Busy as ever with the success of the iPhone 4 launch, Steve Jobs always takes the time to answer his customers’ questions. This time around, we’ve got a couple M&Ms on the plate. Minerals and multitasking to be specific.
Derick Rhodes, a reader of Wired, wrote in to ask Steve, “Are you currently making any effort to source conflict-free minerals? In particular, I’m concerned that Apple is getting tantalum, tungsten, tin, and gold from Eastern Congo through its suppliers.” In the seriousness of the moment, Jobs cooly replied, “Yes. We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict few materials. But honestly there is no way for them to be sure. Until someone invents a way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, it’s a very difficult problem.”
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