Apple defends Foxconn working conditions

Steve Jobs was interviewed at the All Things Digital conference

Apple has defended working conditions at the Foxconn factory in China that manufactures iPods, iPads and iPhones.

The facility in Longhua in the southern Guangdong province has seen 10 suicides this year, amid allegations that staff are being exploited.

Employees at the factory work 12-hour shifts in silence for little pay, and enjoy virtually no privacy or leisure activities, according to reports submitted by an undercover journalist for the Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly.

It has also been reported that staff sign a voluntary pact to forgo overtime protections in a bid to earn more money.

However, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs reportedly said at the All Things Digital conference in the US that Foxconn "is not a sweatshop".

"They've got restaurants and swimming pools," he added. "For a factory, it's a pretty nice factory."

Jobs pointed out that the number of reported suicides at the plant is actually below the US average, but said that Apple is still investigating the allegations.

Apple confirmed recently that it is "independently evaluating" the steps Foxconn is taking to address the suicides, and will continue its ongoing inspections.

Jobs also spoke about the iPad at the conference, saying that he came up with the idea before the iPhone.