Late Sunday, an earthquake with magnitude 4.8 occurred in the city of Ya’an, China in the Sichuan province, causing over 189 deaths and over 11,000 injuries. Almost instantly, rescue teams began searching for survivors and money began flowing in through different channels to help the victims of the terrible quake.

Big corporations such as Apple didn’t stand by either, donating money within 15 hours of the earthquake striking the region. Apple has pledged $8 million to help in the recovery efforts, showing that at times help is something that can be used from anyone, not just the government and aid organizations.

China has been a major source of revenue for Apple, and the company has benefited greatly from the country. Some would consider it insensitive for the company not to help, especially since the Cupertino company has given aid to many other disasters including the tsunami in Japan in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in the U.S just last year.

Apple updated their website in China to show their support for the victims although the company also released a separate press release to note the dollar amount they would be donating. The full statement, which has been translated to English reads as follows:

In this difficult time, our hearts are with the victims of the Sichuan earthquake closely linked in addition to the form of cash donations to help the affected people to tide over their difficulties, we are also committed to the new Apple device as part of the disaster area schools, Apple employees at any time in the local stand-by to help.

Apple has been getting bad press in China recently, with a series of claimed “double standards in customer service and returns policies”. It is a no-brainer for Apple to try and fix this issue and try to regain the support of the people of China, and this is a great first step that shows that the company does care about its customers and their concerns.

{Via AppleInsider}

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