by Katie Mercogliano ‘14

It’s hard to deny that Apple has taken over the world over the past decade. Everywhere I go I see people browsing the hundreds of thousands of apps on their highly recognizable shiny, rectangular screens. But at what price are we willing to pay for the high-tech device? Last week, The New York Times published an article exposing terribly harsh working conditions in factories producing Apple products. According to the article, two years ago 137 workers at an Apple supplier in eastern China were injured after they were ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean iPhone screens. In addition, two explosions at iPad factories have killed four people and injured 77 within seven months last year. Before those blasts, Apple had been alerted to hazardous environments inside the plant. Although these are alarming statistics, as an iPhone fanatic I’m certainly not giving up mine, and I’m sure the feeling is shared by several others. Still, Apple shouldn’t take its customers’ attitude for granted and before the company starts manufacturing its newest device, Apple should re-evaluate the risks of cheap labor.