The death toll from Friday's explosion at the Foxconn factory in Chengdu, China — the plant that manufactures iPhones and iPads — has risen to three. The cause is thought to be an accumulation of combustible dust "at one of the polishing workshops," according to a Foxconn statement provided to Gizmodo. All production at the factory has been suspended, and wait times on iPad 2 orders are expected to increase dramatically.

These fatalities come off of 13 worker suicides at the Foxconn plant — a disturbing pattern that shined a light on the brutal working conditions at the notoriously secretive tech manufacturer. In noting the story, Mashable wonders if the cost of an affordable iPad is too great:

So is this what it takes to bring a $499 iPad to our doorsteps?...Would you be willing to pay, say, an extra $100 for an iPad if you could be assured that those workers who manufactured it were toiling in safe conditions, paid fair wages and not driven to suicide?

I'm not going to pretend to know the first thing about manufacturing costs for an iPad. I'll assume bringing production to the U.S. would drive the price of one up to roughly that of an Oldsmobile. In which case, a $100 hike seems a fair compromise if it meant, you know, doing something about the combustible dust in the polishing room. Sadly, it's besides the point, as that extra revenue would probably go directly into furnishing the plant with all-new electrified benches and an even bloodthirstier model of robot Dobermans. [mashable.com, Gizmodo, photo via AP]