Can you buy the iPhone 5S or 5C with a clear conscience?

[jmr1015]

Well Apple is very meticulous. I don't really worry about any effects they'd have on the environment. I mean they just recycled all of their iPhone 5's.

 

[koolhand79]

I not only can buy it with a clear conscience, I did. 😉😉

 

[anon(3733516)]

You think Apple is the only company that does this? Can you buy your Nike's with a clear conscience?

 

[ritesh]

With a tentative launch price in India of USD 883/1033/1183 for 5s 16/32/64 GB respectively and USD 750/833 for 5C 16/32 GB, people with loads of unaccounted money can buy it conscience free
We don't have carrier subsidy's here and need to buy factory unlocked phones from Independent Apple authorised / reseller stores at full price.
Comparatively Samsung Note 3 is priced at USD 816.
With average salary of post graduates in larger metros at USD 600/month, the prices of the iphones are overboard.
I hope apple comes out with finance schemes on credit cards with EMI options,so that buyers don't feel the pinch. Else a lot of people are going to ask their friends and foes to carry iphones from the USA to India.


P.S. To the OP, sorry I didn't read your reasons for the conscience part. I thought you were asking in general .

 

[itsmemuffins]

Can you buy the iPhone 5S or 5C with a clear conscience?

Apple has arguably done more than its rivals to improve conditions at factories and reduce its environmental footprint
Share 201



Can I buy the new iPhone with a clear conscience?

In the leap from drawing board to circuit board, Apple's sleek, polished designs undergo many processes that the company cannot fully control. With colourful cases and a friendly price, Apple is promising that its first low-cost iPhone will "brighten everyone's day". But reports about conditions at the factories subcontracted to make Apple products jar with the upbeat image. Workers making the handset's cases are being asked to stand for 12-hour shifts, with just two 30-minute breaks, six days a week, investigators for the non-profit organisation China Labor Watch have found. The factory is owned by American contract manufacturer Jabil Circuit, which along with Apple has sent experts to investigate.

Hasn't Apple already promised to improve practices at factories?

Targeted more than any other consumer electronics company over the treatment of its workers, Apple has arguably done more than any of its rivals to tackle the problem. It has been publishing audits of its suppliers for the past seven years, and is now working with independent campaigner the Fair Labor Association to inspect facilities.

Suppliers that employ children can have their contracts terminated. Last year, Apple cut off a Chinese circuit board producer found to be employing 74 children under the age of 16. It also reported a local labour agency that had falsified records to make children appear older than they were, and the business had its license suspended and was fined by local authorities.

Children found to be illegally employed at Apple factories must be handed back to their families. Suppliers must also provide money to compensate for their lost earnings, and further funds for their education.

Apple has set a maximum of 60 hours of overtime per week at its factories, and its audits have shown 92% compliance. Apple carried out 393 audits at facilities covering 1.5 million workers for its last annual supplier responsibility report.

It also has initiatives against bonded labour, forbids mandatory pregnancy tests, and works to prevent Chinese students being coerced into factory work in order to graduate from further education courses.

What about the materials?

Factory conditions are not the only ethical minefield when it comes to smartphones. Most of the world's known supply of Coltan, a metallic ore used to manufacture the circuitry found in most electronic gadgets, comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. National parks have been destroyed to mine it, and proceeds from sales of the mineral have been used to fund bribes and illegal militia.

Apple is committed to using conflict-free minerals. It asks suppliers to confirm their smelter sources, and is working to identify trusted smelters which source conflict-free minerals.

Are Apple's products environmentally friendly?

Like any other large manufacturer, Apple's carbon footprint is yeti sized. In 2012, it was responsible for almost 31m tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Better design and planning have reduced emissions per dollar of Apple revenue by 22% since 2008. Its data centres run on 100% renewable energy.

Are there any ethical alternatives to the iPhone?

The reality is that Apple products can be traced back to the same mineral mines, parts makers and assembly plants as most other smartphone brands. Nokia, Amazon, Sony and Samsung have all been customers of Foxconn, where the conditions under which the iPhone was being produced were first exposed. Conditions at the factories used by Apple in China will be similar to those used by other brands.

A Dutch company called Fairphone has had some success in crowd-funding what it believes will be the first entirely ethical smartphone. After securing 14,537 pre-orders for its €325 phones, which customers have paid for upfront, Fairphone will go into production in time for Christmas. Based on Google's Android operating system, it looks similar to a Samsung Galaxy handset, and prototypes will be on show at a pop-up shop in London's Soho from 18 September.

Each bag of tin and coltan used to make a Fairphone will be labelled and tracked on its journey to the smelter. The phones themselves will, however, be made in China, at a factory owned by Chang Hong, which makes TVs and smartphones for the Chinese market. Fairphone will carry out regular audits to ensure the legal limit of 60 hours per week per worker is respected. It has also set up a fund to top up pay so that employees receive not just a minimum wage, but a living wage. However, Fairphone admits that with its small order of 25,000 phones, it cannot dictate worker conditions at a factory it does not own.

One way around the problem is to bring production to countries where workers are treated more fairly. The Moto X smartphone, the first Motorola handset entirely designed and produced since its acquisition by Google, is largely assembled at a plant in Texas. Its parts and materials are sourced from all over the world, but like Apple, Motorola is identifying ethical smelters for tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold. While Google cannot make a cast iron claim to be producing entirely ethical phones, by bringing manufacturing home, to a plant that it owns, it can do more to improve working conditions than the small armies of auditors scanning factory floors in Shenzhen.

Latest news, sport and comment from the Guardian | The Guardian

Can you?

 

[Not Quite Right]

My thoughts on this are, did this question even need to be asked? I mean common sense will tell you that people quit giving a $hit about fair labor practices, labor unions, worker safety, the quality of materials and where & how they were obtained stopped a long long time ago when your respective countries allowed all of your manufacturing to be shipped overseas to third world countries in the first place. In hindsight your question was already answered over 20 years ago ... Yes people will buy what they WANT with a clear conscience.

 

[ankush77]

You cannot buy every device with clear conscience ,there are many more companies which cannot compete Apple in clear conscience,nothing is perfect.
Is it????

 

[Alik Malix]

You know, I couldn't buy an iPhone with a clear conscience... Then I figured a Samsung - nope they not only have the same factory (um u do know some apple components are built for apple by samsung?), but on top of that Samsung has a negative effect on the society of its native country (south Korea). Then I said, ok NOKIA it is -- oops, same crap. So I humbled and bought two noodle cans and a string, and realized that the cans were made from an ore mine in south america where they force (not "asked" like the Original Thread) workers to work crazy hours for little pay. And a string made from cotton fields formerly owned by slave runners... OH MAN!... Smoke signals it is for me... woo hoo! NOPE - greenhouse effect got that one... Shouting loudly across the street to talk to my neighboor without calling wakes up the dogs and no one sleeps at night, thus stressing out and tired at work the next day.... What can a modern person do?

Sorry bro, I bought my evil iPhone with a clear conscience, because it's better then buying a Samsung, BB, or whatever that's built in probably worse conditions...

 

[Alik Malix]

With a tentative launch price in India of USD 883/1033/1183 for 5s 16/32/64 GB respectively and USD 750/833 for 5C 16/32 GB, people with loads of unaccounted money can buy it conscience free
We don't have carrier subsidy's here and need to buy factory unlocked phones from Independent Apple authorised / reseller stores at full price.
Comparatively Samsung Note 3 is priced at USD 816.
With average salary of post graduates in larger metros at USD 600/month, the prices of the iphones are overboard.
I hope apple comes out with finance schemes on credit cards with EMI options,so that buyers don't feel the pinch. Else a lot of people are going to ask their friends and foes to carry iphones from the USA to India.


P.S. To the OP, sorry I didn't read your reasons for the conscience part. I thought you were asking in general .

Wait wait wait... Apple is BAD for pricing their product too expensive for you to afford? Dang it, how do you look Ferrari's and Rolex Watches? What about Note 3 and the useless Samsung Gear Watch?

 

[Stefano_B]

I noticed a sweat spot on my 5s when I first purchased it... They said it was normal. Wouldn't interfear with normal usage. OK OK that wasn't funny

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[kal-el of the house of el]

Not only can I buy my 5S with a clear conscience, I can do it with a song in my heart.

 

[eastbayrae]

I buy from the shadiest companies. This was a no brainer.

 

[antiprotest]

Considering how the factory workers still apply and stay for these jobs, the alternatives are most likely worse. With this in mind, how can you have a good conscience if you don't buy? What kind of person are you, if this is the best that they can have among other even more severe options, and you still refuse to help support their jobs?

 

[Totalimmortal363]

Can you buy the iPhone 5S or 5C with a clear conscience?

Apple has arguably done more than its rivals to improve conditions at factories and reduce its environmental footprint
Share 201



Can I buy the new iPhone with a clear conscience?

In the leap from drawing board to circuit board, Apple's sleek, polished designs undergo many processes that the company cannot fully control. With colourful cases and a friendly price, Apple is promising that its first low-cost iPhone will "brighten everyone's day". But reports about conditions at the factories subcontracted to make Apple products jar with the upbeat image. Workers making the handset's cases are being asked to stand for 12-hour shifts, with just two 30-minute breaks, six days a week, investigators for the non-profit organisation China Labor Watch have found. The factory is owned by American contract manufacturer Jabil Circuit, which along with Apple has sent experts to investigate.

Hasn't Apple already promised to improve practices at factories?

Targeted more than any other consumer electronics company over the treatment of its workers, Apple has arguably done more than any of its rivals to tackle the problem. It has been publishing audits of its suppliers for the past seven years, and is now working with independent campaigner the Fair Labor Association to inspect facilities.

Suppliers that employ children can have their contracts terminated. Last year, Apple cut off a Chinese circuit board producer found to be employing 74 children under the age of 16. It also reported a local labour agency that had falsified records to make children appear older than they were, and the business had its license suspended and was fined by local authorities.

Children found to be illegally employed at Apple factories must be handed back to their families. Suppliers must also provide money to compensate for their lost earnings, and further funds for their education.

Apple has set a maximum of 60 hours of overtime per week at its factories, and its audits have shown 92% compliance. Apple carried out 393 audits at facilities covering 1.5 million workers for its last annual supplier responsibility report.

It also has initiatives against bonded labour, forbids mandatory pregnancy tests, and works to prevent Chinese students being coerced into factory work in order to graduate from further education courses.

What about the materials?

Factory conditions are not the only ethical minefield when it comes to smartphones. Most of the world's known supply of Coltan, a metallic ore used to manufacture the circuitry found in most electronic gadgets, comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. National parks have been destroyed to mine it, and proceeds from sales of the mineral have been used to fund bribes and illegal militia.

Apple is committed to using conflict-free minerals. It asks suppliers to confirm their smelter sources, and is working to identify trusted smelters which source conflict-free minerals.

Are Apple's products environmentally friendly?

Like any other large manufacturer, Apple's carbon footprint is yeti sized. In 2012, it was responsible for almost 31m tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Better design and planning have reduced emissions per dollar of Apple revenue by 22% since 2008. Its data centres run on 100% renewable energy.

Are there any ethical alternatives to the iPhone?

The reality is that Apple products can be traced back to the same mineral mines, parts makers and assembly plants as most other smartphone brands. Nokia, Amazon, Sony and Samsung have all been customers of Foxconn, where the conditions under which the iPhone was being produced were first exposed. Conditions at the factories used by Apple in China will be similar to those used by other brands.

A Dutch company called Fairphone has had some success in crowd-funding what it believes will be the first entirely ethical smartphone. After securing 14,537 pre-orders for its ?325 phones, which customers have paid for upfront, Fairphone will go into production in time for Christmas. Based on Google's Android operating system, it looks similar to a Samsung Galaxy handset, and prototypes will be on show at a pop-up shop in London's Soho from 18 September.

Each bag of tin and coltan used to make a Fairphone will be labelled and tracked on its journey to the smelter. The phones themselves will, however, be made in China, at a factory owned by Chang Hong, which makes TVs and smartphones for the Chinese market. Fairphone will carry out regular audits to ensure the legal limit of 60 hours per week per worker is respected. It has also set up a fund to top up pay so that employees receive not just a minimum wage, but a living wage. However, Fairphone admits that with its small order of 25,000 phones, it cannot dictate worker conditions at a factory it does not own.

One way around the problem is to bring production to countries where workers are treated more fairly. The Moto X smartphone, the first Motorola handset entirely designed and produced since its acquisition by Google, is largely assembled at a plant in Texas. Its parts and materials are sourced from all over the world, but like Apple, Motorola is identifying ethical smelters for tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold. While Google cannot make a cast iron claim to be producing entirely ethical phones, by bringing manufacturing home, to a plant that it owns, it can do more to improve working conditions than the small armies of auditors scanning factory floors in Shenzhen.

Latest news, sport and comment from the Guardian | The Guardian

tl;dr

 

[Just_Me_D]

Without question, I could buy ANY Apple product I wanted to purchase with a clear conscience. I DO NOT and WILL NOT think about anything other than getting an undamaged and properly working product that I paid for. Period! I DO NOT subscribe to the "environmentally friendly" principle either. I subscribe to the ability to choose based on what I want and not on what someone else think I should have or the manner in which they think I should get it principle......but that's Just Me, D.

 

[antiprotest]

Without question, I could buy ANY Apple product I wanted to purchase with a clear conscience. I DO NOT and WILL NOT think about anything other than getting an undamaged and properly working product that I paid for. Period! I DO NOT subscribe to the "environmentally friendly" principle either. I subscribe to the ability to choose based on what I want and not on what someone else think I should have or the manner in which they think I should get it principle......but that's Just Me, D.

Yes. None of that self-righteous high-minded pontification. "Oh look at me, unlike you I only buy fair trade coffee, but don't you cut me off on the road or I will cut your throat."

 

[nr2d]

Yes I have no problem buying an iPhone and iPad with a clear conscience. The only reason Apple is being singled out is due to it's success and high profile. Other cell phones by other companies are built by the same factories under the same conditions as Apple devices. It's nice that Apple tries to clean up their sub-contractor work conditions BUT I feel the sub-contractor is fully at fault for trying to manufacture these devices at the required schedule and imposes poor pay and working conditions on their workers so they can make more money. ANd it all comes down to the "bucks" that the sub-contractors are making. Pay their workers less and do more with fewer workers bigger profits for the sub-contractor.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Yes I have no problem buying an iPhone and iPad with a clear conscience. The only reason Apple is being singled out is due to it's success and high profile. Other cell phones by other companies are built by the same factories under the same conditions as Apple devices. It's nice that Apple tries to clean up their sub-contractor work conditions BUT I feel the sub-contractor is fully at fault for trying to manufacture these devices at the required schedule and imposes poor pay and working conditions on their workers so they can make more money. (snipped).

​'nut said...

 

[iEd]

Only way I wouldn't have a clear conscience is it if were illegal.
People can single out iPhone for where and who puts them together but if you do that you can't stop there. Any say 2014 vehicle has a board with chips,sensors and processors. Are they made in Detroit? So it's not just iPhone or any phone. If you gonna go there with the clear conscience thing then go all the way. The hat on your head,the sheets on your bed, your jeans,socks, underwear etc. I could go on all day.