Apple picker The Czech translation of the book will be published in a few weeks The cursed empire - Apple after the death of Steve Jobs from journalist Yukari Iwatani Kane, who tries to portray how Apple works after the death of Steve Jobs and how things go downhill for him. Jablíčkář is now available to you in cooperation with the publishing house blue vision offers an exclusive look under the hood of the upcoming book - part of the chapter titled "Revolt".
Readers of Jablíčkář also have a unique opportunity to order a book The cursed empire - Apple after the death of Steve Jobs pre-order for a cheaper price of 360 crowns and get free shipping. You can pre-order on a special page apple.bluevision.cz.
Two days after the iPhone 5 went on sale, there were riots in Taiwan, in northern China.
This incident only highlighted the deep interconnectedness that has become the basis of the global economy. In California, Apple ordered millions of new phones to handle both pre-orders and initial sales. In China, Foxconn received the order and issued instructions to its managers to start the production lines. The plant managers turned to the supervisors in charge of the production lines and told them to put more pressure on their subordinates. The pressure, which was already incredible, suddenly increased even more. And the workers, who had had enough, rebelled. Until now, only a few of them were looking for a way out by jumping from buildings. But now they were inside the Foxconn plant, venting their anger.
Detachments of workers - some estimates numbered as many as two thousand people - tore gates off their hinges, smashed windows and destroyed cars. Riot police were sent to quell the riots. Dozens of people ended up in hospitals. Production stopped for the day.
Sitting in their offices in Cupertino, Apple executives had no idea that their latest order would push the supply chain past a tipping point. All they knew was that the iPhone had a new design for the first time in two years, that their target customer group was growing, and that, according to their forecasts, the phone would break all sales records. They could not see into the hearts and minds of the hundreds of thousands of young men and women on the other side of the planet toiling to fulfill these predictions. All they had were their numbers staring back at them, clean and tidy, from their notebooks.
Foxconn officials blamed the unrest on a personal dispute that got out of hand. But the workers blamed the conflict on plant security, which brutally beat a man in a minibus. It is said that the dispute started already in the dormitory. When other workers from the same province found out what had happened, they became enraged. In an environment that resembled an overheated cauldron, it was the last spark. Many workers joined the riots. The two hundred or so security guards on duty soon found themselves outnumbered.
"The security here rules gangster-style," one of the workers told a reporter outside the company premises. “We're not against following the rules, but you have to tell us why. They do not explain anything and we feel that it is impossible to communicate with them."
As a result, security teams with helmets and Plexiglas shields patrolled the premises. As the plant returned to production, a loop of the recording blared from the speakers. The workers in it were asked to observe order. The guards at the entrance were on high alert. The slightest disturbance of order was quickly suppressed. The security guard reprimanded the workers who were talking too loudly while waiting before entering the plant. They also screamed when they saw the workers talking to the reporters.
"Stop talking!"
"Add!"
Before Apple and Foxconn could recover from this bad news, another incident occurred. This time it was Foxconn's factories specializing in iPhone 5 in Zhengzhou in the northern part of central China. Workers and quality control inspectors went on strike against what they saw as too high production standards and insufficient training.
Apple has always had high quality standards, but the production of this latest model was extremely demanding. The reason was the design. The backs of the previous two models – the iPhone 4 and 4S – were glass with a stainless steel frame. But this time, both the back panel and the edge were made from the same aluminum used by laptops. Designers liked this material because it looked neat and was significantly lighter than glass and steel. The problem was that aluminum is soft and often left scratches and scuffs.
Foxconn was expected to somehow manage this problem. The near-impossible task was passed from managers to quality control inspectors and then to line workers. In order to keep production lines running, many workers were asked to give up Golden Week, a seven-day holiday that begins with the PRC's Founding Day. The pressure peaked in early October.
The details of what happened next in Zhengzhou are unclear. Apple has instructed Foxconn to raise its quality control standards, according to China Labor Watch, a New York-based advocacy group that first reported the strike. This happened after Apple received complaints from clients about scratches on the iPhone. When the inspectors began to carefully inspect the production lines and began returning products, a few workers resisted and beat some of them. Disillusioned and angry, the inspectors went on strike.
Does anyone know a more accurate release date than "in a few weeks" please? I would like to at least know approximately when to expect the book to arrive.