Apple and Foxconn Technology, one of its main manufacturers, will share the initial costs of improving labor conditions at the Chinese factories that assemble iPhones and iPads, reports “Reuters” (http://macte.ch/WfThA). Foxconn chief Terry Gou didn’t give a figure for the costs or how his company and Apple would divvy up the expenses.

“We’ve discovered that this (improving factory conditions) is not a cost. It is a competitive strength,” Gou told reporters on Thursday. “I believe Apple sees this as a competitive strength along with us, and so we will split the initial costs.”