Apple Knows Their Audience

I was browsing CNN's website today, and I came upon a story titled "Apple 'Determined' to Improve Conditions at Plants in China." Feel free to check it out before reading any further, but I'll summarize it for you, in case you're pressed for time. Basically, the Fair Labor Association has been very closely monitoring the conditions at Apple's factory plants in China, and these plant condition audits are some of the most detailed in mass manufacturing history. Workers' rights abuses at these Chinese plants have gotten a lot of headline attention recently, and Apple's CEO made a public statement saying that the company is determined to improve the conditions for workers at all of their factories. Improving conditions includes limiting work hours to 60 hours per week and not hiring underage workers, according to the CNN article.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/iphone-halo-
launches-apple-into-stratosphere-20120215-1t546.html
Apple's CEO, Tim Cook

This article struck me as very interestingly rhetorically. Apple pretty much rules the technology world. They're known for exquisitely designed and manufactured electronics, with sleek appearances and even sleeker operating systems. Many people might think Apple could get away with employing inhumane labor practices, but a deeper look into this rhetorical situation proves this assumption isn't true.

Apple knows who its consumers are: affluent, upper-middle class people, who can afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a phone, and thousands of dollars on a computer. Wealthy  people are statistically more likely to keep up with news, and be interested in where the products they use come from. (I learned this in my political science class last year.)

This demonstrates the importance of being familiar with one's audience in rhetorical situations, and being mindful of what the audience may or may not already know about the subject. Underestimating your audience's knowledge can be detrimental. See, if Apple's audience didn't keep up so well on their news, and where their iPhones came from, the company could probably get away with using factories who don't meet fair labor standards. But Apple's consumers do pay attention, so Apple must also. If the company ignores the headlines about inhumane labor practices, they risk losing their shiny image in the media, and possibly even losing customers, who want products made with human rights in mind.