If you are an aficionado of Apple computers, then is this a great time or what? Loyal customers have witnessed the launch of eye-popping consumer and crossover business products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Private and institutional investors in Apple have seen the stock price rise in the past 10 years from US$9 a share to more than $300. Either way, Apple is hot property.
It's a brand we've fallen in love with, personifying artistry and engineering in a magnificent prism of spectral creativity.
Apple rewrote the meaning associated with portable music. Before the iPod, companies focused on performance improvements of their MP3 players by simply adding more gigabytes to the devices.
The companies playing in this category used newer digital audio encoding technologies but the product meaning remained the same - to enable a portable musical experience.
Apple didn't try to compete by offering more gigabytes, it forged a new meaning: the seamless creation of personalised music.
The iTunes store allowed customers to buy music legally. No more Napster hangover. The iTunes software application enabled the simple management of this personalised music. The iPod was then the device that carried the personalised music about.
Fundamentally, it was an entirely new business model that made it simple for customers to buy music, compile it and listen to it. And we all snapped it up.
Apple quickly followed the iPod with the iPhone and more recently the iPad. The company today has great brand equity, a strong cash position and is being egged on by the analyst community to go make some serious acquisitions.
We're so infatuated with Apple we fondly forget that it makes the iPhone 4G for an estimated $6.54 (Dh24) in China, which is about 1.1 per cent of its retail price.
We'd rather pay handsomely through the nose so that Apple retains profit margins above 60 per cent and the analyst community keeps asking for more. I think the word "mug" rather than the image of a fresh fruit comes to mind.
So is there anything that we the customers should really be worried about, since we don't seem concerned about the 98.9 per cent mark up in price?
Well, Apple did fall from fourth to ninth in the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics rankings. Greenpeace said the company did not provide clarity on their use of organo-chlorine and bromine compounds, or the future phasing out of its use of toxic chemicals. But these factors are unlikely to stir many consumers into a boycott.
Is there nothing else? Well, there was the report released by the Hong Kong based non-profit organisation, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) two weeks ago, titled "Workers as Machines: Military Management in Foxconn."
Foxconn Technology Group is the world's leading maker of electronics. It has a workforce of more than 900,000 in China. It is also makes the Apple iPhone and iPad, and is a supplier to Nokia, HP, Dell, Sony, Sony Ericsson and Motorola
The investigative report examined the working conditions at the Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Hangzhou. You may remember these locations as the places where 13 Foxconn workers killed themselves between January and August this year. All of them were between the ages of 17 and 25, and most jumped out of factory windows, with one slitting his wrist.
The report blames profit maximisation for taking away the dignity of the workers and says: "Foxconn is not the only one to be blamed, but it is the most typical factory run by a management methodology that boosts productivity through the degradation of workers into dehumanised machines."
Foxconn's response to the suicides was for its chief executive, Terry Gou Tai Ming, to suggest the workers committed suicide to obtain compensation from the company for their families. Apple is singled out in the report because of the pressure many workers endured when producing the first generation of the iPad, such as this testimony from an engineer at the integrated digital product business group of Foxconn in Shenzhen:
"We produced the first-generation iPad. We were busy throughout a six-month period and had to work on Sundays. We only had a rest day every 13 days. And there was no overtime premium for weekends. Working for 12 hours a day really made me exhausted."
Among the other militaristic tendencies of Foxconn the report details were: workers were disciplined if they spend too much time in the bathroom; "absolute obedience" was required; failure to meet quotas resulted in public humiliation; workers not returning to dormitories by11.30pm had to "volunteer" for janitorial services; and workers were beaten and harassed by the Foxconn security guards.
As to what the report recommends: "SACOM urges concerned organisations, consumers, investors, and the government to join the workers to pressure electronic factories to deliver decent working conditions in the electronics industry."
Apple and its chief executive, Steve Jobs, have declined to comment on this latest SACOM report, though earlier this year Mr Jobs did say: "Apple does one of the best jobs of any company understanding the working conditions of our supply chain." Whatever that means.
Mr Jobs, this is not a good enough answer. As Apple's customers, and those of the other brands mentioned, we should not be blind to these flagrant abuses of workers' rights in the pursuit of profit and personal satisfaction in consumption.
Rehan Khan is a business consultant and writer based in Dubai.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
'Ashkal'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Youssef%20Chebbi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fatma%20Oussaifi%20and%20Mohamed%20Houcine%20Grayaa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The%20Specs%20
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Company%20Profile
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA