DaringFireball.net linked to Paul Krugman’s argument, in an article written in 1997 for Slate, for the use of cheap labor in Third World countries.

“Why does the image of an Indonesian sewing sneakers for 60 cents an hour evoke so much more feeling than the image of another Indonesian earning the equivalent of 30 cents an hour trying to feed his family on a tiny plot of land—or of a Filipino scavenging on a garbage heap?”

Even having been written 14 years ago, he still has excellent points.  I think my personal problem is not so much with the wages but with the working conditions.  Also, the fact that Apple who has an ungodly amount of cash, should be doing even more to insure reasonable periods of work and safety conditions.

I am torn on this.  The majority of the world’s electronics are made in China, by workers whose workings conditions would be abhorrent to most citizens of this country.  Apple is most definitely not the only company exploiting the efficiency, flexibility, and cheapness of China.  They are definitely the largest company doing this work, but percentage-wise they are a small portion of the whole.  This article only focuses on Apple because of its popularity and brand awareness.  And, I have no doubt this article is cherry picking its sources and quotes a fair bit.

At the same time, should not Apple, being such a significant player and with such vast financial resources and power, be able to improve working conditions significantly?  Yes, but at what cost to it and its customers?  Having read the entire article, this paragraph at the end is what really stands out to me:

“But ultimately, say former Apple executives, there are few real outside pressures for change. Apple is one of the most admired brands. In a national survey conducted by The New York Times in November, 56 percent of respondents said they couldn’t think of anything negative about Apple. Fourteen percent said the worst thing about the company was that its products were too expensive. Just 2 percent mentioned overseas labor practices.”

Apple needs pressure from its customers to force its suppliers to be the safest and healthiest in China.  And, if you own one of their products and agree, you should let them know.

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UPDATE:  And, Apple CEO Tim Cook responds.  Still, it does not address the article directly, but it shows it got to him, especially since he was Apple’s COO for many year and thus was in charge of managing the supply chain.  I do not want Apple to be merely good or even better than its competitors in this area, I want it to aim to be inspirational and truly ethical in its Chinese dealings.

“Reportedly, fully 20 percent—some 200 million—of the world’s mobile devices incorporate a clear cover made of Corning’s Gorilla Glass brand toughened aluminosilicate glass. Depending on the particular test used to make the determination, Gorilla Glass is seven or eight times stronger than the common soda-lime glasses used, for instance, in most windowpanes.”

Science!!