Apple

Apple discounts its computer products for students and teachers to broaden access. Accessibility for users with disabilities is a strong area for the company, with product features for users who have impaired hearing, mobility/dexterity or sight. It has a dedicated accessibility website explaining the disability-related features of its products. The company also has an initiative to teach coding to sight- and hearing-impaired students in the United States (US). 

Apple is one of the few digital companies with initiatives dedicated to teaching basic, intermediate and advanced digital skills. Its basic digital skills initiatives include working with US and European non-profit organisations to run a media literacy programme for youth. Intermediate digital skills programmes include partnering with 100cameras to teach digital photography to vulnerable students. In the area of technical digital skills, it works with Dream Corps to teach coding and software development to young adults from low-income backgrounds. One of Apple’s flagship programmes is ConnectED, which provides educational technology to more than 100 schools in mainly low-income neighbourhoods across the United States. 

Apple has best practices that demonstrate its commitment to privacy and security. For example, it has a security incident team and information security certification covering a range of its products and services. The company’s privacy policy is clear: it does not sell personal information, and it provides instructions for how users can obtain a copy of their personal information. Apple shows its commitment to protecting children through several product features that support online safety for children. 

Apple contributes open source code for the developer community, provides data from its Watch product to women’s health research and shares data from its Maps product for mobility analysis during COVID-19. Although the company does not directly engage in venture capital investment, it supports women’s start-ups through the Apple Entrepreneur Camp. Apple also reports on the number of women working in technical roles across the company.  

Apple could further promote digital inclusion by extending its discounted pricing for students to other markets and vulnerable groups. Moreover, the company could disclose additional data on employees with disabilities and other efforts to create an inclusive workplace. While the company reports on its indirect economic impacts, it should be more forthcoming about how it distributes the direct economic value it creates among its stakeholders.  

As a consumer–focused company and relative to its other programmes, Apple could deepen its initiatives in basic digital skills. It provides significant details about its school connectivity programme, including a third–party impact assessment. These metrics could be extended to its other skills initiatives.  

Clearly, Apple has given much thought to user security, privacy and children’s online safety. Areas for improvement include meeting global reporting standards in relation to personal data breaches and disclosing the names of companies with which it shares personal information. Given the company’s commitment to online safety for children, it could play a more prominent role in promoting industry–wide initiatives in this area and bringing more attention to problems such as cyberbullying and screen addiction in children.  

While the company performs well across the innovation dimension, it could enhance its contribution by supporting social and non-profit start-ups. It could also share insightful data it collects for research to advance the global sustainable development goals. Although Apple offers a statement on ethical considerations in product development, it could go further by including reporting on efforts to consider fairness, accountability and transparency in its artificial intelligence research.