Apple

We’ve heard lots recently from Apple whistleblowers like Ashley Gjovick and Cher Scarlett, and the broader #AppleToo movement. But the conversation tends to focus on the company’s corporate staff. The Verge has a very powerful and distressing report, containing allegations about what it’s like for those who work in places like the Apple Store.

Over the past five months, Apple’s hourly workforce has been watching as corporate employees advocate for more pay transparency. Some have organized with employees in Cupertino under the banner #AppleToo, to call for better working conditions. Others are just now beginning to speak out — realizing that the issues their well-compensated corporate colleagues are experiencing could be greatly exacerbated on the frontlines. The Verge spoke with 16 current and former employees on Apple’s retail, support, and sales teams who say their complaints about working conditions and pay have largely been ignored. Some say they are governed more by algorithms and systems than actual managers, making it difficult to get holistic help. All of them note that while they came into the job believing in Apple’s mission, they see a profound breakdown in how the company’s corporate values translate to the frontlines.

Apple temporarily halted sales in Turkey following a currency crash in the country, MacRumors reported. While the site was functional, customers could not add items to an online basket or check-out. The move occurred on Tuesday, but remained true at the time of this writing.

Right now, Apple’s Turkey storefront is up and operational, but no devices are able to be added to a virtual cart or purchased at this time because of the volatility. A Turkish lira is equivalent to approximately 0.078 U.S. dollars at the current time, and its value has been steadily falling since last week. Over the course of the last year, the Lira has dropped 45 percent vs. the dollar. There is no word on when Apple might resume sales in Turkey, but inflation is close to 20 percent and with Erdogan continuing to refuse to raise interest rates, the downward slide may continue.

Apple is expanding its R&D footprint in Israel, AppleInsider reported. It is taking a lease one significant site in Herzliya Pituach, a city north of Tel Aviv. The company looks to be placing itself at the heart of the booming tech scene in the country (although many startups operate in Tel Aviv).

It’s not clear whether Apple will lease the entire building, but it is taking a reported 44,000 square meters, plus 650 parking spaces. This adds to the existing 31,000 square meters above ground, reports Globes, and 27,000 square meters underground. The original site housed 800 staff who worked for flash memory producer Anobit, and motion sensing company PrimeSense, both of which had been acquired by Apple. The mid-2015 expansion was reportedly intended to give those staff more room, rather than to make space for more employees.