Apple sells 10M iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in first weekend

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

This is all wrong, and you will find that being true for almost all phone/tech manufacturers, Apple have done a lot to clean up these factories but there is not much they can do as they do not own them, they just order parts from them, dont act like it is Apple cracking the whip, it is the chinese factory owners that will not comply

 

Apple still need to manufacture devices so they can not exactly go anywhere else, they have moved some manufacturing to the US for example the new MAC Pros so maybe they can add more manufacturing to the US/UK/Europe

 

But yeah, no, it's fine, enjoy queuing like a muppet for the shitty "new" phone.  Just so long as you got yours, right?

This is true for MANY, if not ALL products that you buy, your phone, your cooker, your microwave, your car, your calculator, that biro you write with, the shirt on your own back.. a lot of stuff is made in China, or in 3rd world countries or conditions, that is just the state of the world

I give to charity, I support where I can, but I still have to live my life, while their treatment is horrific, at least they have a job, if these manufacturing jobs were not available in china many of these people would die from poverty and starvation (at least more of them). For some people this is their only option as there is no work for them. Yes the work is fucking horrible, but hey

 

I think is just a sad reality of how the world works

 

But dont go blaming people for buying a new iPhone or Apple for not curing world poverty...not unless you refuse to use electronics from china, and regularly visit Africa to help children carry water

 

 I'm pointing out how we as a society are fucked due to his religion-esque fanatical approach to consumerism and capitalism.

I do not see this changing anytime soon, I admit I am a consumer whore. I follow brands, I spend half my time looking for things to purchase, and spend most of my wage purchasing useless products. I do it because I enjoy it, it gives me a reason to go to work, any money I have left I spend it travelling

 

 

Sorry I am a bit all over the place, I am at work and do not really have time to respond properly, but what you said, applies to almost all products on the market

[PhantomChevron]

Not surprising, its apple, it has a very large customer base, that are not techies, people buy them because they are easy to use, especially for those non techie adults or parents. Good for them I guess

[Guest]

-snip-

Yes, which is precisely why I also mentioned that Apple aren't alone in this.  You should have read the post.

 

I also stated that they are not primarily responsible for the conditions of the factories.  And that they, if they cared, could obliterate world hunger with their extremely low tax bills and offshore accounts.

 

This is true.  So long as we continue to deify these products, the conglomerates and corporations that provide them, then they are going to keep feeding into this feedback loops of consumerism.  That in and of itself is a sickness, it is a symptom of this tech (and food) obese society.  The people queuing for pricey, underwhelming, barely even iterative designs are not the cause of the problem.

 

We are being sold an idea that these products will make you happy. That is PR 101, the first lesson in successful advertising.  Now they're telling us we're all unfit and we need a new watch as well in order to be all fit and happy, because look at all the fit and happy people glistening in sweat in their sweet suburban lifestyle.  They're selling all of us a lie.

 

No one queuing for these items needs them like folks queuing for water at a well which may as well be a petri dish of various critters and diseases, something that if Apple gave a shit about they could jumpstart generations worth of progress in poverty stricken countries.  But they don't, they just want to sell you more of the same old tat for as much as possible to line their own pockets and pay as little tax as possible.  They won't even invest significantly in R&D and rarely buy out other startups and ventures.  It stinks that they don't use their colossal profits to provide their own factories and manufacturing processes or vastly improve the conditions in the Foxconn and contractor factories.  We all know of the multiple reports suicide pacts on the roofs of these factories but choose to ignore it because LOOK NEW JESUS PHONE.  We don't as a whole deify biro pens, Hotwheels, microwave ovens (although some would argue we do).  We do deify Apple.

 

Have a go at me if you like, but I can't take any offense over believing in equality, fairness and the humane and ethical treatment of fellow humans and animals.  I'm part of the problem too.  I don't claim to be better than anyone, but I at least recognise these traits in myself so I can try to make a difference.

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

I did read it, I was just acknowledging that you brought this topic up on the iPhone topic, and not on the launch of any other smartphone, or you could have started a brand new topic talking about it

 

I agree with you to an extent, and as much as I am guilty for purchasing products from these companies, it is equally not my responsibility to make sure every single product I purchase is produced ethically. I am ashamed that governments do not work harder to ensure this kind of treatment is reduced, that is what we have them for. to stop this kind of bullshit and provide fair working enviroments and a fair economy

 

Equally it is not my place to say what Apple or any other company do with their money. While they could buy up small companies and plow money into saving African children, it is equally their right to have swimming pools of dollar bills for all the execs.

 

I am not having a go in your beliefs, I agree with them, and I am glad that you can admit the traits yourself. I think a lot of people are guilty of it. But this is the first world, where the most important decision in your day is Wether to have Coca-Cola or Coffee, with your lunch, and not if you can provide for your starving and sick family.

 

I am the first to admit I am lazy, and while I care to an extent, I will also admit when I went and bought my shiny iPhone, my thoughts were not on the poor people who built my phone, but more wondering how Bioshock will look on the bigger screen, and how much of my music to shove on it

 

Guilty as charged

[Guest]

-snip-

You're right, it is unfair to lambaste and critique solely Apple, it's just this is fresh in my mind and we're in the Apple thread and here we see yet another launch selling 10s of millions of these items.  At £400-600 a pop, more with accessories.  Samsung at least do a lot of their manufacturing in house.  I won't admit that all other phone companies are ethical, particularly with the laws and regulations in Chinese industry, but Apple and Samsung are the big dogs and would lead by example if they gave a toss about us or the planet.  They have the influence and the voice - people have been indoctrinated for years, as well as notably the rather humorous Reality Distortion Field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field).

 

And I hate to sound old-timey, but I do find it obscene that young people, from children through teens to students, and also others on the poverty line needing to get food from foodbanks, are mostly all carrying around one or more of these extremely expensive devices that are also attached on to subscription plans.  It's completely illogical, but it's the reality we face.  If you don't have a smartphone then you're a nobody.  You are ostracized from modern society.

 

And yes, it is up to Apple if they wish to swim in Scrooge McDuck's coin vault, but in light of what they COULD do if they had any morals... it does baffle me as to why people will willingly keep throwing considerate amounts of money at them, but that's because people are told that the new one will make them happier.  It's a lie bundled with confirmation bias.  If it worked, you wouldn't be queuing up for days to buy the next one.

 

The same could be said of Microsoft if Bill Gates wasn't such an active humanitarian and aid worker who plans to use his obscene wealth to try to make a difference.

[TheMagDude]

Umm...maybe its because my local Canadians are a bunch of nice fellows, but we sure as hell had a lot of fun for the ~30 minutes we were in line. 

Ups.. Sorry i forgot most of my fellow forum members live in canada Sorry!

EDIT: This sound so sarcstic, but it is meant nicley!

Edited September 25, 2014 by TheMagDude