As long-time Apple users, we are SICKENED that a company long associated with innovation, creativity, and the progressive sociopolitical "aura" (of its users) is, underneath its sleek exterior, behaving like a venal corporate zombie, no less environmentally and socially destructive as Koch Industries, ExxonMobile, BP, and other well-known corporate denizens.
If, as Mitt Romney says, "Corporations are people, my friend," Then, shame on you, Apple. Shame on YOU, as people.
Apple users deserve better. Apple's strong reputation for innovation, style, quality, and execution is peerless, providing Apple with one of the most intensely loyal customer bases in the world. Indeed, Apple's customers have demonstrated for decades a deep-seated willingness to pay for a big premium for innovation, ease-of-use, and quality. Thus, with typically the most expensive offerings in each product category, Apple's profit consistently ranks among the world's highest in ANY business sector.
There is simply NO REASON that Apple cannot "Think Different" and transform itself into an exemplar of social, environmental, and geopolitical responsibility.
Without passing on
additional costs to its consumers, Apple should either bring its production
back to the United States, where the new jobs would only add to its
corporate, government, education, and individual consumer base; or, it
can begin to apply strict US environmental standards and work rules to its
operations overseas—or, it can do both.
Otherwise, if Apple continues to allow its subcontractors to expose those who build iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs to brutal, abusive, unsafe working conditions, it risks losing a hard-fought
reputation as the digital platform of choice for the world's growing
"creative class."
With revenue rising to a record $13.03 BILLION in net profits on $46.33 BILLION in revenue for the final quarter of 2011—and a valuation of $426 billion—Apple can certainly afford to behave responsibly.
The luster came off The Complainer’s MacBook Pro this week. And, with every keystroke, we can’t help but wonder, “Who paid for this wonderful piece of technology with blood, with environmental degradation, with their life?”As of now, we at The Complainer are boycotting ALL Apple products until they agree to substantially improve their labor, environmental, and trade practices.
Your statement that Apple have "progressive social/political aura" does not seem justified by Apple's conduct. From a technical point of view, Apple have always believed in closed, propriety, and developer unfriendly systems. They exude an anti-web, anti open standards aura if anything. They have started engaging in the most aggressive patent trolling I've seen from a major tech player.
ReplyDeleteOn the social/political front, I was appalled that they chose Newscorp(owners of Fox Network amongst others) as their preferred news content provider and that Jobs is close friends with Rupert Murdoch. They've not has a public "Don't be evil" policy a-la Google as a standard to which they can be held, no have they engaged in the extensive philanthropic activity exemplified by Microsoft.
I will not go into what Steve Jobs' recent biography reveals about the character of the man, nor the revelations about his treatment of ex-girlfriends etc.
One of the great things about technology companies has been the way they demonstrate that one does not need to be a bastard to run a successful company or to be rich. Jobs' recent biography has done much to undermine that view.
They have never seemed like a particulary progressive company at all.
EXCELLENT COMMENT. And, worthy of an edit to the original post! Please note, however, that we use the term "aura" (which should have been place in quotes), as a proxy for "image among the general public." In reading your comment, we will clarify that its USERS reflect this image. THANKS! BTW, We are also announcing our own boycott of Apple (which will be frustrating, as we planned several purchases for this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, again!
As a "Hollywood" Apple user, I can attest to the general feeling amongst my cohort that apple is more clearly associated with a boho-artisite aesthetic. One assumes that, in general, apple users are more artistic, politically liberal, socially progressive, and in all other ways left of the general public (as artists tend to be - again "in general"). Perhaps this is because of the clear advantages of using apple for the purposes of anything artistic. For instance, when you enter the editing bay of any movie studio large or small you are exceedingly unlikely to see anything other than a fruit on the back of any of the computers. Just saying. This, I think is what the author meant by apple having a "progressive aura".
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I was quite surprised to find out what a prick Steve Jobs was. However, his status is so legendary among many of my friends (mostly progressives) that, even when they read his bio, they still tended to gloss over the negative and read into all of it as if he were a progressive as well. For instance, most die hard Apple users view the fact that Apple is not compatible with the PC format as a dedication to diversity rather than being "anti open standards". They would tend to see this as a strike against the hegemonic control that some large corps have tried to command over all computer users (that means pretty much all humanity) in an effort to resist any one corp trying to set up a situation where, by virtue of breathing, we must pay them for the air - regardless of their "philanthropic activities". Moreover, anyone with a dedication to capitalist ideals ought to see the advantages of at least some competition in the market place where very few hurtles exist in communication between individuals with different computer operating systems given their mutual ability to communicate on the web.
By the way, I don't like this new look you've posted. I guess I sort of get it, it looks more like a news paper. But I think you could do that and make it easy to read on my screen at the same time.
ReplyDelete