General Apple Megathread

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

This means that they are spending 1/4 or less of their monthly income on room and board and food.

That's not half bad at all, especially after the shots of the villages they are coming from to do the work.

Edit: I'm not saying it's ideal, just pointing out that for a young person who likely had zero future to look forward to in their home town, that's a heck of an opportunity for themselves and their families.

I'm Chinese and have family and co-workers from there. The reality is that great number of migrant workers have to send back a large chunk of their wages home to support their families so in many cases, it is not enough to get by without putting in an excessive amount of overtime.

Anyway, these conditions are endemic all over China and developing countries which are industrializing. I have nothing against monotonous and assembly line work. All of those things exist here in the first world as well. I do have problems with child labor, poor treatment, and overly harsh discipline in those conditions however.

Apple is just getting picked on because of three factors:
1. They are the biggest player right now (larger operating cash balance than the entire U.S. Treasury)
2. They are making more money than everyone else and can afford to experiment or try to make a difference or set a standard for others
3. The image and branding that Apple has historically built for itself and their users as "different" from the big corporate stereotypes of it's competitors in the past

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I'm Chinese and have family and co-workers from there. The reality is that great number of migrant workers have to send back a large chunk of their wages home to support their families so in many cases, it is not enough to get by without putting in an excessive amount of overtime.

Anyway, these conditions are endemic all over China and developing countries which are industrializing. I have nothing against monotonous and assembly line work. All of those things exist here in the first world as well. I do have problems with child labor, poor treatment, and overly harsh discipline in those conditions however.

Apple is just getting picked on because of three factors:
1. They are the biggest player right now (larger operating cash balance than the entire U.S. Treasury)
2. They are making more money than everyone else and can afford to experiment or try to make a difference or set a standard for others
3. The image and branding that Apple has historically built for itself and their users as "different" from the big corporate stereotypes of it's competitors in the past

And thank goodness the video showed that none of those things are actually happening. Of course you can say that the factory knew the cameras were going to be there, and they knew of the inspection that occurs during the story by the 3rd party organization. It's also mentioned however that regardless of how much notice the factories are given for a visit, in a community of that size it's almost impossible to totally hide things like child labour and inhumane conditions.

I understand the argument that Apple makes the most money so they should be the ones to fix it, I just don't totally agree. At what profit level do companies have to start caring about the conditions of their assembly line? If Samsung continues to release kick-ass products, do they have to start caring too?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Russic

And thank goodness the video showed that none of those things are actually happening. Of course you can say that the factory knew the cameras were going to be there, and they knew of the inspection that occurs during the story by the 3rd party organization. It's also mentioned however that regardless of how much notice the factories are given for a visit, in a community of that size it's almost impossible to totally hide things like child labour and inhumane conditions.

I understand the argument that Apple makes the most money so they should be the ones to fix it, I just don't totally agree. At what profit level do companies have to start caring about the conditions of their assembly line? If Samsung continues to release kick-ass products, do they have to start caring too?

Who do you trust? ABC news making the one high profile video or the plethora of human rights and workers rights organizations in Hong Kong (the only safe place they were able to exist for many years) who have been the watch dogs of mainland China since before Tienanmen? I have a cousin who quit her job as a corporate lawyer to work for one of these non-profits in Hong Kong and I hear a lot more about these things than is usually displayed in the Western news. In the end, almost every consumer product we buy comes from a similar supply chain and production process. It's simply the nature of the beast. 21st century consumer culture means overworked and underpaid manufacturing somewhere out there.

Companies can care if they want to or not. There is no "water line" that they have to reach before they decide to be socially conscious or ethical in their practices in isolation or in concert with their competitors. It just reflects on their character and sense of social responsibility if they choose to do so or not. If you are the richest man on the block, but you won't give money to the food bank, people are going say things about you. That's all that's happening here. I'm just explaining why some people are seemingly calling out Apple while others are slipping under the radar. That's endemic of human nature to be short-sighted and narrow-minded as well. Everyone's guilty but that's how our world turns so I don't see why people feel the need to defend X company or Y company. Everybody deserves criticism. If I choose not to buy an Apple product, it won't be because of their human rights record because I know it would be hypocritical when so many of the other products I own wouldn't exist without similar processes occurring. If one company really goes out of their way to make a difference and improve their worker's conditions however, I might choose to reward them by buying their product over another. The problem is that you really can't trust what companies will say in their press-releases and marketing campaigns anyway.

[metallicat]

Is there any concrete info about the iPad 3 yet? Is it likely that Apple discounts the 2 when the 3 gets released?

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Is there any concrete info about the iPad 3 yet? Is it likely that Apple discounts the 2 when the 3 gets released?

I believe there is to be an announcement in March

[KTrain]

You won't hear anything "concrete" until the official announcement of the iPad 3.

They usually try to maintain the same price point for the device so they older ones will usually be discounted.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Is there any concrete info about the iPad 3 yet? Is it likely that Apple discounts the 2 when the 3 gets released?

Rumours are pointing heavily towards an announcement on the 7th of March (next wednesday). There hasn't been announcements regarding the fate of the iPad 2 yet, but given their desire to get every school in the world using iPads, I'd be shocked if they didn't offer it at a lower price point.

[chemgear]

I have heard the iPad 3 coming with a $80 premium on the original iPad 2 prices. Stores are already reducing the price on the iPad 2's I believe.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by chemgear

I have heard the iPad 3 coming with a $80 premium on the original iPad 2 prices. Stores are already reducing the price on the iPad 2's I believe.

Yep, Best Buy has dropped Ipad 2 prices by $50

[metallicat]

Interesting, I've been thinking about picking one up.

[fundmark19]

Wait for announcement then buy refurb from apple of iPad 2 and save 100 or more off price

[sclitheroe]

It will be interesting to see how much RAM they package the iPad 3 with - iOS 5 uses considerably more RAM than previous versions, and I imagine the higher resolution screen will need a substantially larger frame buffer as well. Here's hoping it comes with 1 GB of RAM so that it has some longevity. I'd say the iPad 3, if equipped with enough RAM, will have better hardware longevity than either of the previous models.

[You Need a Thneed]

Apple Event confirmed for March 7, 11am MST.

[Russic]

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by Russic

Are they getting rid of the home button on the new iPad's? I can't see it in that picture.

[oilyfan]

Probably in landscape mode

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

Probably in landscape mode

Lots of evidence out there to suggest that it's not in landscape mode in that picture.

[silentsim]

wonder if a physical home button will be replaced by a touch sensitive black area, or just more enhanced gestures

[Hack&Lube]

There have long been rumors that the physical button is being removed.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Lots of evidence out there to suggest that it's not in landscape mode in that picture.

Apparently the spacing of the icons isn't consistent with landscape mode - not sure though. Here is a comparison of the screen pixel density as well: