Once inside, Nightline found most of the workers no older than 18, from far-off villages, and labouring more than 12 hours a day.
According to the US news channel, it takes 365 pairs of hands, five days and 141 steps to assemble an iPad and many workers never get to see the finished product.
One woman’s job was to tidy up the Apple logo on the back of the iPad – but she had no idea what the
device looked like.
Watch video above to see her first glimpse of the finished tablet
Foxconn workers earn $1.78 an hour and pay $17.50 a month to live in seven person dorms.
Many employees shared the same complaints about their lives at Foxconn factory – the pay is too low, the food too expensive and they were often exhausted.
One woman told the show she spent most of her time at work thinking about how tired she was: “I think about resting,” she said.
Not-for-profit work watchdog, the Fair Labour Association (FLA), is conducting an independent audit into working conditions at the plant. The results are expected next month.
FLA’s President recently attracted criticism for saying Apple workers were better off compared to other factories like the traditional sweatshop.
The news comes as Apple defended its right to use their iPad trademark in China after local LCD maker Shenzhen Proview claimed it had already registered the rights.
