Website of the Week: M.I.C. Gadget

Sure here in the U.S., we'll occasionally see a story about an iPhone knockoff, or a fake Vaio computer surfacing. If you want to be where the real (well, fake) action is, you have to be in China. Unfortunately, our tdl expense cards don't allow for such extravagant travel.

We're in luck though, thanks to M.I.C. Gadget, the made in China website that keeps tabs on all the tech goings ons in the country. They had a great album of photos for Apple's Shanghai store opening, and they always seem to find the most ridiculous fake versions of products. They don't just find them though, they review them as well.

Apple, Get Out of China

Last week, in what was certainly not the first time, concern has been raised over the working conditions/age of the men and women who actually assemble Apple's iPods, iPhones, and other products. First in Apple's defense, these latest revelations come from their own, sanctioned review of product suppliers, something other companies don't even do. 

The fact of the matter is, as long as Apple relies on third parties to produce their products, they won't be able to tightly control leaks, or the manner in which workers are treated. Rather than continue to risk product leaks, and the bad publicity of worker abuses, Apple has a unique opportunity to do something other tech companies can't: Move to automated manufacturing... in the United States.

Sure, any manufacturing plant is exceedingly expensive to get off the ground, but with $40 billion in cash, Apple is one of the few companies that could pull it off. Again, this isn't just a plan to raise the image of the company (further) as a symbol of social change, but rather a strategic decision, allowing Apple to further control their products from start to finish. 

High Hopes for iPhone in China, At Least For Unicom Chairman

When the iPhone finally made its debut in China, early reports were that things weren't going all that well. Some estimates were as low as 5,000 phones sold in the first weekend. Not a great start for the largest cell phone market in the world.

But fear not, according to Chang Xiaobing, Chairman of China Unicom, the carrier selling the iPhone in China, the future is bright. In a Bloomberg article, Chang admits the first month of sales weren't as good as they could be, but he never really outlined any strategy or reasoning for his optimism.

Considering the iPhone carries a $1,000 pricetag in China, has been stripped of wifi, and has seen an estimated one million plus grey market sales, there's not a lot to point to the iPhone as a runaway hit in China. Not yet.

Since We Called Out Apple, This Is Only Fair

Several months ago, we caused a small stir in one of our most popular (and hated) blog entries, when I urged Steve Jobs to go to China, and see the conditions in which Apple products are created.

Well Gizmodo has posted the results of a National Labor Committee survey of working conditions in one Chinese factory. NLC claims parts for HP, Dell, Lenovo and other PC manufacturers are made there. The results?

• Workers are prohibited from talking, listening to music, raising their heads, putting their hands in their pockets. Workers are fined for being one minute late, for not trimming their fingernails-which could impede the work, and for stepping on the grass. Workers are searched on the way in and out of the factory. Workers who hand out flyers or discuss factory conditions with outsiders are fired.
  The assembly line never stops, and workers needing to use the bathroom must learn to hold it until there is a break.
  All overtime is mandatory, with 12-hour shifts seven days a week and an average of two days off a month. A worker daring to take a Sunday off-which is supposedly their weekly holiday-will be docked 2 ½ days' wages. Including unpaid overtime, workers are at the factory up to 87 hours a week. On average, they are at the factory 81 hours a week, while toiling 74 hours, including 34 hours of overtime, which exceeds China's legal limit by 318 percent!
  The workers are paid a base wage of 64 cents an hour, which does not even come close to meeting subsistence level needs. After deductions for primitive room and board, the workers' take-home wage drops to just 41 cents an hour. A worker toiling 75 hours a week will earn a take-home wage of $57.19, or 76 cents an hour including overtime and bonuses. The workers are routinely cheated of 14 to 19 percent of the wages legally due them.

Gizmodo has a more extensive summary, and the NLC link will allow you to read the full report in all its glory. It's not the best bedtime story...

Green Apple: Credit Where It's Due

We are quick to point out shortcomings with Apple's latest products. However, I wanted to take a minute to give them kudos on a solid decision. After many years in the middle of the pack, it looks like Apple is poised to be a leader in environmentally sound production. Granted, there are no announced plans to add solar panels to factories, or wind turbines in Cupertino, but Apple is making steady progress on the toxicity and impact of their computers.

We won't go point by point here, especially since Apple has done the job for us with this information page.

Suffice to say, the steps to remove arsenic from glass for example, may not sell you many extra computers, and while there's a PR value to making your product for environmentally sound (just ask us) the actual expense involved probably far outweighs any marketing advantage. So kudos Apple, for doing the right thing, maybe even when it wasn't the best thing to do financially.