Apple's Chinese Factories: Exclusive

so how does a garage startup become the most valuable company in the world well Apple Computer did it by selling 93 million iPhones last year and 40 million iPads and the only reason they didn't sell more is that they can't make them fast enough but that relentless demand has raised uncomfortable questions about how these precious objects are made and how the people that make them are treated a few weeks ago the company invited me to witness its first-ever third party audit of its biggest Chinese supplier Foxconn for the record our parent company Disney and Apple have strong ties our CEO sits on their board and the Steve Jobs Trust is Disney's largest individual shareholder but I only agreed to report exactly what I saw on this the first look inside the eye factory we arrive at dawn is this the entrance no idea what to expect but eager for a glimpse of the mysterious place that builds the stuff that fills our lives were met by a top Foxconn executive who refuses to confirm that inside all these buildings they're working on top-secret projects for Intel Nintendo Dell and many others but Apple has allowed him to show me how they build the world's most popular objects of desire the jamming time the ones that turned a little garage startup into a company more valuable than Exxon a brand more beloved any other I'm told this is the very first time anywhere order from any country has been allowed to see this we will Don static proof jackets or full bunny suit and take numerous air showers because one speck of dust could ruin an entire line there is one obvious reason for Apple's legendary secrecy over the years if the world sees this line it might change the way people think in this line unlike any other product the launch of a sexy new Apple gadget is a cultural event and that cult following comes in part from a mystique cultivated brilliantly by Steve Jobs it's really extraordinary and I urge you to get your hands on one and see for yourself I'll admit I'm among the millions who bought into the idea that these are not just dependable appliances they're works of art carefully wrapped and pristine boxes lovingly sold and museum-like stores I don't know about you but when I'm enjoying a delicious steak knowing where it came from changes the experience how many steps are there 141 7 but it is time now to think different about Apple because here it is this is where your iPhone was born and these are the people who brought it to life my name is Bill nice to meet you I'm first struck by how young male not 13 unlike some of the horror stories I've heard but 1718 no one looked over 30 I know many came from poor villages out in the countryside with the hope of making $2 an hour but their haircuts prove that teen style lives everywhere I was expecting more automated assembly more robots but the sleep machines that dazzle and inspire and change the lives of people 8 to 80 are mostly made by hand after hand after hand behold the camera module for the iPad look at that tiny and intricate this is and get this with two shifts that can make 300,000 of these in a single day it takes around 5 days and 325 sets of hands to assemble an iPad they tell me and they can turn a raw hunk of aluminum into a sleek design complete with the bitten Apple logo at the rate of 10,000 an hour the end of this process I find 27 year old Xiao yang who carves the aluminum burrs from three thousand apples every ship what are you thinking about while you're working a lot of times I think about how tired I am the mother of two tells me I think about resting a supervisor will give the occasional order in mandarin but on this line the machines do most of the talking while the people work in silence and they will repeat that motion and hear that fembot voice a few thousand times more before lunch their 12-hour shifts are broken up by two hour long meal breaks when they march single-file to a massive canteen and pay around 70 cents for a plate of meat and rice if they eat fast enough then catch a few winks back at their spot on the line the Foxconn executive tells me it's not exhaustion but a Chinese post meal tradition so this is homeless how long have you guys worked here and lived here after 12 hours here many head home to a nearby dorm room they share with seven other workers there is an internet cafe and a soccer field they even offer classes in English and other studies but most are here to work most left their families to work because back home there are a few good jobs

Channel: ABC News

Views: 3,320,253

Keywords: Apple, China, iPod, iPad, Workers, iPhone, Bill Weir, Nightline, ABC, ABCNews, News, US Ipod Touch Apple Inc.

Id: TmLsV9cSk0o

Length: 5min 32sec (332 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 21 2012