"I would tell you that no one in our industry is doing more to improve working conditions than Apple. We are constantly audition facilities, going deep into the supply chain, looking for problems, finding problems, and fixing problems. And we report everything, because we believe that transparency is so very important in this area."
What more can he really say, given the facts revealed by a recent New York Times report criticizing Apple supplier Foxconn for its "appalling" working conditions in factories overseas, including death from explosions and maiming.
After that news broke, Apple-lovers across the nation felt betrayed by the company they considered forward-thinking and progressive -- on all fronts. Feeling let down by Apple, more than 200,000 people signed petitions calling for the company to make changes -- now.
And they are, according to Cook. So for those of you who are still contemplating boycotting Apple's products, Cook is vowing to prove the company is cleaning up its act, starting with releasing monthly reports on working conditions. "We know that people have a very high expectation of Apple. We have an even higher expectation of ourselves. Our customers expect us to lead and we will continue to do so."
We'll see about that.
Follow us on Twitter at @SFWeekly and @TheSnitchSF
