Apple catches flak in China supply chain saga

The maker of iPads and iPhones is hardly alone among tech companies that rely heavily on Chinese factories under scrutiny for labor practices. But it has become the flashpoint.

Cook: Apple's improved working conditions more than anyone else

Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking at an investor conference, defended the company's track record and its process of manufacturing hit products like the iPhone.
(Posted in Apple by Roger Cheng and Josh Lowensohn)
February 14, 2012 1:07 p.m. PT

Apple's mess in China: What you need to know

faq Apple says it's got a third-party group looking for issues at manufacturing partners it uses. Read CNET's FAQ to find out how we got here and what the next steps are.
(Posted in Apple by Josh Lowensohn)
February 13, 2012 5:34 p.m. PT

Apple launches Fair Labor inspections of Foxconn

The company says that manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, will be inspected by a group "dedicated to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide."
• ZDNet: Apple's external inspections of Foxconn a good first step
(Posted in The Digital Home by Don Reisinger)
February 13, 2012 5:44 a.m. PT

Ethical-iPhone activists deliver petitions to Apple stores

Members of Change.org deliver a quarter-million signatures to Apple's Manhattan flagship store on petitions calling for an ethical iPhone 5. It was part of the delivery of signatures to stores around the world.
(Posted in Apple by Roger Cheng)
February 9, 2012 8:42 a.m. PT

Apple supplier employee describes working conditions

As Foxconn continues to face criticism, CNN profiles a young factory worker who says she was promised benefits and little overtime. What she found when she got there was quite different.
(Posted in Apple by Lance Whitney)
February 7, 2012 7:33 a.m. PT

Petition tells Apple: We want an 'ethical' iPhone 5

A watchdog group is calling on Apple to demand improvements from its suppliers ahead of releasing its next iPhone. The group says it's already brought in 35,000 signatures.
(Posted in Apple by Josh Lowensohn)
January 31, 2012 9:48 a.m. PT

Won't buy Apple products anymore? Then don't stop there

In the wake of some calls for an Apple boycott, it's worth noting that human-intensive mass production has faced problems with abysmal working conditions in just about every major industrial economy.
(Posted in Nanotech--The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)
January 29, 2012 9:42 a.m. PT

Apple-Foxconn relationship probed by 'Sunday Morning' (video)

Reporter Martha Teichner of CBS' "Sunday Morning" looks at Apple supplier Foxconn's labor practices (and Apple's response to the situation) in this video segment featuring industry insiders and observers.
(Posted in Apple by CNET News staff)
January 29, 2012 9:14 a.m. PT

Dear Apple: Do something about Chinese working conditions

As stories keep emerging about terrible working conditions in consumer electronics factories, it's time for Apple to step up. They've got the power and the cash to make meaningful change. Let's hold them to it.
(Posted in Molly Rants by Molly Wood)
January 27, 2012 11:48 a.m. PT

ZDNet: Apple's supply chain flap--it's really about us

commentary Apple is under fire for its supply chain labor, but every tech item--and everything you own--goes through the same manufacturing paces.
(Posted in Between the Lines by Larry Dignan)
January 27, 2012, 3:04 a.m. PT

Tim Cook: Apple cares about 'every worker' in its supply chain

Tim Cook responds to a report about working conditions at a factory in China, saying that any suggestion it doesn't care about worker welfare is "false and offensive."
(Posted in Apple by Steven Musil)
January 26, 2012 11:25 p.m. PT

A kinder, gentler Apple? Don't bet on it

A New York Times article depicting the high human costs built into the making of Apple products has provoked a strong reaction from readers and consumers. How will Apple respond?
(Posted in Fully Equipped by David Carnoy)
January 26, 2012 12:39 p.m. PT

Putting a human cost on the iPad

An in-depth New York Times report focuses on the final months of a factory worker who died as a result of an explosion at a factory that makes iPads, as well as the conditions workers often endure.
• A tale of Apple, the iPhone, and overseas manufacturing
(Posted in Apple by Steven Musil)
January 25, 2012 10:00 p.m. PT

Apple gets tax incentives in Brazil to begin iPad production

According to a report from Brazilian newspaper Folha, Foxconn will begin producing iPads after being officially granted a batch of tax incentives from the Brazilian government.
(Posted in iPhone Atlas by Joe Aimonetti)
January 25, 2012 5:48 p.m. PT

Apple's Siri teaches Jon Stewart about Foxconn

Moved by Rick Perry's plea that we need to get jobs (and Steve Jobs) back to America, Jon Stewart asks Siri about the factory where Apple products are made. It is an ear-opener.
(Posted in Technically Incorrect by Chris Matyszczyk)
January 18, 2012 9:46 a.m. PT

Apple's latest supplier report details labor issues

In an auditing report on the factories where its products are made, Apple says its findings include cases of underage workers and environmental violations. It also says it has joined a third-party auditing group.
(Posted in Apple by Josh Lowensohn)
January 13, 2012 10:17 a.m. PT

Foxconn settles with workers who threatened mass suicide

The company says 150 of its workers were involved in the protest, of whom 45 apparently resigned rather than take the deal.
• Microsoft probing report of Foxconn mass-suicide threat
(Posted in The Digital Home by Don Reisinger)
January 12, 2012 10:44 a.m. PT

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previous coverage

Inside Foxconn's fatal iPad factory

The lack of safety precautions for workers was most alarming at the company's Chengdu plant, according to a report released just two weeks before an explosion at the factory killed two.
(Posted in Crave by Eric Mack)
May 21, 2011 12:21 p.m. PT

Apple report reveals grim truths behind gadgets

Progress report on its suppliers' practices marks first time Apple acknowledges worker poisonings. Also, many suppliers fail to comply with child-labor, other guidelines.
(Posted in Health Tech by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore)
February 15, 2011 4:30 p.m. PT

Apple reports on Foxconn, supplier workplace standards

Apple's latest supplier report details actions taken to help Foxconn with worker suicides and other facilities with underage workers.
(Posted in Apple by Jim Dalrymple)
February 14, 2011 12:45 p.m. PT

Apple fan's faith put to the test (Q&A)

Mike Daisey's new monologue, "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," chronicles his love affair with Apple products, a revealing visit to China, and why people need to think about where our devices come from.
(Posted in Apple by Anne Dujmovic)
January 31, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT

Reporters' Roundtable: The human cost of gadgets

Can consumers do anything to ensure that their smartphones, cameras, and gadgets are ethically made? Our experts discuss.
(Posted in Reporter's Roundtable by Rafe Needleman)
October 15 31, 2011 2:46 p.m. PT

Apple, Dell, HP looking into Foxconn factory suicides

After a spate of workers having died or been injured in suicide attempts, three of Foxconn's biggest clients speak out.
(Posted in Apple by Erica Ogg)
May 26, 2010 8:25 a.m. PT