The untimely death of Steve Jobs yesterday sparked a worldwide bereavement to take place. The innovations he conceptualized and made a reality undoubtedly have revolutionized, and will continue to transform, our modern world forever. A radical of his time, Steve Jobs over the past 30 years has brought Apple Inc. to the forefront of consumer electronics and personal computers. The positive influence he has had upon our world is certainly indescribable.
But oddly enough, Steve Jobs’ death has also sparked a peculiar sadness in China. The majority of Chinese citizens, including nearly a million employees working for the Apple supply chain, cannot even afford to purchase the new iPhone. Over the years, Apple’s Chinese supply chain has been subject to much criticism. Their factories have greatly lacked transparency regarding labor conditions and their negative environmental impact. Li Qiang, the Executive Director at China Labor Watch, expressed his opinion on the matter. “Although [Steve Jobs] is without a doubt an unparalleled talent of our time, my biggest regret is that he left behind a supply chain that still lacks an effective supervising system that would allow for its factories to improve labor conditions,” he said.
China Labor Watch had attempted to correspond with Steve Jobs and Apple numerous times but had never received any sort of response.