Apple petitioned - will anything change?

Activists and consumers are telling Apple they want an "ethical iPhone" referring to the iPhone 5 and Apple's production centers in China. Will Apple respond and will prices for Apple products increase? At least a pair of petitions are now circulating online. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Apple has responded, but so far only with words. Recent investigative reports, including articles in the New York Times, CNET, and Catholic Online, have illustrated the relatively harsh conditions under which Apple's most popular products are made. 
The investigative reports revealed that employees are working 12-hour shifts, six days per week, as a matter of routine, plus overtime. Living conditions are spartan, with workers housed in dormitories and earning around $100 for a month of work. 

Apple's CEO, Tim Cook blasted the reports last week saying, "any suggestion that we don't care is patently false and offensive to us." Apple has also responded by pointing out that suppliers are subject to rigorous inspections and are required to meet minimum standards. 

However, Apple has had those standards for years, standards that include things such as holding workers to a 60-hour work week, as a series of industrial accidents and suicides has illustrated that those policies might not be improving working conditions.

Chinese manufacturers have also responded, pointing out that factory jobs provide a reasonable standard of living that includes food, medical care, and entertainment. They also point out the implementation of mental health procedures to prevent suicides, along with the installation of suicide nets to catch jumpers from buildings - a now iconic image of what is wrong with the status quo.

Finally, manufacturers have complained that Apple's practices, which include strict supply chain secrecy and keeping costs to an absolute minimum, have squeezed managers to the point they cannot cost-effectively improve working conditions and must push workers to generate any profits at all.

Meanwhile, this recent article places the blame for these problems squarely on the shoulders of US consumers who demand, and buy, cheap Apple products, thereby supporting the problems inherent in the status quo.

But consumers are reacting, at least in the media. A pair of petitions , including one from Sum Of Us and Change.org, are asking Apple to change its practices. Referring to the suggested changes, the Sum Of Us petition reads, "Can Apple do this? Absolutely. . . 'Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn't have another choice,'" quoting an unnamed Apple executive. 

The petition also claims Apple posted a profit of 42.4 percent for their last quarter.

So far, Apple has not announced any substantive changes in their supply chain or policies.        

It remains to be seen if consumers will back these petitions with their wallets, paying more if costs increase to improve conditions, or refusing to buy if nothing changes. 

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