Like the Walkman before it, the iPod is a product of global capitalism and the exploitation of predominantly female labor in poor Asian countries for the profit of transnational corporations.3 The narratives of technological innovations consist of triumphant stories of individual exceptionalism, in which corporate executives are lauded for their leadership and vision. But these narratives hide a sexual division of labor, as Miriam Glucksmann has argued. They privilege the work of the “father” of technology while hiding the equally necessary labor of the women assemblers in factories.
3From Apple Computer's 2005 Annual 10-K Stockholder Disclosure Report: "Final assembly of products sold by the Company is currently performed in the Company s manufacturing facility in Cork, Ireland, and by external vendors in Fremont, California, Fullerton, California, Taiwan, Korea, the People s Republic of China, and the Czech Republic. Currently, manufacturing of many of the components used in the Company s products is performed by third-party vendors in Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. Final assembly of substantially all of the Company s portable products including PowerBooks, iBooks, and iPods is performed by third-party vendors in China. If for any reason manufacturing or logistics in any of these locations is disrupted by regional economic, business, labor, environmental, public health, or political issues, as well as information technology system failures or military actions, the Company s results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected" (49).