Apple Grants ABC's 'Nightline' Access to Foxconn Factories in China - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Grants ABC's 'Nightline' Access to Foxconn Factories in China

Nightline title card 2005ABCNews reports that Apple has given Nightline anchor Bill Weir exclusive access to their suppliers' factories in China.

"For years, Apple and Foxconn have been synonymous with monster profits and total secrecy so it was fascinating to wander the iphone and iPod production lines, meet the people who build them and see how they live. Our cameras were rolling when thousands of hopeful applicants rushed the Foxconn gates and I spoke with dozens of line workers and a top executive about everything from hours and pay to the controversies over suicides at the plant and the infamous "jumper nets" that line the factories in Shenzhen. After this trip, I'll never see an Apple product the same way again" said Weir

This special edition of "Nightline" will air Tuesday, February 21st at 11:35pm ET on ABC.

Apple and Foxconn have been under fire due to working conditions in the factories that manufacture iPads and iPhones. Apple has also allowed the Fair Labor Association to start auditing their factories. FLA has reportedly uncovered "tons of issues" that will need addressing. A full report is to be coming in the next few weeks.

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...

Top Rated Comments

192 months ago
I'll never see an Apple product the same way again" said Weir

Because only Apple stuff is made in China right? :roll eyes:

Gimme a break.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sweetbrat Avatar
192 months ago
Pays well above local average doesn't mean **** if you're stuck living in conditions that are, arguably, more overpopulated than sardines in a can.

And yet thousands of people line up whenever they're hiring. Because they can't make wages like that anywhere else in their country.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
192 months ago
This is a brilliant move by Apple if they can expose Foxconn for what it is.

A large Taiwanese owned employer that pays well above the average local wage, houses, feeds, clothes and educates their staff?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
192 months ago
I wonder if Apple is hoping ABC will shed light on HP and other manufactures who use Foxconn.

It isn't just Apple, yet every article seems to slate Apple to bits over it. This might show it is an industry wide problem and Apple isn't alone.


Apple "grants" access to the facilities of an independent company. That phrase alone calls for extreme cynicism: I wonder if this was a similar setup like the Red Cross visits to certain Ghettos in the late 1930s in certain Easter European regions. The Red Cross wanted to be fooled and only got to see what they wanted to see: Happy faces on a nicely prepared stage. Nothing was real, but nobody cared.

But maybe there are still some journalists with the necessary ethics left in this world who are willing to look beyond the stage and report the inconvenient truth that they find.
The whole Foxconn thing has been so publicly reported, and in comparison to your mention of the Red Cross visit to the Ghettos in the 1930s, is in a different world from then due to the internet. I think if ABC gave a biased report, the truth would come out via the internet anyway, and ABC would look bad. I'm sure ABC will be very in-depth and not take a blind eye to anything.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
192 months ago
Now we know how Apple treats bad press (New York Times) how can anybody believe this Bill Weir guy.
Like Poetin, Berlusconi etc. Apple want's to control the media. It's like a bad James Bond movie.

The New York Times article specifically pointed out the iPad and Apple, making the average Joe think Apple is the sole company using Foxconn and the cause of bad worker conditions.

It is an industry problem, and while Apple is part of that, it is bad journalism to just point the finger at one company when other companies are in the same situation.

And if you're referring to how Apple treated the New York Times in regard to the preview of Mountain Lion, their reporter said he had had it for a week, so Apple did not shunt out The New York Times like originally thought.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
192 months ago
As a matter of fact I'm fairly certain working conditions in lesser factories with less attention are likely worse.

Exactly.

Foxconn is a dream employer for many 100s of 1000s of mainland Chinese and Brazilians who have been lifted out of rural poverty.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
52 minutes ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
2 hours ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
3 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
4 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
4 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
4 hours ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
4 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
5 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
5 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
5 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
5 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
5 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
5 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
6 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
6 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
6 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
7 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
7 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
8 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
9 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
9 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
9 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
9 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
10 hours ago
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
10 hours ago
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
11 hours ago