"We care about every worker in our global supply chain," Apple said in a statement. "We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes for all Apple products. Suppliers must meet these requirements if they want to continue doing business with Apple." In the first three months of 2011 alone, Apple sold 37 million iPhones, iPods and iPads 15.4 million 15.4 million and 5.2 million Mac computers, according to the company's financial report. That gave Apple revenue of $46.3 billion and a profit of $13.1 billion, which doubled Apple's take in the same period the previous year. Workers at Foxconn and other plants in China and Asia must be kept busy keeping up with what seems to be the world's insatiable demand for Apple products. Foxconn, owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry, counts among its commercial clients Apple as well as amazon.com, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and other technology giants. Apple has reported violations at its facilities, Foxconn has been beset by a series of worker suicides since 2010 and conditions, workers-rights groups say, are inhumane. Apple employs more than 60,000 people, most of whom work in retail stores. For building whole units and assembling products, Apple has a long list of partners. This is partly to avoid dependence on any one manufacturer and get good deals by pitting companies against each other for each component. The parts themselves come from more than 150 companies around the world. Most of those antennas, glass, metal, sensors and silicon are made overseas these days. How Apple finds parts and production for its products is almost entirely off the standard playbook in the tech industry. Electronics companies say Asian factories are cheaper and more flexible than anywhere else in the world. "They'd rather go a mile deep with a supplier instead of splitting business between five," Dinges said. "You take care of your biggest customer first." Take a look inside an Apple supplier's China factory [Small city stock market engaged in enterprise website construction, website optimization, website promotion, overall marketing planning and implementation of enterprise e-commerce, have a famous team in SEO industry, rich practical experience and higher technical strength, providing you with website SEO optimization service, "marketing and conversion rate" as the goal, let customers see intuitive results. Business QQ consultation: 466401604 ,8838478 contact information: 13422475786 ] Adopted, for example. Apple store sells for $199, if customers sign a two-year cell contract. But in tech, Apple and Verizon Wireless pay more for the phones, selling them at a lower price, a process called subsidy. To get so-called "unlocked" or no-contract, expect to pay at least $649 for an iPhone. On the back of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and on the bottom of the laptops, an inscription reads: "Designed in California. Assembled in China." Apple gives credit to its suppliers for promoting, but Apple is a shrewd negotiator, from how it develops how to lease or establish its sales in retail stores. It is said this forces Apple's partners to push workers to cut corners to squeeze profits. However, Apple tries to minimize some companies with which it signs contracts, Dinges said. Thus, Apple has more influence because it is the biggest-spending customer, he said. The cost of parts and manufacturing used for Apple's iPhone 4 is estimated at $196, according to the industry research firm IHS iSuppli. That's $453 less than what Apple charges for the phone without a contract. Marketing and research can add up, but either way you put it, Apple makes a considerable profit on each phone sale, making analyst Tom Dinges say. Where does all the profit come from? But as the world's most valuable tech company, Apple is seen by many as a role model for its business model. And its reliance on cheap labor, especially at overseas factories in China run by the manufacturer Foxconn, has come under increasing scrutiny recently due to media reports by CNN, The New York Times and other outlets. Apple told CNN in a statement that its expectations for suppliers to operate responsibly increase year by year. Apple said it conducted 229 audits of suppliers last year and posts its findings publicly online. In its supplier responsibility report, Apple says that 156 companies account for 97% of the money spent on materials, manufacturing and assembling the coveted products. When the client is a powerhouse like Apple, winning one of those 156 contracts is a big deal. In Wall Street parlance, it moves stocks. Related theme articles: Search Engine Optimization. Quality faithful SEO consultant site promotion Local search - claim your small business listing Search engine optimization, online marketing, website promotion WordPress for small business websites WordPress for small business websites