A spate of suicides at Foxconn factories in 2010 garnered media coverage of allegedly harsh working conditions, including unsafe facilities and illegal amounts of overtime.

In January 2012, Apple joined the independent labor-rights organization Fair Labor Association (FLA), which promptly began inspections of the working conditions at Foxconn's many factories.

FLA released an assessment in March that documented dozens of major labor-rights violations, including excessive overtime, unpaid wages and salaries that aren't enough to cover basic living expenses. The FLA's report said Foxconn agreed to work with the group on improvements, including enacting "full legal compliance" with Chinese work-hour laws by July 2013.

Last month, a large-scale incident involving 2,000 workers forced the temporary closure of Foxconn's Taiyuan factory. One worker at the scene termed the situation a riot, and it led to the hospitalization of about 40 people.