Foxconn

Two former Wintek employees who say they suffered permanent health problems while assembling iPhones in 2009 have come out in support of a petition asking Apple to demand better working conditions at overseas factories.

In a statement today, Guo Rui-Qiang and Jia Jing-Chuan, who were among those who suffered health problems as a result of exposure to n-hexane, a toxic chemical that was being used in a China factory as a cleaning agent, are asking more people to sign the petition ahead of Apple's annual shareholders meeting tomorrow.

"We have been pressuring Apple, and its new CEO Tim … Read more

Foxconn, an Apple manufacturing partner, has been leveled with an accusation regarding teenage workers, even as the Fair Labor Association inspects its facilities.

Speaking in an interview published today by AppleInsider, Debby Sze Wan Chan, project officer of the Hong Kong-based not-for-profit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), said that Foxconn moved younger workers and banned them from overtime ahead Apple's of requested audits by the Fair Labor Association, an independent group.

"All underage workers, between 16-17 years old, were not assigned any overtime work and some of them were even sent to other departments," Chan … Read more

Amazon will consign production of a 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet to Foxconn, according to an Asia-based report. If true, this would mean that Amazon has its sights on a slightly bigger tablet than previous reports have claimed.

Shipments of the 10-inch class Fire would begin in the second quarter, according to a report in DigiTimes.

Previous speculation had cited a 9-inch class Fire. Currently, Amazon sells a 7-inch device. The Internet retailer has sold 4 million to 5 million units during the last quarter, according to estimates by various market research firms.

Quanta and Inventec manufacture the 7-inch Kindle Fire … Read more

ABC is touting an inside look at the working conditions in Foxconn, a key vendor for Apple and other major technology companies.

The report airs Tuesday night on the network's Nightline news program, with a preview already up on its site.

Apple has faced increasing criticism from advocate groups, which are calling for the construction of a more ethical iPhone and an improvement in the conditions at the suppliers that the company works with. Groups have already delivered hundreds of thousands of petitions to Apple stores around the world.

The criticism was largely sparked by a series of articles … Read more

Infamous Apple supplier Foxconn said this weekend that it would increase worker salaries at its Chinese factories by 16 percent to 25 percent--bringing them to about $400 a month.

The New York Times reported the news, adding that Foxconn said the increases would happen immediately and that overtime hours would be curbed at the factories as well.

Foxconn's announcement comes as its facilities are being investigated at the behest of Apple, a major Foxconn client. Foxconn produces components for the iPad and the iPhone.

Apple is feeling the heat from human rights advocates and others after the Times published … Read more

Though a full report from the Fair Labor Association's audit of Foxconn isn't expected till next month, the group's head says the FLA has already found "tons of issues."

In a telephone interview with Bloomberg, FLA Chief Executive Auret van Heerden told the outlet that the group had found "tons of issues," and that "I believe we're going to see some very significant announcements in the near future."

What those issues are were not disclosed by van Heerden, Bloomberg reported.

The remarks come just a few days after van Heerden … Read more

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

The facilities at Chinese factories manufacturing iPads and iPhones are better than other factories in the country, the head of the labor rights organization tasked with inspecting the plants told Reuters.

With his iPad in hand, no doubt.

The nonprofit Fair Labor Association (FLA) was asked by Apple earlier this week to investigate conditions at Foxconn facilities in China following reports of unsafe working conditions and a significant uptick in worker suicides. The FLA expects to make its Foxconn audit results available on its Web site next month, with inspections of Apple suppliers Quanta and Pegatron to follow.

"The … Read more

Apple CEO Tim Cook again defended his company's track record on improving working conditions at the manufacturing facilities of its suppliers, noting that it has done more to address the issue than any of its peers.

"No one in our industry is doing more to improve working conditions than Apple," Cook said during an investor conference today.

Cook's comments come amid growing criticism over the working conditions at the factories used to construct hit Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad. Much of it was sparked by a New York Times story that highlighted some … Read more