"Think Fair" is the right kind of killer marketing for iPads - suicides are not
Summary: There is a very real human cost to the Apple iPad but that would change if it were a "Fair Trade" iPad...
A recent Tweet by @drachgenabe: "One suicide death per 200,000 sold iPad."
Apple has a marketing problem of epic proportions. The human cost of its latest hot product is suicide by the workers that make it.
Apple's response is to top up workers' salaries. But what if it also said it would make "Fair Trade" iPads?
"Think Fair" would be the right kind of killer marketing and a great upgrade to Apple's immensely succesful "Think Different" advertising campaign.
Fair Trade electronics products would cost a bit more to make but Apple can afford to pay more for manufacturing. Apple has a profit margin of 21%, Dell's is 3%, HP's is 7%. Apple has nearly $40 billion in cash.
Higher manufacturing costs would easily be offset by the tremendous marketing value to be had in becoming the first Fair Trade tech company. Apple has a long history of being first.
Steve Jobs is not motivated by becoming ever richer but by creating the best products with the best user experience. There's little wrong with the addition of a warm and fuzzy user experience that a Fair Trade iPad would provide.
The biggest drawback that I can see is this: Fair Trade Apple products would make the fanboys even more annoying. They'd be walking around, their noses in the air, exuding moral superiority from every pore, and their farts would smell better than roses. It could become suffocating if you were caught in a confined space with one of them.
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Talkback
What about Dell, HP, Microsoft, etc?
Dell's motherboards are made by Foxconn.
XBox is made by Foxconn.
HP parts are made by Foxconn.
Yet, somehow Apple is single out.
The worst part about sudo-journalism like this one, is that the company with the issue is Foxconn, yet it is not mention a single time in the entire article.
Easy answer
Stop the lies: Nintodo goods done on the *same* factory
Writing articles about Unix commands?
RE:
NonZealot a non-entity
You have not contributed one worthwhile comment to this discussion at any time since you first discovered how easy it is to be anonymous and how much the "monitors" and the other participants will put up with.
Wow... Apple & Nintendo? :O
No wonder there's so much secrecy at that particular Chinese Foxconn Plant and not the others! ;) ....even Hitler didn't demand so much secrecy in his factories!
btw... @NonZealot Thanks for bringing that up and topping it off with "sudo-journalism". haha... Still remains though, that obviously both Nintendo and Apple's profit margins and unparalleled demand for secrecy is what's driving all the violence at that plant!
Note: Nintendo has always been considered one of the most secretive corporations ever. While Dell and Xbox Chinese Divs of Foxconn are by far more relaxed than Apple or Nintendo's Excessive Demands for Secrecrecy in their ahmmm... relationships to Foxconn's pre-teen employees!
RE:
read the article again. It's aimed at apple because their markups are ridiculously higher than the other companies. So they can afford to pay more and still make tons of money.
RE:
Exactly! Because they are the only company who can afford to do so due to their high margins. I saw a news piece on Chinese tv last week about foxconn rising salaries by 10% to around ?100 (US$150) a month.
Anyway, from what I can see, the article is about how Apple has the opportunity to improve the lives of its subcontractors AND make a marketing statement too, so a win win situation. Why, I therefore ask, are people so uptight about the article?
RE:
Don't Forget "Unparalleled" Demand for Secrecy! :O
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5974288-10-workers-commit-suide-at-apple-s-foxconn-in-china
Both Nintendo and Apple have the highest profit margins, but afford the littlest of profit to Shenzhen at the highest cost for complete SECRECY!!!! ;)
RE:
Of course I'm betting you don't understand the irony of your cheapskate criticism of Apple, when it is in fact your attitude of demanding overly cheap products of high quality that
drives manufacturers to go to China.
Becasue
RE:
Typical Apple Hater response
Proofread
and it's pseudo, not sudo
Stop FUD Nintedo (etc) products made on same factory, launched investigaton
Both Apple and Nintendo Cost Foxconn w/ Low Profits High Security!
Suicides are being reported as a direct result of the ultra high secrecy levels for both these companies. They are also coupled with extremely low profit margins from them as well. Because Foxconn wants their business on their popular products. Therefore the rest of the companies that Foxconn has contracts with, are actually subsidizing high security and low profit costs for Apple and Nintendo!!!
It's called Corporate $GREED$!!! ....and both of these companies are two of the worst ever at that!
single out
people, get real, it is because bloggers like tom are paid to do so. it is their job to spread FUD about apple. a site like zdnet is dependent on advertising money from the traditional pc industry, some of them direct competitors to apple or at least heavily invested in a business model that is threatened by the unstoppable rise of apple.
tom's agenda is well known. don't get fooled. just don't click on the drivel. that will help.
ignore them, especially NonZealot
RE:
That's so easy even a caveman can answer that. Ugggh, here is my answer; " They are not makon the bacon Apple is. I had to get poetic with it. LOL