Feeling Guilty

No, I'm not hanging my head in shame because I've been neglecting my blog (I decided to switch from posting every day to 3 times a week), but because it seems increasingly likely that my beloved iPad was assembled by underpaid, overworked employees who may have been exposed to dust and hazardous chemicals in the process. Workers at Foxconn, a Taiwanese company that produces electronics for Apple and other brands, report that their salaries are less than what they were originally promised unless they work overtime (which is sometimes forced on them), and complain that the long hours and low pay leave them little opportunity to do anything in their off-hours besides commuting (for those not living in Foxconn dormitories), eating, and sleeping. Foxconn, which was in the news last year after a rash of suicides among employees, says that conditions have improved, counselors have been brought in to help the workers, and wages have been raised. However, SACOM ("China, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour"), a non-profit organization devoted to improving conditions for workers, reports that "military-styled management is still in practice" and the work environment still needs lots of improvements.

In its "Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report" (warning: PDF), Apple says that it was "disturbed and deeply saddened to learn that factory workers were taking their own lives at the Shenzhen facility of Foxconn" and it "will continue to work with Foxconn through the implementation of...programs" to better train hotline staff and counselors, maintain employees' mental health, and ensure effectiveness through monitoring. It's sad to hear that a company that's earned a reputation for making technology easy and fun to use could be even indirectly involved in such miserable treatment of workers. Apple's hardware already has a reputation for being expensive (a reputation that Apple justifies with the argument that its systems are more reliable and virus-resistant than competitors', although Apple has lowered its prices somewhat over the last few years to stay competitive). Would consumers pay more for computers and devices like iPhones if it meant better wages and working conditions for the people who assemble them? I'm definitely thrifty, but if I want the coolest new toys, I should be willing to pay enough to provide a decent salary to all the people involved in making them, from the designers who created the awesome interfaces to the folks who box up the final product.

Scents-ing a Setup

I love my iPad, but our relationship is an emotional and intellectual one—not carnal—so watching this video was a little disturbing:



The news anchor who got roped in by the joke stormed off the set, but did so with a sense of humor, which is a nice change.

H/T to CNET

Loving IT

My iPad 2 is here. I think I'm in love. After using it for a few hours, holding one of my iPod touches feels like holding a toy, like switching from an oversized coffee mug to the thimble-sized plastic cups that little girls use at tea parties for their dolls. Still, the iTouches fit easily into a pocket or purse while the iPad has to ride in the zippered pouch on the outside of my laptop/messenger bag, so I won't be getting rid of the iTouches anytime soon.

I knew I'd be using the iPad to read eBooks, and oh my, they look gorgeous. Yeah, I know, the Kindle's "E Ink" is legible even in sunlight and the device has a great battery life, but since I spend as little time outdoors as possible and am rarely far from a power outlet, the ability to read in bed without a clip-on booklight is far more important to me. What I hadn't anticipated is that the iPad with the Smart Cover "rolled" into a triangular shape fits perfectly on the console of my treadmill. I can read while walking, something I could never do easily with "real" books. Hardbacks won't lay flat unless the spine's been cracked, and paperbacks are just too light to lay flat without being weighted down. Most magazines are so big they cover the controls on the treadmill, and the font size is usually too small for me. The iPad fits nicely between the treadmill's elevation and speed controls, though, and the font size (using the Kindle app) can be adjusted up to the point that I could almost read without glasses. I was so happy that I actually bought a book on Amazon.com yesterday (Any Human Heart by William Boyd; so far I'm enjoying it as much as the dramatization that was on Masterpiece Classic last month) after years of downloading just freebies. And if I don't feel like reading, there's the NetFlix app, and a keyboard big enough that I could actually type while walking (at my usual leisurely pace, anyway), and who knows what else.

My productivity at work was nil yesterday after the package showed up, so it's a good thing that the iPad was a gift/bonus from my boss. I can blame him for being distracted!

Passing Out

It's not official until some paperwork gets filled out, but my company's Electronic Health Record (EHR) software passed its certification exam today. I'm tired, but very happy. And my awesome boss is buying me a new iPad 2!