Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Foxconn iPhone factory in China

[Shawn Knight]

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently took some time to tour a Foxconn manufacturing plant during a visit to China. The new installation in Zhengzhou, China was build specifically to manufacture iPhones, reports Bloomberg.

The Foxconn Zhengzhou Technology Park employs 120,000 people according to Apple spokesperson Carolyn Wu. Cook is in China after holding what was described as “high level” talks in Beijing earlier in the week, likely regarding Apple’s further expansion in the country and the next iPhone. He was reportedly seen visiting an Apple Store in Beijing earlier this week as well. It’s unclear how long he will be in the region or the nature of any other visits.

Although the representative didn’t provide any details about Cook’s visit to the facility, it’s a safe bet that he’s touring the factory on the heels of negative press regarding working conditions at Foxconn. Apple recently voluntarily joined the Fair Labor Association (the first technology company to do so) which conducted audits of several factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu.

Initial findings suggested that Foxconn plant conditions are above average and that boredom and alienation were perhaps the biggest issues to be concerned with. Just days after that report, Foxconn announced they were raising wages by 16 to 25 percent. An entry level position now pays 1,800 Yuan ($285) per month while workers who have completed technical exams can earn up to 2,200 Yuan ($349) each month.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/47998-apple-ceo-tim-cook-visits-foxconn-iphone-factory-in-china.html

 

[Mister_K]

I guess they are trying to patch up its bad past? Well nice to see raising wages, could raise them another $100 but yeah...

 

[Guest]

Maybe it is about time that Apple called it quits; not much purpose in robbing people of their money anymore.

 

[gwailo247]

Dear Leader visits Chinese electronics factory.

 

[Rick]

gwailo247 said:
Dear Leader visits Chinese electronics factory.

There's a big difference between "Dear Leader" and Tim Cook, and it has nothing to do with being dead...

 

[PinothyJ]

artix said:
I guess they are trying to patch up its bad past? Well nice to see raising wages, could raise them another $100 but yeah...

They are paid a butt-ton more than American average wages and they get medical, lodging, clothing, et cetera, thrown in as well…

 

[Rick]

pinothyj said:
They are paid a butt-ton more than American average wages and they get medical, lodging, clothing, et cetera, thrown in as well…

Can you clarify how $250-$300 per *month* is a "butt-ton more than American average wages"?

 

[Guest]

Chinese money is worth less than us money, but the things still cost the same. So a bottle of pop would still only cost $2 chinese dollars. They are paid between 1800-2200, but they would still be able to buy about the same amount of stuff as if they had us dollars.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I saw on the news just today that the Foxconn workers working on Apple devices are/were underpaid and there is an investigation commencing.

 

[PinothyJ]

Rick said:

pinothyj said:
They are paid a butt-ton more than American average wages and they get medical, lodging, clothing, et cetera, thrown in as well…

Can you clarify how $250-$300 per *month* is a "butt-ton more than American average wages"?

Read the facts: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timwors...pouting-nonsense-about-chinese-manufacturing/

Or have a look at a pretty picture: http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/1478/507493745.png

And when you are deciding over that consider some more facts and quotes and stuff:

Another critical advantage for Apple was that China provided engineers at a scale the United States could not match. Apple’s executives had estimated that about 8,700 industrial engineers were needed to oversee and guide the 200,000 assembly-line workers eventually involved in manufacturing iPhones. The company’s analysts had forecast it would take as long as nine months to find that many qualified engineers in the United States.

In China, it took 15 days.

…or:

“We shouldn’t be criticized for using Chinese workers,” a current Apple executive said. “The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.”

Or if you could stop to see past your polarisation you might see things a little clearer…

 

[gwailo247]

Rick said:

gwailo247 said:
Dear Leader visits Chinese electronics factory.

There's a big difference between "Dear Leader" and Tim Cook, and it has nothing to do with being dead...

One is the tyrannical head of an organization who seeks global domination, and the other is the former leader of North Korea?

We're like Abbot and Costello, you set 'em up, I knock 'em down.

 

[Rick]

pinothyj said:

Rick said:

pinothyj said:
They are paid a butt-ton more than American average wages and they get medical, lodging, clothing, et cetera, thrown in as well…

Can you clarify how $250-$300 per *month* is a "butt-ton more than American average wages"?

Read the facts: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timwors...pouting-nonsense-about-chinese-manufacturing/

Or have a look at a pretty picture: http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/1478/507493745.png

And when you are deciding over that consider some more facts and quotes and stuff:

Another critical advantage for Apple was that China provided engineers at a scale the United States could not match. Apple’s executives had estimated that about 8,700 industrial engineers were needed to oversee and guide the 200,000 assembly-line workers eventually involved in manufacturing iPhones. The company’s analysts had forecast it would take as long as nine months to find that many qualified engineers in the United States.

In China, it took 15 days.

…or:

“We shouldn’t be criticized for using Chinese workers,” a current Apple executive said. “The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.”

Or if you could stop to see past your polarisation you might see things a little clearer…

Huh????

Speaking of polarization...... I see you are HEAVILY polarized on this topic. So much so, you can't clearly read what other people type.

I didn't ask you about how "amazing" China's work force is at making iPhones, what the "human costs" are for manufacturing Apple's toys *nor* did I ask you about the effects of boycotting Apple's products on the workers.

What I *did* ask you is why you think $250-$300 per month is a "butt-ton more than American average wages".

The random "Guest" above actually put some perspective on what you said earlier, although I'd have to say a DVD player might be $3 USD in China, but an iPad is still going to cost $500 USD.

How far that money goes probably comes down to what you spend your money on. If you stick to locally designed and produced goods, I bet that $300 goes a long way. If you buy stuff from International or oversea-based companies like Levis jeans, an HP laptop or a Sony television, I doubt that $300 would go very far.

 

[Rick]

gwailo247 said:

Rick said:

gwailo247 said:
Dear Leader visits Chinese electronics factory.

There's a big difference between "Dear Leader" and Tim Cook, and it has nothing to do with being dead...

One is the tyrannical head of an organization who seeks global domination, and the other is the former leader of North Korea?

We're like Abbot and Costello, you set 'em up, I knock 'em down.

LOL.

Well, humor aside, it seems like a rather insensitive comparison which diminishes the reality which North Koreans face. That's my only complaint. ;-)

 

[Guest]

It seems impossible for so many Americans to understand that cost of life in China or some other countries is lower than in the US, and life is not about iPads, but about food, clothes, home, etc. An Android tablet costs about $60 in China, by the way. If I remember correctly, Mark Twain wrote about people unable to understand that in an area where a man earns more, prices are higher - they would still envy his higher salary. You can earn $5,000, but when you pay taxes, insurance, mortgage, bills, you are left with $50 for peanuts. And still you believe you're rich, because you earn $5K. Amazing. And hatred towards Apple on this site also amazes me... I can understand people hating Microsoft for making the buggiest operating system in the world, stealing ideas and creating a monopoly. But hating Apple for doing things that work, have no bugs, look nice and that people WILLFULLY buy - it's just crazy. If you don't like iPhone or a Mac, don't buy it, you don't have to. It's not like Windows that is a standard de facto which you can't avoid. And Apple is "stealing money"? How? Amazing, truly amazing. I have an iPhone that has never ever halted or had to be rebooted (except during system upgrades). I have a Mac that never ever gave me a blue screen or whatever is the color of the screen in Mac? I don't even know that. What is wrong about that? I wouldn't hate Apple even if I would get paid for it... but I guess not everybody is like me.

 

[Guest]

Since I have come from a developing country, I know what I am talking about.

The basic needs such as food, cloths, housing, electronics, vehicles and other goods costs the same as in US if not just a tiny bit less.

What costs less than US is anything involves with labor. But in overall what you can buy from a monthly salary in a third world country is much less than what you can buy from a US monthly salary.

Someone said improving the conditions of factory workers who work for US companies doesn't improve the conditions of others who doesn't work for such companies is wrong. When the conditions of such employees improve, in order to be competitive other companies have no option but to improve their conditions as well. This in turn has a global effect of improving salaries and conditions of everyone.

Not only that, when the conditions and salaries of local population improves, US companies find it less attractive to outsource, making them to rethink about outsourcing and hire more employees into US offices.

Therefore, improving salaries and conditions of factories goes a very long way, with a global effect, improving the conditions of local population and creating more jobs in US.

 

[Guest]

[Tim Cook] is the tyrannical head of an organization who seeks global domination

I thought he was at the head of Apple not Microsoft...?