The 'punishing' iPhone factories: Will Apple customers care?

Wasn't this the whole reason for sending our jobs to China in the first place? Avoid the expenses incurred by complying with United States labor and enviromental laws. Apple is getting exactly what they wanted, a mass production of goods with zero concern for human and enviromental damages.

Boycott Apple? You must be joking. Americans are only interested in "instant gratification." Despite all the rhetoric here - if Apple comes out with something new people will rush out to buy it. Americans are unable to stand together for anything.

"Apple audits its suppliers each year, and was first to report many of the abuses"

The Red Cross audited WWII German "resettlement" camps as well. Which were conveniently staged to hide the truth.

Any idea what the cost would be to built them in an automated plant in the states? There has to be a reason so many Japanese car makers are building in the states, rather than shipping them over here.

For the most part, no one will give a crap. Our species is inherently selfish and very few of us will ever get past that. Pathetic but true.

Apple's profit margins are so obscene they could probably make these in America, pay all the workers 20 bucks an hour, and still turn a profit.

Why is it acceptable to buy products from companys/countrys that promote labor abuses, nay...human rights abuses that we would not allow here in our own country?...Follow the money right to wall street.

The Republican rebuttal to the State Of The Union address mentioned Steve Jobs and how America should do things like him. Yeah, send all manufacturing jobs overseas. I'm so glad the Republicans are being so transparent.

apple has been making outstanding profits from the iphone for a long time.. maybe it's time to bring manufacturing back to the US, I read a article a few weeks ago that the labor costs over there are $7 as to $22 back in the states.. $15 is not that much to pay for bringing the phones home

At least when the Chinese were fully communist, their workers didn't necessarily die in the factories of the "Imperialist Running Dogs".

They had other problems, just not that one.

Boycott any company (not just Apple) that treats humans like this.

everyone can find a common ground here, workers can get a better working condition if Apple says so, customers can get better product price if apple says so, but apples doesn't want to lower their profit in order find some common ground. I don't see anything genius about a 21st century slavery.

The market shows that American consumers don't care. I'm old enough to remember when American made electronics worked well and were built to last. Now the only choice we have is Chinese junk, often flawed and prone to failure about the time that 1-year warranty expires. The Chineeze crap looks good but that's all. Most consumers don't care because the gadget is often obsolete in nine months anyway, and the brats are demanding the latest thing when it comes out. Why should Apple or any other big company care? Their making their billions.

I wonder if the same people who #$%$ and complain about oil company profits will be complaining about obscene corporate profits by Apple? Doubt it.

The American consumer has become a robot programmed to purchase exactly as directed by Fortune 500 Companies since the 1980s. The only time the consumer is unplugged from the prime directive is when they happen across articles, such as this one. They will slip into a conscience state of mind and protest against the "wicked ways" of these companies. However, after an hour or so, after reading the article, they will be hard wired back on to the program. They will go down to Wally World and purchase their garments form China, their coffee from Vietnam, their frozen dinners from Honduras, their shoes from the Philippines, and their paper products from Brazil....never looking for an alternative American product....never realizing that their purchase just put another American worker out of work. The American consumer has become a "fuel cell" for the Fortune 500s, allowing them to become World Conglomerates. These companies have no allegiance to America and could care less how many Americans are out of work...remember the American consumer is just a fuel cell for them. All that interest them is creating a better bottom line every year, so that their large stock holders, board members, CEO, CFO, and a few VPs can get out of the drudgery of being millionaires to become billionaires. All at the expense of your jobs and Chinese, Filipino, Brazilian, Honduran, and Vietnamese deaths and .25 an hour wages. BUY AMERICAN....DEMAND AMERICAN....SEARCH for AMERICAN. Those products are out there. Yes, they are more expensive. But you know what, we are the consumers. If we all begin a march back to American made goods, guess what will happen. Prices on American goods go down and foreign goods go up. We still have the freedom to determine who charges the "fuel cells". Like the old, old statement says, "United we Stand, divided we fall."

The only irony is that so many of the Apple-lovers are also vegan, carbon-concious, "humanitarians."

The better question: Will they care enough to change their buying behavior?

Apple doesn't care, as long as they are making huge profits and the suicide rate doesn't exceed the number of available workers.

Backlash? You are kidding me. Such reports have surface long before Apple record sale breaking feat. You think Apple fanboys worried? The truth is they just can't be bother at all.

Better boycott nearly every other electronics maker too, most of them get their stuff made at FoxConn, or similar Chinese factories. Let's not pretend this issue is limited just to Apple.