>> Apple solved this problem before it ever became a problem, but they are attacked because their brand is strong, and the people attacking them lack integrity.

>> Apple solved this problem before it ever became a problem, but they are attacked because their brand is strong, and the people attacking them lack integrity. This seems like hyperbole to me. What I mean is that Apple itself does not make this claim. They are honest about what things are good, and what things need work. Their audits often show problematic stuff; there have been reports of underage workers, workers exposed to toxic chemicals, etc. To Apple's credit, the company has worked to close those gaps. But it's clearly not the case that there have never been any problems at Apple's Foxconn factories, or that they "solved this problem before it ever became a problem." Moreover, I don't think it's fair to take the facts that Apple jobs and longer hours are desirable at Foxconn and extrapolate from them that everything there is ideal. Let's be honest: factory work in China is not exactly the finest working environment ever conceived. There are a lot of really bad things that go on there. The fact that Apple is the best as far as Foxconn jobs are concerned does not by any means indicate that there are no problems whatsoever with the working or living environment. Again, to Apple's credit, they haven't put forward this excuse and commenced to ignore their critics; they've actively and honestly confronted the problems in the working environment in their factories, and tried to fix them, even when they've already exceeded standards set by other factories in the Foxconn group. I think it's really important that we work to avoid whitewashing the difficult conditions at the Foxconn factories. It's really fantastic what Apple's done so far, but that doesn't mean there's nothing more to do. In our rush to speak well of a company that has done some really awesome things, let's not overstate the good they've done, lest we lose sight of why they're doing it.