Apple is working on a cheaper iPhone, confirms China Labour Watch report

That Apple is working on a cheaper version of the iPhone has been pretty much confirmed thanks to the latest report by China Labour Watch group. The group has reported that one of Apple’s China-based suppliers Pegatron is violating labour laws and that its workers are over-worked and underpaid. The report also states that underage workers are also widely prevalent at the factory and that many of them were not aware that their rights were being violated. As far as the plastic iPhones are concerned, the China Labour Watch report reads, At this moment, in Shanghai, China, workers in Apple’s supplier factory Pegatron are monotonously working long overtime hours to turn out a scaled-back, less expensive version of the iPhone.  [caption id=“attachment_995043” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The back of iPhone is seen in this file photo. AP[/caption] But of course Apple’s version of the less expensive doesn’t always match up. The iPad mini for instance still costs $329 for the 16 GB WiFi only model. The Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 are around $100 cheaper. The report also goes on to say, about Pegatron, Its assembled products include iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and low-priced plastic iPhones. Some of Pegatron’s major equipment, such as micro-computer and detection hosts, is provided by Apple. It even quotes from a worker at the factory who talks about pasting protective films on the iPhones plastic back cover. Today’s work is to paste protective film on the iPhone’s plastic back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market by Apple.  According to the TheVerge, The report was gathered between March and July of this year so it seems like Apple’s suppliers are definitely getting ready for a launch in the near future.  However the phone could be launched much later and not with the next version of the iPhone. It needs to be noted that the report is quite critical of Apple and Petragron. For instance, it states, So what is the competitive advantage that Pegatron has utilized to win Apple’s order of the cheap iPhone? Extensive labor violations and suppressed wages that cheat workers of a living wage, a healthy working environment, and a voice. As Apple launches its cheaper iPhones, it continues to profit while cheapening the value of the workers in its supply chain.  Bloomberg reports that Apple has said that it will investigate the claims of the China Labor Watch. Pegatron’s factories in China now employ more than 70,000 workers after it stepped up production of Apple’s products as part of the US technology giant’s plans to diversify its contract manufacturing partners.