That’s a very US centric view. The US is not the only market they sell to. The iPhone is big in Asia and Europe so it would meen more carbon to ship it here. Plus it is probably more expensive to produce in the US.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Has Increased Use of Cargo Ships and Private Jets to Minimize Shipping Delays Amid Pandemic
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You mean the fish that get poisoned by battery acid leaking from them?
The problem was that only a bit less than half of the cargo capacity is provided by dedicated cargo aircraft (the rest travels in the cargo holds of passenger aircrafts). Cut passenger travel by maybe two-thirds and you suddenly have a shortfall in total cargo capacity of close to 40%. Sure, the economy shrank as well, but not by 40%, and certainly not the manufacturing part of the economy (the service sector took the largest hit).
There certainly was some slack in the freighter market but not nearly enough. That led to actions like Apple's. Moving some to sea transport and ad-hoc 'conversion' of passenger aircraft for freight-only use. In case of Apple that apparently extended to the use of private jets (which are certainly easier to rent than a passenger aircraft from an airline, but the latter should be more cost efficient).
You joke, but using smaller boxes does help when there is a shortage of air cargo capacity (whether that played any part in the decision making process or was just a nice bonus can be debated).
Apple is using wide body contract freighters. You’re confused over terminology. Apple is not flying iPhones from China on Corporate Jets.😉
What is criminal is that people in the rich world earn much more for similar work than people in poor countries.
Apple, like most modern electronics companies, doesn't use acid based chemistry in their batteries.
I wonder if it capsized or just tipped over enough to shed some containers?
A ship capsizing is equivalent to a truck that has flipped over. No one said the ship capsized. Container ships frequently have containers piled high on top of the ship, rather than down in a hold. The ship could tip far enough for gravity and momentum to overcome whatever chains or clamps are holding those stacked containers, dumping them into the sea, without the ship capsizing.
This incident looks to likely be the one in question, given the timing and the number of containers lost. That ship sailed into port afterwards. How many capsized ships sail into port shortly after capsizing?
I suggest you check out how most of your out of season fruit and vegetables arrive. It isn’t private jets but it’s still air freight.
Yep, I totally understand how a lot of goods moved via passenger jets - my company produces product in China and even the smaller airfreight shipments we’ve had to make became problematic due to there just not being the carrier options for FedEx and UPS to use. Their own fleets have been oversold and other cargo carriers almost immediately started selling out their capacity. We’ve tried to get as much of our product sent ocean, but even there, a lot of other manufacturers were experiencing the same thing with air backups, so container costs and availability have been a challenge to deal with.
The actual market price of private jets is probably at an all time low, and it can’t be a surprise if it’s down to a competitive rate for cargo. Fully loaded with cargo the emissions per product might actually be comparablue to other modes although obviously it’s different ballgame if the plane was freighting just one person, which isn’t the case here.
The Information's Wayne Ma today shared an overview of the "unorthodox and costly steps" that Apple has taken to avoid product shipping delays amid the pandemic, including the increased use of container ships, private jet charters, and more.
The report claims that Apple began shipping some AirPods by sea for the first time last year:Apple has occasionally faced some issues with shipping products by sea rather than air. In late November, for example, the report claims that a large container ship headed from China to California tipped over, spilling around 1,800 of its containers into the ocean, and at least one of those containers was holding Beats headphones.
Apple also chartered more than 200 private jets to ship devices in 2020, a single-year record for the company, according to the report:To further speed up deliveries, the report claims that Apple has accelerated a plan to use its retail stores across the United States and Canada as "small distribution centers," allowing Apple's courier partners like FedEx and UPS to collect products from an Apple retail store and deliver them to customers within close proximity of the store. The plan was first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in October.
All in all, most Apple products took only a few days longer than average to be delivered in 2020, according to a source cited in the report.
Article Link: Apple Has Increased Use of Cargo Ships and Private Jets to Minimize Shipping Delays Amid Pandemic
Is there actual news then? Or just click bait.
While other members want to worry about the environment, I’ll just give Apple my money that much quicker when they get the product to me based off the changes they’ve had to make during a recession and pandemic. They’re doing what’s necessary and adapting.
Looking at Apple's growth (and possible "new" products) it might be reasonable to see Apple needing to grow some airfreight capacity. Maybe it's time to look at converting 747's and 380's currently in storage to medium term freighters. Boeing and Airbus should be able to develop cheapish conversions and flight crews could be trained/re-trained by operators. With the employment side of the airline business being the problem that it is there would be a kong line of job applications.
The price for Apple would be comfortable - especially if Apple can develop customs processing at the original departure points.
The price for Apple would be comfortable - especially if Apple can develop customs processing at the original departure points.
Well, if the shipping will eat 20% of the profit margin then it still makes sense to make the sale. Make 80% better than none.
Who has a fleet of 747 laying around for whenever someone need to rent it? I am sure today there are plenty amid the pandemic but in prior times, how is this a business model?
That plane is seriously ugly looking. looks like its genetically deformed. Reminds me of a cartoon character which I can't recall its name now.
Who has a fleet of 747 laying around for whenever someone need to rent it? I am sure today there are plenty amid the pandemic but in prior times, how is this a business model?
Small? FedEx has a fleet of huge private jets for cargo and here's AirBus's Beluga private cargo jet.
(Edit: Oops - - I see I was beaten to the puch twice already.)
That plane is seriously ugly looking. looks like its genetically deformed. Reminds me of a cartoon character which I can't recall its name now.
DHL has 12 of them and they aren't alone.
As airlines say goodbye to the legendary Boeing 747 early, the plane still plays a vital role for cargo carriers and is aiding efforts to defeat COVID-19
The Queen of the Skies was once the crown jewel of any airline fleet. Now, smaller and more efficient aircraft are taking its place on the throne.
www.businessinsider.com
The reason airline started charging you for luggage is because they started selling that space for commercial cargo.
Used to be you could take up to two suitcases of 35 kilos on a flight, included with your plane ticket . Gone now.
Tim flew my 27" iMac here from China in his private jet; you cannot beat Apple's delivery service.