Parts of Apple's Genius training manual leaked

Gizmodo today posted portions of Apple's Genius Bar training manual, an internal document meant to train new employees in human interaction. In the pages that have been posted, this includes the words and phrases used to describe something as basic as a frozen machine.

Just don't use "frozen," it turns out. That's a no-no, according to a snippet that was posted. Instead, things like "unexpectedly quits," "does not respond," or "stops responding," would be better picks. Another such section provides instructions on appearing to feel empathy with someone who comes into the store with a broken -- err nonresponsive -- gadget, using language that will make the Genius sound more sincere.

To be sure, there's seemingly nothing controversial in the book, according to Gizmodo's account of the pages that go unseen. The blog only playfully deems it as something that "could easily serve as the Humanity 101 textbook for a robot university."

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In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad

However, the workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems. 

Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records, according to company reports and advocacy groups that, within China, are often considered reliable, independent monitors.

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Is It Ethical to Own an iPhone?

"Recent media reports and ongoing protests over the reportedly abhorrent working conditions at factories where Apple's iPhones are produced have left socially conscious Americans with a dilemma: Is it ethical to own an iPhone? 

For many Americans, even those who support socially responsible manufacturing and business practices, their iPhones and iPads have become must-have devices for both work and personal use. Now they're being forced to ask themselves whether they are willing to ignore strong evidence that their beloved devices are being made by mistreated and underpaid employees."

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The secrets Apple keeps

Undercover meetings! Stealth product developments! The world's most successful company is obsessed with privacy. In his new book, Fortune senior editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky finds out what it's really like to work at Apple and how its secretive behavior pays off.

 http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/18/inside-apple-adam-lashinsky/?iid=SF_F_LN

Apple's Supply Chain

http://mobile.businessweek.com/magazine/apples-supplychain-secret-hoard-lasers-11032011.html

The most popular American companies in China

The primary reason, it is often argued, that China is an important market for many large U.S. companies is that its population has doubled since the early 1960s. But the whole picture is actually more complex than that. China’s real appeal to American corporations is that the huge population growth has been coupled with a sharp expansion of the middle class. As a result, the Chinese market probably will become more important to consumer goods and technology companies in the next few decades than the U.S. is today.

 http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9927101-the-most-popular-american-companies-in-china?ocid=twitter

Tim Cook: "Money is not a motivator for me"

When Apple's proxy filing revealed new CEO Tim Cook's total compensation for 2011 was almost $400 million, many people (at least in our comments) were freaking out.Regardless of how you slice it, Cook will be making a lot of money over the next 10 years.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-lives-in-a-relatively-dumpy-little-house-2012-1#ixzz1jCJHf3Qj