Wesley Hilliard
Apple hasn't forgotten its employees in China isolated because of the coronavirus, and is sending them care packages containing food, medical supplies, and an iPad.
The care packages contain some snacks, face masks and even a new 10.2-inch iPad. Also enclosed with the items is a letter from Apple, to the employee.
Dear Colleagues in Hubei and Wenzhou,
We hope this note finds you heathy and well. Since the last communication with you, we understand that you are all staying strong in this challenging time. We understand the difficulties you are facing and would like to provide our best support to you and your families. Hubei and the city of Wuhan have been hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, which has now claimed 2,835 lives in China.
We are sending our best wishes to you, on behalf of the entire Apple Team, together with another CareKit for you and your families. In the kit, you will find comfort items and an iPad which can be used to facilitate children's online learning or help pass the time during the prolonged stay at home.
In addition, a series of counselling and consultation services have been prepared especially for you to help you through this time.
A post containing the letter and package contents on Chinese social network Weibo was discovered by MacRumors on Saturday morning.
The 2019 coronavirus continues to sweep the globe. New cases appear everyday throughout the world, and the virus continues to be a severe issue in China. AppleInsider has covered the outbreak and its potential damage to Apple and its supply chain since January. As we near new product announcements and another iPhone product cycle, the lack of fully operational facilities in China may have put Apple behind production schedule.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is optimistic about the state of things, and that China is getting the virus under control.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
15 Comments
Damn, that’s mighty generous, Nice job Tim!
Kindness is such a nice thing these days .... ! Well done, Tim!
I'd want an EVAC but seriously, 'we're thinking of you' goes a hellava long way.
Good job apple.
Given that many of these workers send most of their income to support their families in other parts of the country, the iPad is in particular a very generous gift -- more than a typical Chinese Foxconn worker makes, which is (given the legal max of 36 hours of overtime, which is 1.5x salary) around US$500 a month (varies by factory, job level, and many other things, but I'm trying to be conservative) -- and remember they get free housing, healthcare, vocational training, at least 11 holidays a year, and a certain amount of paid time off as well.
All together, I would generally say that while a Chinese Foxconn worker puts in more hours total than a US minimum-wage worker, their take home pay is probably quite similar. So, broadly speaking, that iPad is worth a month's salary.