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See this is what I've been thinking. This is the kind of stuff we will NEVER be able to manufacture in America. We don't have the ability; technology wise and honestly the work ethic needed.

It's not a good time to be into tech and gadgets, unless you're rich. I've already given up my plans to build a gaming PC. I won't be able to afford it.
 
See this is what I've been thinking. This is the kind of stuff we will NEVER be able to manufacture in America. We don't have the ability; technology wise and honestly the work ethic needed.
That’s only because of scale. The things we make in the USA are on small scale so that increases cost. If we had the production like China, the cost would be slightly higher because we’re not using child labor, but it wouldn’t be crazy expensive.

It's not a good time to be into tech and gadgets, unless you're rich. I've already given up my plans to build a gaming PC. I won't be able to afford it.
Don’t give up on that. You just have to pick the right components. The extreme top end components are usually only slightly more powerful, but multiples in price. I realize money is relative but you should be able to build a nice system for under $1000 US.
 
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From time to time Apple releases these overpriced "anniversary edition" pieces. Don't buy them to use. Keep them in the sealed original packaging. If you have a 10-20 year time horizon, you can make some real money with them. Anything shorter and you're just wasting your money.
 
Excited for innovation from Apple, but “extraordinarily complex” doesn’t sound like something I’d want to pay for or use without extreme care. Curious to see what this will turn out to be.
iPhones are already very complex, even "extremely" or "extraordinarily" so. Modern iPhones include hundreds of individual components, all integrated with remarkable precision into a single package. And many individual components are themselves wonders of complexity -- for example, the A series SOCs, which incorporate over 20 B transistors, or Apple's new C1 modem, which has ridiculously intricate features.

Compared to the original iPhone, Steve Jobs would probably describe modern (and certainly upcoming) iPhones as "insanely" complex. What Apple's been doing for the last 20 years is slowly ramping up this complexity, overall in a pretty successful manner. This will surely continue in the coming years and decades as miniaturization and manufacturing technologies progress -- for example, ever finer lithography for chips; microLED displays; super-advanced networking (6G, Wi-Fi 8, more readily-useable satellite, etc.); solid-state batteries; ever-more sophisticated cameras. The level of engineering required for each of these technologies is insane, and it's still a whole different level of insanity to integrate them all together in a single, coherent package. "Complexity" is in fact Apple's middle name -- no one handles it better.
 
I wonder if we will ever stop calling these devices 'phones'?

Probably the we stop using "cut and paste", "folders", etc., at least "carriage return and line feed" function became simply return.

That’s only because of scale. The things we make in the USA are on small scale so that increases cost. If we had the production like China, the cost would be slightly higher because we’re not using child labor, but it wouldn’t be crazy expensive.

The challenge is being able to scale up and having the work force to handle the scale. Any large scale production will likely involve massive automation and the cost and risk of such an investment prohibitive given all the uncertainty around tariffs, etc. The key, IMHO, is to get component count way done to the point where all the electronics are on a chip, with only screen, case, and ports/buttons separate units so assembly is much easier. Then, all the high value components could be manufactured in the US or other high labor cost countries as well.

From time to time Apple releases these overpriced "anniversary edition" pieces. Don't buy them to use. Keep them in the sealed original packaging. If you have a 10-20 year time horizon, you can make some real money with them. Anything shorter and you're just wasting your money.

You'r probably better off taking the money and sticking it in the market vs. risking the item may become collectable and appreciate.

Paramount probably has a copyright on that.

Trademark, which I doubt, but even then it would't apply to phones since they aren't in that market; but if it did I'd bet they have Klingons for lawyers.
 
iPhones are already very complex, even "extremely" or "extraordinarily" so. Modern iPhones include hundreds of individual components, all integrated with remarkable precision into a single package. And many individual components are themselves wonders of complexity -- for example, the A series SOCs, which incorporate over 20 B transistors, or Apple's new C1 modem, which has ridiculously intricate features.

Compared to the original iPhone, Steve Jobs would probably describe modern (and certainly upcoming) iPhones as "insanely" complex. What Apple's been doing for the last 20 years is slowly ramping up this complexity, overall in a pretty successful manner. This will surely continue in the coming years and decades as miniaturization and manufacturing technologies progress -- for example, ever finer lithography for chips; microLED displays; super-advanced networking (6G, Wi-Fi 8, more readily-useable satellite, etc.); solid-state batteries; ever-more sophisticated cameras. The level of engineering required for each of these technologies is insane, and it's still a whole different level of insanity to integrate them all together in a single, coherent package. "Complexity" is in fact Apple's middle name -- no one handles it better.
This article is not about SoCs or modems, we’re talking potential folding phones and all-glass designs. That’s miles beyond the sandwich design we’ve had for years. You can replace a battery by removing the back panel. Or replace the screen. Changing those things drastically is the kind of complexity that I fear. Simple is best IMO.
 
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The challenge is being able to scale up and having the work force to handle the scale. Any large scale production will likely involve massive automation and the cost and risk of such an investment prohibitive given all the uncertainty around tariffs, etc. The key, IMHO, is to get component count way done to the point where all the electronics are on a chip, with only screen, case, and ports/buttons separate units so assembly is much easier. Then, all the high value components could be manufactured in the US or other high labor cost countries as well.
I agree after over 50 years of exporting jobs it’s going to be challenging, but not impossible. Labor costs in the USA while higher than other countries isn’t the big thing everyone thinks it is. With machines much of the process is automated. That’s only going to increase in the future. Other regulations such as environmental regulations and taxes are actually more prohibitive. You can’t just dump toxic fumes into the environment like you can in some other countries. In the end, none of this is helpful because those toxic fumes that get dumped halfway across the world eventually make it to us.

Think about how cars are made in the USA and some are not, but they are both competitive. Of course our car market has always been protected from China. If we allowed China to import cars the big three would go out of business
 
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That's because they don't have to make iPhones.

Yet.
It’s because there’s laws against a lot of that in the USA. These laws do add to the cost of labor though. I think everything is a balance. Even in China, they try to protect the workers from jumping by installing safety nets. It’s not like they don’t care about their workforce.
 
The anniversary iPhone could just be a flip model, albeit one with Apple's flair. The interior displays are actually quite resilient, notably because they are plastic instead of glass. The newest Razr Ultra model looks lovely, especially with the wooden finish. Then you have the Huawei Pura X with its lovely sideways flip design.

These are the high point of phone engineering at the minute and solve some very real problems, not least of which is the front display acting as an ultra-small handset by itself cutting down on phone use and it taking up a lot less room in your pocket.

Apple could do some cool **** with that design.
I think the iPhone Mini will come back as the flip model a year or two after the iPhone Ultra folding model.
 
I think $2,000 for an "extraordinarily complex" iPhone is not enough. They should charge much more !
Most potential users want an "extraordinarily simple" and affordable iPhone. Durable, with a good battery life, and no BS. Not a piece of glass more expensive than a Mac...

Apple is probably using a lot of resources to design precisely the opposite of what most consumers want. I've been using Apple products for more than 20 years, but now I can smell the end. Enough BS is enough BS. I'm progressively leaving their pretentious "ecosystem" and my current iPhone might be my last iPhone.
 
Wonder what a 20th anniversary model will look like... In my mind I've got Ive's "piece of glass", but the required technologies like underscreen FaceID and camera have always been "2 years away" for the last 6-7 years...
Maybe they have been holding back these advancements for that iPhone. A bit weird but we are in the weirdest timeline anyway.
 
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