Chante JVR

Apple is taking everyone for a fool aka why I don’t support apple.

Let’s set aside my love-mostly hate relationship with Steve Jobs and focus on the company itself. Apple is an American multinational technology company that happens to be the world’s largest tech company to date. It was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Mike Markkula in April 1976, ironically on April Fool’s Day. Year after year, the company has been taking its consumers for a fool.

In my opinion, the only reason Apple succeeds the way it does is because it has an amazing marketing team. People want Apple not because of its specs or ease of convenience, but because it’s trendy and popular. It just goes to show that if you market something ridiculously well, everyone will buy it. Year after year, it has become progressively harder to be an Apple user, but their users don’t care because “it takes nice photos.” Apple no longer provides you with the bare minimum needed to operate their devices and then charges you additionally to obtain the parts you need. They force system updates onto you which take up space on your device and then charge you for additional space. Eventually, if you’ve had the device long enough and haven’t forked out the cash to get a new one, your device will become so unusable you are literally forced to upgrade.

Now, let’s look at my biggest reason for not supporting Apple: the moral aspect. Apple is another one of the companies that use child labour in their factories. So much so that they have been forced to send some of their workers to school and pay for their entire education. At least three children, with some sources claiming a maximum of 74 children, under the age of 16 were found in their factories, and some were even as young as 14. Their factories have poor working conditions and worker abuse. In 2018, it was discovered that schoolchildren were making Apple watches under the guise of “internships”. To this day, there are still Apple suppliers who are keeping up this practice of “internships”.

Yes, you could make the argument that maybe Apple didn’t know, but once they found out, it still took them almost three years to fully distance themselves from that specific company. It’s not enough, and it’s not okay.

I know this post probably won’t win me many fans, but whether you’re a seasonal Apple user or thinking about switching over to Apple, it’s important to acknowledge the reality that this is a company that takes advantage of its consumers and uses questionable manufacturing practices. As consumers, it’s important to be aware of these issues and consider the impact of our purchases. There are plenty of alternative options out there that are more affordable, have better specs, and prioritize ethical production. Let’s not be fooled by Apple’s marketing tactics and hold them accountable for their actions.