Protests Head for Apple Stores Today

Consumers are planning to flock to one of a half-dozen Apple stores around the globe today—and not to wait in line for the latest gadget. Protests are set to hit "marquee locations" in Washington, DC; New York City, San Francisco, London, Sydney, and Bangalore. The gripe? The way Apple's foreign suppliers—particularly frequently-in-the-press Foxconn—treat their workers. CNN explains that the protests were born from two online petitions, one at Change.org (just shy of 200,000 signatures) and one at SumOfUs.org (about 57,000).

While those numbers are sizable, the gathered masses will be significantly smaller: A Change.org organizer expects about 40 people to show at Apple's Grand Central Terminal store, where they will deliver hard copies of the petitions at 10am ET. Among the groups' demands: an "ethical iPhone," the creation of a "worker protection strategy," and the revelation of any findings made by the independent watchdog Fair Labor Association. A Change.org rep tells the Washington Post that the protests were never intended to be massive: The point, she says, is just to make sure Apple is aware of its customers' concerns. (Click to read details from Apple's own reports on suppliers' awful working conditions.)