companies outsource so much. If there was a factory in the US that housed 200k workers, that worked 15 hours a day AND slept there, they would be sued/fined/shut down. End of story.
- dandyhighwayman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+71My new 30 gig player came with a handwritten note in the box. It said: "Help! I am a prisoner in an iPod factory!"
- T3rry, on 10/12/2007, -7/+51Where's the oompa loompas?
- dengzhi, on 10/12/2007, -12/+56"Inside Apple's iPod factories"
where are the pics?? - b3and1p, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40You're lucky, I got a little severed finger.
- Antipodes, on 10/12/2007, -4/+40200,000 workers at one factory?. Highly unlikely even in China. The Megafactories there are awesome but 200k is way over the top.
Foxconn also make iPaqs at the same factory, Nokia too but 200,000 workers is way too many staff. I also think the quoted salaries are too low. Southern China has a shortage of skilled factory workers & there wouldn't be many takers for a US$50 per month job, - Hawk2007, on 10/12/2007, -6/+39hmm... I wonder how many people on berkley have rioted about slave labor but own one of these things?
- rockintom99, on 10/12/2007, -16/+46Chris, shut up. What are you a fan of? Chances are, it is made by the good ol' people of China as well.
- ericnmu, on 10/12/2007, -21/+50Chris, are you completely oblivous to the global economy?
- Hawk2007, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25"highly unlikely??? are you kidding me??? do you know how many people are in china??"
The people that believe this 200,000 figure are in way over the heads.
Use some common sense here folks.
General Motors employs what, something like 115,000 people? Building a car is considerably more complex than building an ipod. - mcflynnthm, on 10/12/2007, -4/+26Reminds me of a shirt my friend has: "I heart sweatshops. Little hands doing big things!"
- k3ymaster, on 10/12/2007, -6/+28But Ipods are shiny!!!
- OhROFL, on 10/12/2007, -5/+26The smaller the hands in the factory, the quicker the iPod is made. Outsource to children!
- panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20One of my lifelong friends has "moved" to China. He has a wife and child there now. He has told me that what we pay dollars for they pay pennies for in China. Even gas is less than $1/gallon, after you convert Yuan to USD, but my friend says that is because of government subsidies.
Conversely, my family is in the Costume Jewelry biz, and many of the Chinese people we know and do business with say that they make a whole lot more money here in the United States, but their standard of living is lower here than it was at home. Some have even said they would be going back to China. Presumably they will save up as much USD as they can before going back, and then live even better in China than before they came here. - noeljohnhoward, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20i want pics man
- Ottergoose, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22According to Wikipedia, roughly 50 million iPods have been sold There's no way that they were produced by 200,000 people... that works out to a measly 250 iPods / worker, which over 3 years is incredibly inefficient. In Q2 2006, 8.5 million iPods were sold... 42.5 / employee of these supposed factories... I don't think so.
Yes, I'm a fanboy, but those numbers just don't make sense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod#Sales - DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20"or the iPods would cost $1500."
Well, if they were to use automation to it's fullest extent, it would likely be possible to cut out 3/4 of the workers. That's how it would be produced in the US and it wouldn't be as huge of an increase in cost as suggested above. Problem with automation is that it increases the amount of time required to bring new or redesigned products to market. If you have a product that doesn't change much, like double bubble chewing gum, then you can create a nearly fully automated process that can go on for years and years and affordably work in the US. The mere availability of cheap labor means that to compete in the fast changing world of consumer electronics, you pretty much have to take advantage of it's benefits. - Enitime, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20"200,000 workers at one factory?. Highly unlikely even in China. The Megafactories there are awesome but 200k is way over the top."
They don't have all 200,000 people in a single building. Think of it more as a college campus. - pjack91, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Reminds me of a shirt that says:
"Sweatshops: Another Day Another Dollar." - arizonagroove, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15"isn't there close to 2 billion?"
About 1.3 billion.
" 200,000 people is not really a lot."
Compared to the population of China, no. To be contained within one factory, it really is. - thepharmacist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Really ? I highly doubt that. List brands.
And how about your shoes ? Your clothes ? Your TV ? - masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -9/+22It'd be more than $1500. Segways cost more than motor scooters/cheap cars! (~$3000)
- mrbro, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16Because Microsoft would never dare to outsource anything to a sweatshop!
- Hawk2007, on 10/12/2007, -8/+20200,000 is still a lot of freakin' people, college campus like or not.
I'd say it's more in line of 2,000 people. even 20,000 is seriously pushing it. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of rounding error or mistaken quote. - deut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12The amusing irony of all this is listening to all the ITMS fan boys that are bitchin about how allofmp3 "steals" from the artists.
Well, guess what? I decided to do some of my own outsourcing! - It's OK for Apple right? I found this really cheap foreign supplier of un-DRM'd music at fantastically low prices and have decided to import their goods rather than use the local competition.
I love it when Global Capitalism works both ways. - JeremyWearn, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15A lot of people don't know how lucky they are
- Bioshocker, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16Here comes the "popular cultural product is made in sweatshops!" stories ... It's like the 1990s all over again.
"The workers are housed outside the plant, and earn 54 per month - but they must pay for their accommodation and food, "which takes up half their salaries"."
Half their salary is taken up by essential living costs? Hey, welcome to the club! - cius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Exactly. %100 of my wages go to staying alive, I don't see why anyone would expect much different for chinese factory workers. A proper context also needs to be given. The difference in cost of living between where I am and say, Seattle Washington, is quite large. I don't expect to make as much as someone doing a similar job in Seattle. The markets are different and I get by just fine. Not that I wouldn't like more money, but I don't think its a crime against humanity that I don't get equal pay. I've no clue what life is like in china, but if it only takes half a months salary to stay alive, I'd say they're doing pretty good.
- thepharmacist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Asian companies use the same practices (Samsung, Sony, etc...) Some even run sweatshops in their own native countries. Businesses have no nationality. They have shareholders. The only thing preventing one of these companies from opening a sweatshop in North America are labor laws...
- darkstar949, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10They only pay half of their salary? Depending on where you live in some cities in the US you may be paying up to 75% of your pay for necessities.
- CatfishJones, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Come on kid... try some. Everybody's doing it.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001991575_outsource29.html - joeyjojo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12"None of you Apple fans can justify this, it's shocking."
Ah, but we can. Just as Wal-Mart shoppers can justify shopping at Wal-Mart. Just as Dell owners can justify buying Dells. Just as McDonalds diners can justify shopping at McDonalds. Just as [insert pretty much any retail giant in the country] patrons patronize [insert pretty much any retail giant in the country].
American consumers are purposefully and extensively isolated from the source of most of their consumable goods. That makes us easily targets to simply 'forget where it came from...you NEED this'.
And, hey, it works. - IcanFLY, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Apple likes their secrets, so it is unlikely you will be able to find pics without anyone being sued a few times.
- billyliberty, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14Yeah, but I bet it's a bit hard to post to Digg from work when you are on an assembly line for 15 hours.
- geekee, on 10/12/2007, -9/+18"The report claims Longhua's workers live in dormitories that house 100 people, and that visitors from the outside world are not permitted. Workers toil for 15-hours a day to make the iconic music player, the report claims. They earn £27 per month."
And Apple passes the savings on to you. Oh wait, no. They charge you $300 anyway and pocket a huge profit. - thepharmacist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Guess what ? Every company in the world does this. They do it because people want cheap, disposable goods and don't care about the ethics lapse that has to be made for this to be possible. Nike does it, Microsoft does it, Apple does it, Nikon does it, Samsung does it.
These companies aren't evil, they act like this because their business model wouldn't be possible otherwise. It will change when consumer start demanding change. Of course, this means big increases in price for everything. Therefore, it won't happen. - rauz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Keep living the lie!
- mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I'm thinking most electronic companies that use Chinese labor (which is most of them) have similar conditions. There isn't just some "iPod Slave Camp" somewhere in China.
- domokunt, on 10/12/2007, -16/+24Your great great granparents paid their dues in the industrustrial revolution, now china must go through theirs.
- UserAgent, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9....from parts that are made in China
- rockintom99, on 10/12/2007, -7/+15Do you wear clothes? They were also made in chinese sweatshops. So shut up, hypocrite.
- tlfillingim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9there's a businessweek article that mentions the same facility.
http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_25/b3989077.htm - Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11It makes me feel kinda bad that I'm exploiting the people of China...........but then I put my headphones on and I completely forget about it :)
- everfalling, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6'Perhaps these Chinese workers who actually have a paying job might disapprove of your views on Global Economics.'
just because a job pays doesn't mean it pays well, or enough for that matter. i may not know the local economy of the city in which these people work, but £27 a month with 15 hour days seems awfuly low, and not just by our standards. it's not like these people got a dream job. you make it out to seem 'hey, you may be shoveling the ***** of the rich, but at least we're paying you to do it. be greatful!' - ACalcutt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Well, as an American.. you definitely don't speak for me...
While I do usually want the cheapest product possible(depending on what the product is)... i don't want to get it by 5y old slave workers... - jonrad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7It's a shame that your parents didn't use you as a source of income when you were 5 years old.
- quasipalm, on 10/12/2007, -16/+22chris9902 -- it's good you're thinking about the welfare of others, but I think it's wrong to blame Apple.
The Chinese people are free to set their own labor laws and the choose their own government (yes, they can't vote, but it's up to them to change that too). If they feel they are being exploited, they can enact reforms. Currently, I think, they are just happy to have well paying jobs (given local conditions). Millions of chinese people have been lifted out of poverty in the past few years thanks to companies like Apple moving jobs there. - fuckingstudent, on 10/12/2007, -9/+15There's worse in the US,
theres a camp where there are 400+ people who have never been tried, have been there for 4 years, no contact with their families, little or no legal representation, they dont know if or when they will get out and the only escape is to top themselves - TheRonald, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8It's not 200,000 people working on the iPod. That's the entire complex which produces products from multiple companies, the iPod section is only a small portion.
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