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Because too many R&D centres are in China they have to fly people there every day. They're using planes like a bus driving to another city. Planes add a lot of pollution in the upper atmosphere and using planes like a bus ride is not environmentally friendly.

You might not understand due to geography, and that many scientists/engineers/etc want to stay in their own country, that transportation by bus is not practical.

Also...we are not talking about commuters.
 
I was on one of the Shanghai flights. Tim Cook forgot to send me two tickets. Not sure what happened, being a loyal Apple user and all. :(
 
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Why do they fly to London so much?

The others make sense in terms of suppliers and so on but Apple doesn't build anything in the UK, their only real presence here are the stores and Beats One.

Apple has there world wide premium reseller offices here and FileMaker is based here as well
 
You might not understand due to geography, and that many scientists/engineers/etc want to stay in their own country, that transportation by bus is not practical.

Also...we are not talking about commuters.

I’m not talking about commuters. If Apple employees have to fly to China every day then too much Apple R&D and manufacturing is in China.
 
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No, they can’t be...not at this volume. It would take years and probably still not work.

And at the end of the day, why?

Why? Because “at the end of the day” China is not a democracy and China’s political machine shows signs it has no interest in ‘joining’ the West. Companies like Apple only make China richer and more advanced to further China’s political agenda that, in the end, will not align with the West.

It would take years but it would work. Computer technology originated in the West, not in China. The US and Canada and Mexico can definitely significantly decrease its dependence on China.
 
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I am baffled at the people posting here about Apple burning fuel and irresponsibly contributing to the CO2 load.

A. Those flights are happening anyway.

B. The teams need physical presence to verify quality, changes, etc. - this is not online education.

C. It is actual, physical production of a designed product.

D. This is not sending shrimp to Taiwan/South East Asia to devein and shell and then ship it back 10 timezones to save money at the local distributor because the cost of labor is high at home! Now, that is unnecessary CO2 emissions.
what if they manufacture their product in the US close to their design offices?
 
I am baffled at the people posting here about Apple burning fuel and irresponsibly contributing to the CO2 load.

A. Those flights are happening anyway.

B. The teams need physical presence to verify quality, changes, etc. - this is not online education.

C. It is actual, physical production of a designed product.

D. This is not sending shrimp to Taiwan/South East Asia to devein and shell and then ship it back 10 timezones to save money at the local distributor because the cost of labor is high at home! Now, that is unnecessary CO2 emissions.

One more thing - these companies (it's not just Apple) have the "recommended" FaceTime or Skype meetings all the time; not just software companies.

So, these in-person meetings involving these long "luxurious" flights that burn CO2 exclusively for the people in First and Business Classes (as implied by a lot of people here), are on top of the virtual meetings and exchange of "ideas"!

The cost of global business model and the availability of airplanes:rolleyes:!

Why do they fly to London so much?

You underestimate the importance of London and UK in the global business a lot.

Hating Apple much;)!

I expect Apple to do more R&D and design in North America. No, they should fly much less and have more R&D and design in North America.
what if they manufacture their product in the US close to their design offices?

Why and how do you expect this to happen in North America - more clearly, in the USA, as that is what this is about?

Because USA has an excess of STEM graduates well-versed in the Metric system?

Or the labor force willing to do the job available in the assembly line? Automobile assembling seems to be the exception - of foreign manufacturers, not the Detroit labels!

They won't mow their own lawns or harvest:(!

:apple:
 
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We let the asylum seekers in and allow them to run Apple factories, just like the smart Merkel did with the Syrians so the Germans could power their Automotive plants with young labor in an aging nation with low birth rates. No need to build the wall and the government can again open.

One more thing - these companies (it's not just Apple) have the "recommended" FaceTime or Skype meetings all the time; not just software companies.

So, these in-person meetings involving these long "luxurious" flights that burn CO2 exclusively for the people in First and Business Classes (as implied by a lot of people here), are on top of the virtual meetings and exchange of "ideas"!

The cost of global business model and the availability of airplanes:rolleyes:!



You underestimate the importance of London and UK in the global business a lot.

Hating Apple much;)!




Why and how do you expect this to happen in North America - more clearly, in the USA, as that is what this is about?

Because USA has an excess of STEM graduates well-versed in the Metric system?

Or the labor force willing to do the job available in the assembly line? Automobile assembling seems to be the exception - of foreign manufacturers, not the Detroit labels!

They won't mow their own lawns or harvest:(!

:apple:
 
what if they manufacture their product in the US close to their design offices?

I find it amusing how easy some people believe manufacturing is. All you would have to do is find millions of people to make all the raw materials for the phone (down to every screw and sub component).

A famous Tim Cook Quote illustrated part of the problem "Yeah, let me-- let me-- let me clear, China put an enormous focus on manufacturing. In what we would call, you and I would call vocational kind of skills. The U.S., over time, began to stop having as many vocational kind of skills. I mean, you can take every tool and die maker in the United States and probably put them in a room that we're currently sitting in. In China, you would have to have multiple football fields. "

Are a more recent quote referencing AirPods production https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz...-iphones-in-china-its-not-what-you-think.html

This is why Apple employees need to travel to China :

" And the idea that Apple simply hands over the design to a company like ICT, which just manufacturers according to spec, is simply untrue, says Cook:

"It's not designed and sent over, that sounds like there's no interaction. The truth is, the process engineering and process development associated with our products require innovation in and of itself. Not only the product but the way that it's made, because we want to make things in the scale of hundreds of millions, and we want the quality level of zero defects. That's always what we strive for, and the way that you get there, particularly when you're pushing the envelope in the type of materials that you have, and the precision that your specifications are forcing, requires a kind of hand in glove partnership. You don't do it by throwing it over the chasm. It would never work. I can't imagine how that would be."
 
We let the asylum seekers in and allow them to run Apple factories, just like the smart Merkel did with the Syrians so the Germans could power their Automotive plants with young labor in an aging nation with low birth rates. No need to build the wall and the government can again open.

And/or, step into the 20th (yes, twentieth) century and educate the children in the metric system! In two school cycles, problem solved.

Remember, when they declared independence, they did it from the pounds, grains, stones, penny, farthing, gallon, etc.!

That is why we have cents, 100 cents to the dollar in the official system!

Then the Anglophiles became nostalgic:mad: - and pretentious:rolleyes:!

Millions, Billions, (the Trillion dollar company) etc., are all metric - as is micro, nano, etc.

So easy in the base 10 system to love STEM:cool:.
 
I’m not talking about commuters. If Apple employees have to fly to China every day then too much Apple R&D and manufacturing is in China.

How much would be the correct amount? Pick a number.

And where else does the infrastructure exist to manufacture 600,000+ phones a day (on the average)? And able to turn on a dime and peak considerably higher for new product roll-outs.
[doublepost=1547319888][/doublepost]
what if they manufacture their product in the US close to their design offices?

See above.
 
One more thing - these companies (it's not just Apple) have the "recommended" FaceTime or Skype meetings all the time; not just software companies.

So, these in-person meetings involving these long "luxurious" flights that burn CO2 exclusively for the people in First and Business Classes (as implied by a lot of people here), are on top of the virtual meetings and exchange of "ideas"!

The cost of global business model and the availability of airplanes:rolleyes:!



You underestimate the importance of London and UK in the global business a lot.

Hating Apple much;)!




Why and how do you expect this to happen in North America - more clearly, in the USA, as that is what this is about?

Because USA has an excess of STEM graduates well-versed in the Metric system?

Or the labor force willing to do the job available in the assembly line? Automobile assembling seems to be the exception - of foreign manufacturers, not the Detroit labels!

They won't mow their own lawns or harvest:(!

:apple:


The US does have significant STEM graduates. Are the jobs there when they graduate. How many graduates find degree related employment?

People working a minimum wage job could be working in a tech factory. The labour pool exists for factory work in North America but the factories moved to China because wages are lower and systemic corruption in China is more accommodating for Western businesses.
 
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ermm no you didn't. This is a quote from you "Only the machines are Samsung owned" so if Samsung aren't providing the staff and Samsung aren't providing the factory who is making these mystial iPhone screens? (hint: you don't have to reply it's companies like Samsung)
Obviously there are Sam employees working in the factories. But I am saying Apple engineers have a significant presence there too.
 
I am not sure if you studied in the US. Engineering programs in the US, use the metric and English system.So US educated Engineers are versatile in both systems. It is the general population that refuses to move our to the metric system. As an Engineer, I too am perplexed at this.

And/or, step into the 20th (yes, twentieth) century and educate the children in the metric system! In two school cycles, problem solved.

Remember, when they declared independence, they did it from the pounds, grains, stones, penny, farthing, gallon, etc.!

That is why we have cents, 100 cents to the dollar in the official system!

Then the Anglophiles became nostalgic:mad: - and pretentious:rolleyes:!

Millions, Billions, (the Trillion dollar company) etc., are all metric - as is micro, nano, etc.

So easy in the base 10 system to love STEM:cool:.
 
How much would be the correct amount? Pick a number.

And where else does the infrastructure exist to manufacture 600,000+ phones a day (on the average)? And able to turn on a dime and peak considerably higher for new product roll-outs.
[doublepost=1547319888][/doublepost]

See above.

600,000 phones per day is likely do-able in North America. It would mean more automation. Maybe when AI robots are smarter it could happen. The point is Apple could work on this kind of thing if it can work on autonomous projects like Titan.
 
I am not sure if you studied in the US. Engineering programs in the US, use the metric and English system. As an Engineer, I too am perplexed at this.

Yes, level the college STEM programs do train in the metric system - but that is too late. And, they are full of imported college students, who easily excel because it is first nature to them.

The brilliant school children in USA are scared away from STEM because of the idiotic "Standard/English" American system at the middle school or earlier level.

Medicine (and Pharmacology) also deal with the metric system - again, too late in the education chain.

The general population is unaware that it is manipulated. You can research this - the business industry is resisting the metric system, generation after generation. The farmer, the grocer, the dairy line all resist the "change" - and anyone who tries to change the system is called a nutcase - President Carter! Or branded "Liberal"!:mad:

The USA government is metric - just in paper; there is a legislation somewhere.

I studied both systems - I know how hard the Standard system is - and unintuitive. Ten fingers vs a "dozen", 0-100 degrees in the freezing and boiling points of water as a standard in temperature, and just moving the decimal point left and right - basic examples.

Cheers:).

(Note that I didn't use F or C in the degrees - you know why, as an engineer)
 
Can't imagine Apple will be happy with this being promoted.
I’d have to imagine that United either gave said companies a heads-up AND/OR has language in their corporate contracts which makes this a non-issue. I don’t see a problem here.
 
If companies relied more on video conferencing or even phone conference calls there would be many less flights required, contributing less to global warming and reliance on fossil fuels.

It's amazing to me that Apple hypes FaceTime but doesn't use it themselves. Flying 11 hours to shake hands and have one meeting is outdated and archaic. Do Apple employees wear blue suits to work every day and carry hard briefcases, paper day planners, and gold business card holders too?

It's hilarious that tech embraces HD video and virtual reality, but then wastes two days flying around the world for "face to face" business meetings.

Sorry. This sounds like you know nothing about high volume manufacturing. A 0.1% drop in quality would result in 100's of thousands of expensive iPhones that would have to be thrown in the dumpster and ground up. That pays not only for tons of flights but the payroll for 100's of engineers to take those flights. You can't tell that how closely they are following the specs via video conferencing until it's too late. You actually have to watch the process, touch the parts, and inspect each tooling machine on the line (and make sure the on-site inspectors aren't goofing off when not on facetime). That's not even mentioning auditingIP security and underage workers over the hour limit.

Plenty of kickstarter projects blew up or went way over sched because the entrepreneur assumed the contract manufacturer would understand and follow the specs exactly as written/facetimed.
[doublepost=1547331863][/doublepost]
600,000 phones per day is likely do-able in North America. It would mean more automation.

If you think you can find and hire all the qualified people necessary to do this in California, do it. Start a contract manufacturing business. You will become a billionaire if you can get Apple's (or any other high volume tech product companies) business by offering a competitive piece price, quality, and rapid turn-around without requiring as much air travel.
 
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Why? Because “at the end of the day” China is not a democracy and China’s political machine shows signs it has no interest in ‘joining’ the West. Companies like Apple only make China richer and more advanced to further China’s political agenda that, in the end, will not align with the West.

It would take years but it would work. Computer technology originated in the West, not in China. The US and Canada and Mexico can definitely significantly decrease its dependence on China.
You’ve greatly simplified the process of manufacturing 300M devices annually while underestimating the Chinese workforce/work ethic. An ethos is not something that can just be transferred so easily.

China has a very business oriented interest and it will work well with the US over time. It has to for both parities to be successful. I believe both nations understand they need each other.
 
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Why? Because “at the end of the day” China is not a democracy and China’s political machine shows signs it has no interest in ‘joining’ the West. Companies like Apple only make China richer and more advanced to further China’s political agenda that, in the end, will not align with the West.

It would take years but it would work. Computer technology originated in the West, not in China. The US and Canada and Mexico can definitely significantly decrease its dependence on China.

Companies like Apple and any company that manufacture/assemble in China are exploiting existing Chinese workforce availability, due to its repressive regime.

No - computer technology, starting with math, is East of Europe!

USA can decrease their dependance on China - after all, it created it. It is too much effort for the USA to correct it.

Cheap/slave labour - where else can you get it ... until the USA discovers the Dark Continent! A more friendly timezone!
 
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You’ve greatly simplified the process of manufacturing 300M devices annually while underestimating the Chinese workforce/work ethic. An ethos is not something that can just be transferred so easily.

China has a very business oriented interest and it will work well with the US over time. It has to for both parities to be successful. I believe both nations understand they need each other.



You have greatly simplified your outlook of the situation. China will not work well with the US over time. There are many current issues that point to lousy relations between the 2 countries.

China has a $250 billion trade surplus with the US; this is obscene. This has to go.

The US is accusing China of artificially de-valuing its currency so its exports are cheaper.

The South China sea. China wants it all. It's technically "international waters". The US sent a navy ship to this area. China sent their ships to intercept.

China wants Taiwan. Taiwan should remain an independent democratic nation but China wants it. The West (led by the US) is siding with Taiwan.

China has their 2025 "technology transfer" plan to dominate key tech sectors by 2025. Trump's White House is opposing this because it is China's 1 party communist-style state-sponsored initiative.

Apparently Western technology firms don't have access to China's communication infrastructure. Most likely because China's government needs to control what people see, hear, and think.

China's "one belt one road" project/initiative. This is China spreading its own influence around the world. Essentially getting poorer countries to make China their priority for providing natural resources and food products in exchange for money, technology, etc. Lately we've seen what happens when a country does something China doesn't like, they politicize it and threaten retaliation.

And it is easy to imagine China helped North Korea develop nukes to use as a bargaining chip for getting US armed forces out of South Korea.
[doublepost=1547340005][/doublepost]
Sorry. This sounds like you know nothing about high volume manufacturing. A 0.1% drop in quality would result in 100's of thousands of expensive iPhones that would have to be thrown in the dumpster and ground up. That pays not only for tons of flights but the payroll for 100's of engineers to take those flights. You can't tell that how closely they are following the specs via video conferencing until it's too late. You actually have to watch the process, touch the parts, and inspect each tooling machine on the line (and make sure the on-site inspectors aren't goofing off when not on facetime). That's not even mentioning auditingIP security and underage workers over the hour limit.

Plenty of kickstarter projects blew up or went way over sched because the entrepreneur assumed the contract manufacturer would understand and follow the specs exactly as written/facetimed.
[doublepost=1547331863][/doublepost]

If you think you can find and hire all the qualified people necessary to do this in California, do it. Start a contract manufacturing business. You will become a billionaire if you can get Apple's (or any other high volume tech product companies) business by offering a competitive piece price, quality, and rapid turn-around without requiring as much air travel.


No, not "California". Apple has the entire North America to do it.

There are most likely plenty of countries around the world interested in manufacturing devices for Apple.
 
I’d have to imagine that United either gave said companies a heads-up AND/OR has language in their corporate contracts which makes this a non-issue. I don’t see a problem here.
well that means you haven't read the posts pointing out at the bottom of the sign is line saying "confidential information not to be shared outside United". This was a big fat booboo by someone who let a sign for an internal meeting be photographed.
 
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