New and Noteworthy: Apple releases report on iPod manufacturing; No Jobs keynote at Apple Expo Paris

Apple releases report on iPod manufacturing In response to articles alleging poor working and living conditions at a manufacturing facility in China where iPods are assembled, Apple has issued a report based on the findings of an internal investigation conducted by the company. The conclusion: "We found the supplier to be in compliance in the majority of the areas audited. However, we did find violations to our Code of Conduct, as well as other areas for improvement that we are working with the supplier to address." Among the more interesting notes:

• "The manufacturing facility supports over 200,000 employees (Apple uses less than 15% of that capacity) and has the services you'd expect in a medium city. The campus includes factories, employee housing, banks, a post office, a hospital, supermarkets, and a variety of recreational facilities.
• "Our audit of on-site dormitories found no violations of our Code of Conduct. We were not satisfied, however, with the living conditions of three of the off-site leased dorms that we visited.[...] Two of the dormitories, originally built as factories, now contain a large number of beds and lockers in an open space, and from our perspective, felt too impersonal. The third contained triple-bunks, which in our opinion didn?t provide reasonable personal space."
• "Our interviews with employees revealed areas of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A majority of employees interviewed were pleased with the work environment and specifically noted the opportunity for advancement, widespread year-end bonuses, and the reputation of the supplier in the industry. Additionally, employees consistently mentioned that they felt safe and secure in both the workplace and the dormitories."
• "We are encouraged with the actions to date in response to our audit. However, we realize that auditing compliance is only one step in the journey toward driving change. We have also joined the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) Implementation Group, which has established industry-wide standards and offers valuable resources for evaluating suppliers. The EICC was a key benchmark when our own Code of Conduct was created and as an industry leader, Apple will make important contributions to this group."

No Jobs keynote at Apple Expo Paris Macworld UK reports that there will be no keynote speech this year at Apple Expo, Paris, Europe's largest Mac-focused show. "Representing the show organisers, Reed Expositions France, Apple Expo Communications contact, Clémentine Tisserand, confirmed the lack of keynote to Macworld UK. She said, simply: 'There will be no keynote at this year's show.' Tisserand added that the decision not to offer a keynote was not taken by the company she represents. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has traditionally popped across the Atlantic to visit Europe once a year for the show." More.

Previously on MacFixIt:

• Xsan 1.4 released: better support for >2 TB Fibre Channel
• Apple releases Logic Pro, Express 7.2.2
• MacBook SMC Firmware update released: adjusts fan behavior
• iTunes 6.0.5 (#3): Issues with playback; Reverting to iTunes 6.0.4; more
• MacBook and MacBook Pro SuperDrive failure (#3): Evidence of battery, logic board-related issue; PMU resets working for some
• Boot Camp 1.1 (#3): Problems installing drivers, fix; New AppleTime synch utility
• Adobe Photoshop CS2 9.0.2 released, then pulled

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