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Apple's (Product) RED Charity Contributions Reach $70 Million

Friday April 4, 2014 10:41 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's (Product) RED contributions towards the fight against AIDS have reached $70 million, according to a Friday tweet from the (RED) Twitter account. That's up $5 million from $65 million in July of 2013, with 100 percent of that total going towards HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.

Apple has collaborated with (RED) since it was created in 2006, first releasing a special edition (RED) iPod nano. Since then, Apple has released a number of (RED) devices, including iPod nanos and shuffles, iPad Smart Covers, iPhone Bumpers, and iPhone 5s cases. With every (RED) product bought, Apple donates a portion of the purchase price to the charity.

productred
Last year, lead Apple designer Jony Ive teamed up with designer Marc Newson to create a range of one-of-a-kind products that were auctioned off by Sotheby's, with proceeds going to (RED). Items included a red Mac Pro and solid gold EarPods, earning nearly $13 million in total.

(Product) RED is affiliated with several other companies in addition to Apple, including Starbucks, Nike, and American Express, raising more than $200 million to date.

[ 90 comments ]


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Aluminum213
69 months ago
Or Apple could just donate $100 million to the charity directly and it wouldn't leave a dent on their accounting books


Nothing impressive when Apple could just donate directly. $70 million TOTAL OVER SEVERAL YEARS is truly laughable from Apple when you see their obscene profits every quarter
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
LordVic
69 months ago

Altruistic but unrealistic. For profit companies exist to increase shareholder value (or owner value if not split into shares) and not for philanthropy. I totally agree that it would be very good and beneficial from a human point of view. But it's not reality and would potentially be bad for business, especially if sales declined or tough times approached.


While I agree, from a corporate standpoint, using your own money to donate to charities is pretty, Anti-capitolistic..

But, when you're a company like Apple, whose raking in Billions in profits a quarter. What would $100 million, once a year really do to the bottom line?

there's a immaterial principle here, if Anything, actually using Apples own money would probably be a great move for their PR and overall sales.

Currently, Apple is NOT known for being the most philanthropic company in the world. Jobs was very often seen as pretty selfish individual who put more behind personal wealth than efforts in charity.

Apple has not yet shaken that image. Add to the fact that hoarding cash, which Apple has been doing for the last few years, with Little changes to dividends or any relation to the stock owners, which overall is not beneficial to the economy,

The LEAST they could do is use some of that extreme amount of hoarded money for some altruistic means, instead of lining the bank accounts of a few dozen people, They might even make some friends out of those on the fence about Apple products

*Damn, my inner socialist is showing
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
Xeyad
69 months ago
If Apple just made a properly RED iPhone 5c, the number would've been much, much, higher!
Rating: 6 Votes
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kmj2318
69 months ago
A bright red 5c would look awesome
Rating: 6 Votes
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nwcs
69 months ago

While any amount is welcome, for a company with more revenue than half the world's countries have in GDP, I would like to see Apple commit to much more than this. How about giving 10% of their revenue to humanitarian charities like counter-trafficking, poverty relief, cancer research and AIDS research? Seiously. Can you imagine the good that could be accomplished?


Altruistic but unrealistic. For profit companies exist to increase shareholder value (or owner value if not split into shares) and not for philanthropy. I totally agree that it would be very good and beneficial from a human point of view. But it's not reality and would potentially be bad for business, especially if sales declined or tough times approached.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
brianvictor7
69 months ago
While any amount is welcome, for a company with more revenue than half the world's countries have in GDP, I would like to see Apple commit to much more than this. How about giving 10% of their revenue to humanitarian charities like counter-trafficking, poverty relief, cancer research and AIDS research? Seiously. Can you imagine the good that could be accomplished?
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Nykwil
69 months ago

Or Apple could just donate $100 million to the charity directly and it wouldn't leave a dent on their accounting books


Nothing impressive when Apple could just donate directly. $70 million TOTAL OVER SEVERAL YEARS is truly laughable from Apple when you see their obscene profits every quarter


They could have easily not donated or participated in anything, it goes both ways. I don't see how 70 million over several years is laughable when that figure could easily be zero. A company is still a company, in fact they don't have to do any of this. 70 million is still something to people who don't even have that kind of money AND to a very human cause. Laughable? Geez.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Thunderhawks
69 months ago

While I agree, from a corporate standpoint, using your own money to donate to charities is pretty, Anti-capitolistic..

But, when you're a company like Apple, whose raking in Billions in profits a quarter. What would $100 million, once a year really do to the bottom line?

there's a immaterial principle here, if Anything, actually using Apples own money would probably be a great move for their PR and overall sales.

Currently, Apple is NOT known for being the most philanthropic company in the world. Jobs was very often seen as pretty selfish individual who put more behind personal wealth than efforts in charity.

Apple has not yet shaken that image. Add to the fact that hoarding cash, which Apple has been doing for the last few years, with Little changes to dividends or any relation to the stock owners, which overall is not beneficial to the economy,

The LEAST they could do is use some of that extreme amount of hoarded money for some altruistic means, instead of lining the bank accounts of a few dozen people, They might even make some friends out of those on the fence about Apple products

*Damn, my inner socialist is showing


Always funny when people want to decide what to do with somebody else's money.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
LordVic
69 months ago

Bla Bla Bla.
How about....I dint know......focuse on new/innovative products???


this is one of the most ridiculously self centred, arrogant and braindead statements issued on Mac Rumours in one of the longest times.


I can get by the ignorant fanboys drooling over their Androids or iPhones.

But to say that a charitable donation for a really good cause is in anyway WORSE for the company, and society and should stop doing it so that they can "innovate more"...

nevermind the logical fallacyt that they're not mutually exclusive... you sir, should probably get away from your computer for a while./
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Chatter
69 months ago

Bla Bla Bla.
How about....I dint know......focuse on new/innovative products???


I know I will get smacked by the mods for this BUT how bloody d--b are you? :eek:

This is money to charity from products that are essentially painted red. This interferes with innovation???
Rating: 4 Votes

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