Ugh

"Alex B" (alexb420)
06/16/2014 at 14:49 • Filed to: None

I have a friend who is a major apple hater. I will not have anything else then apple. Anyway, today he say that Apple and Foxconn is 21st century slavery. Sure there working conditions aren't up to US standards, but it's a far cry from slavery.

Written from my iPad.

DISCUSSION (34)

For Sweden > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:51

I will not have anything else then FWD.
I will not have anything else then PRNDL.

macanamera > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:51

You should buy him a wamburger and some french cries.

Jedidiah > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:52

Linux is freedom.

For Sweden > macanamera
06/16/2014 at 14:53

The French cries are scheduled for Friday

yamahog > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:54

Android user myself, but Apple/Foxconn are far from the only sources of human rights violations in China.

oldestyoungn > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:54

Kinja'd!!!

It'll always work (image). I personally prefer Android and Windows instead of Apple stuff, but I see the attraction in it. Until I got a Windows laptop or Galaxy S4 I just was Apple all the way since it's all I'd had. Still... my parents iPad is pretty smooth.

Pessimippopotamus > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:55

Kinja'd!!!

So I'm guessing he doesn't use any piece of modern electronics then, since like 99% of electronics are built in China to some extent?

I hate Apple for other reasons, but not that particular one. Every major electronics company (and every major company) is guilty when it comes to outsourcing labor to places with questionable labor regulations to save money.

Roberto G. > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:55

Not so far from truth, son. At least, in Redmond they didn't have to rise some high fences on the roof, to prevent their workers from jumping to death...

Written from my Windows XPProSp3 PC.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 14:58

Apples remind me a lot of BMWs. You're paying for the name.

Sure, they look nice on the surface, but once you get down to it, there's nothing it does that a cheaper competitor can't do.

I've been around both Apples and Windows devices, mostly computers, and I can say that my $750 17" Dell laptop does just as much and more than the $1,000 MacBook Air 13" my school gives to students.

This is going to be one of those subjects where there's always going to be sides though.

lone_liberal > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:00

Anybody who swears allegiance to a huge multinational corporation and refuses to buy anything but their products, be it Apple, Google, BMW, Honda or whatever, cheats themselves. Being open minded and buying the best product at the best price is the only way to go.

mcseanerson > Roberto G.
06/16/2014 at 15:01

Microsoft, traditionally speaking at least, is not a hardware manufacturer. I imagine the conditions in Silicon Valley are similar to Richmond.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:02

If you fix them for a living, you'll understand why Apple products aren't worth the hype, I've fixed them for about 6 months, and nothing is special about them.

I'm the type of guy that doesn't care for the trendiness of Apple products, but I understand why people want them.

Roberto G. > mcseanerson
06/16/2014 at 15:04

That was a paradox, since I do not know which Chinese factory is working for MS. True is that so far it didn't make the news, due to its slavery labor conditions and some poor suicidal worker.

crowmolly > Jedidiah
06/16/2014 at 15:06

Yeah, why do you think Apple took it for their own after OS 9? I remember OS9 and devices that used it. Not nearly as good as now post-UNIX. They had no good homebrew OS.

Back then you had iBooks with keys constantly falling off and HD's failing DAILY. There was a dumpster outside my Comp Sci building filled with 9-12 month old cast-offs from the social sciences departments that were forced to buy them.

Nowadays Apple has great products and everybody fawns over their stuff, in most cases like they should. But back then, forget about it.

yamahog > lone_liberal
06/16/2014 at 15:11

I keep telling the hetero and homosexuals the same thing, but no one listens!

Alex B > Jedidiah
06/16/2014 at 15:11

Yes, I like linux too. I have a ubuntu computer as well as a Mac mini.

Alex B > Pessimippopotamus
06/16/2014 at 15:12

He has an old LG feature phone thing. He's just blind to the other companies because he wants to make them look right.

Alex B > oldestyoungn
06/16/2014 at 15:13

funnily enough, I used to be a windows and android person, but I saw the light and switched.

Alex B > yamahog
06/16/2014 at 15:14

this.

Alex B > lone_liberal
06/16/2014 at 15:14

I've used windows and android, that's the fact that made me switch. Although, linux and ubuntu is pretty good.

tromoly > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:16

The only real reason I don't use any Apple products (aside from an iPod 5.5gen, it just works) is that for what I need a computer for (CAD, FEA, CFD, racing simulators) and what I need a phone for (actually used as a phone, FTP server, managing my seedbox), the Apple products don't quite fit what I need. They aren't bad, I've used them in the past at friends' houses, but they just aren't for me.

Alex B > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
06/16/2014 at 15:18

Yeah, to each his own.

Jedidiah > crowmolly
06/16/2014 at 15:19

Apple has some nice hardware and peripherals nowadays. They have definitely improved. I like the aluminum cases and high-res screens. Not all of it is great, I heard some things about them soldering memory, which is just stupid.

I'm just not a fan of their closed-source and idiot-friendly software. I also don't think its right that they adopted so much of the FreeBSD code in a corporate system. I like being in charge of what processes are running on my machine and could care less about the convenience factor given the extra security and end-user control that other systems offer.

Alex B > tromoly
06/16/2014 at 15:19

Exactly! For gaming. Each has its own strengths.

lone_liberal > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:20

The thing is that they don't stay static. They change with every iteration so saying flat out that one is better than the other might be true at that moment but if you tie yourself to them mentally then you might be tying yourself to an inferior product in the future. I'm an IT guy and buy computers and phones all of the time. For some jobs I buy Macs, for some I buy Windows. It's all about the correct tool for the job. Me personally, I have an iPad and an Android phone because I like what each offers in their particular niche.

Alex B > lone_liberal
06/16/2014 at 15:21

This is true.

Jedidiah > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:22

I've been using Kubuntu recently. The KDE desktop environment is a bit more resource heavy, but I really like all the customization options it offers.

CobraJoe > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:42

There was some TED talks about the factories in China that make the iphone and other electronics and gadgets we use. The way I understood it was that there is a bit of tough work going on, 12 hour shifts and living in dorms, but the people who work there are glad for the opportunity. The story of one of the girls was that she was from a poor rural area, worked there for some time (I don't remember how long), left, got married, had kids, and is living a pretty good life in a city now. She was even considering leaving the family and going back to work to pay for their kid's educations.

Sure, it didn't sound like they were living the high life at the factories, but it sounded more like a good opportunity for those who don't want to live on the bottom instead of punishing them.

As for the Apple vs Android debate, I can't stand the limitations of Apple products, I want something big and powerful and customizable and unique (I have a Note II), but I really wish Samsung's build quality was on par with Apple.

Pessimippopotamus > Roberto G.
06/16/2014 at 15:42

Xbox 360s were produced at Foxconn at one point. And yes, there was labor issues with it too.

Pessimippopotamus > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:44

"Saw the light" eh? That makes it sound like the only way for a person to not be an Apple hater is to be an Apple fanboy.

RazoE > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:48

I've always hated Apple products, even when I was in elementary school in the early 90's and had to use the computer labs. Just something about them always put me off.

Meatcoma > Alex B
06/16/2014 at 15:53

DON'T DRINK THE KOOLAID!

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
06/16/2014 at 17:33

I'm an apple guy, but I don't like them because their trendy. I like them because I know with apple I'm guarranteed quality and on an Intel Mac I can run Mac OSX or Linux or Windows

E92M3 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
06/16/2014 at 17:40

Don't you bring BMW into this. If a japanese manufacturer can make a car as good as the M3 for less money I'll be the first to buy it!