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To be honest, I'm from Germany and I would never ever pay an extra cent for a product manufactured in the US. The caption "Made in the USA" just suggests "Don't buy me, I'm going to suck". All these products I bought that were made in the US were overpriced and mostly of far worse manufacturing quality than comparable products from Asia or Europe. Just my experience, not that I hate Americans or anything, I like their ideas, creativity, inspiration and stuff, but the rest is better done by other people.

What about something made in Germany? ;)

Not sure people would jump the gun on an Audi R8 had it been made in Asia! :D
 
In Brazil any import has about 80% in taxes. That is the way to industrialize the country and make people and companies build the products "in house".

Building the iPad there would be a very good move since for the huge population and cheap professional labor.

I'm curious if that is the reason for the Brazil plant. Brazil is famous for having insane prices on foreign technology. This could bring down prices for Brazilian customers. Maybe it'll only be making iPads for brazilians and whatever neighbor countries have good import/export deals with Brazil.
 
Well spoken, blitzkrieg79.

It is amazing to me that otherwise intelligent people parrot the corporate line that its simply not possible to manufacture products domestically and remain profitable. Do people really think that $80 name brand shirts, $140 shoes, or the $2500 computers being made on the other side of the planet are being sold at a price anywhere near what it actually cost to make? C'mon.

Why is it every time a company moves manufacturing overseas, we never see a reduction in the price?

If Apple was just barely squeezing out a profit and scraping by, holding on by their fingernails, I'd buy their line about needing to manufacture practically everything overseas, but we're talking about a company that makes absolutely enormous profits.

So Apple simply can't afford to manufacture here anymore? Well, how much profit did Apple make last quarter, again? Haha, sure, right.

It's business never personal, corporate sock puppets doing what they do.
 
No you would not. Don't fool yourself.

Made in USA is becoming something from the past. Americans need to come to the forefront of innovation and technology. Labor is always cheaper in countries like Brazil and China.
Americans want to pay Walmart prices so that to happen these products need to be made elsewhere.
An iPad "made in USA" would probably cost twice.

I'm not fooling anyone. I live in California. I know what its like to be price gouged for everything cost of living wise. I am very lucky to be able to afford the lifestyle. I would have no problem paying a 10-15% premium for a product made here, that is supported here, and helps develop my community.
 
I love the Hecho en China threads!

Every time, posters come out to support China and insult the US. They all use the same talking points:

US workers are lazy
Unions are evil
Regulations against pollution, etc are burdensome
An iPhone would cost $1000 or even more!
Taxes on rich people/corporations are too high.

Hmmm.....sponsored by our right wing, or by Foxcon?
 
I'm not fooling anyone. I live in California. I know what its like to be price gouged for everything cost of living wise. I am very lucky to be able to afford the lifestyle. I would have no problem paying a 10-15% premium for a product made here, that is supported here, and helps develop my community.

Your community? You are a factory worker and make $7/hr?

These comments are so unrealistic. NIMBY ought to be the new nickname for the USA.
 
I love the Hecho en China threads!

Every time, posters come out to support China and insult the US. They all use the same talking points:

US workers are lazy
Unions are evil
Regulations against pollution, etc are burdensome
An iPhone would cost $1000 or even more!
Taxes on rich people/corporations are too high.

Hmmm.....sponsored by our right wing, or by Foxcon?
You do understand that the right wing backbone is low income factory worker types in the so-called red states, right?
 
No you would not. Don't fool yourself.

Made in USA is becoming something from the past. Americans need to come to the forefront of innovation and technology. Labor is always cheaper in countries like Brazil and China.
Americans want to pay Walmart prices so that to happen these products need to be made elsewhere.
An iPad "made in USA" would probably cost twice.

AGAIN, let me restate the following:

- Brazil has one of the most expensive workforces in the world - please don't think that the world's second-biggest Western democracy is the same as an Asian sweatshop - Apple or Foxconn are NOT going there because of cheap labor - it's a much more strategic reason, along with lower logistical costs;

- Upper-level salaries in Brazil are ALREADY higher than in the US or Europe, for reasons of economic growth and increased demand for skilled positions. A C-level executive in BR earns an average of $520,000, as opposed to some $400,000 in the US and Europe.
 
I'm curious if that is the reason for the Brazil plant. Brazil is famous for having insane prices on foreign technology. This could bring down prices for Brazilian customers. Maybe it'll only be making iPads for brazilians and whatever neighbor countries have good import/export deals with Brazil.

It's clear that Brazilians will benefit from lower prices (an iPad there costs $1000 as opposed to $400 in the US); besides, BR is the main leader within the MERCOSUL region (Southern Cone Common Market), where members benefit from an "almost free market" among themselves. This is far from being as well implemented as is the case for the EU, but represents already a good advancement in intra-regional trade.

Depending on rules of origin parameters, Apple products may, indeed, be exported to other South American countries at good rates...but make no mistake: even if local production/labor costs are high in BR, it may still make sense to diversify logistics and supply-chain from Asia to other parts of the world and still make good money (like Ireland, Czech Republic and Brazil now).
 
AGAIN, let me restate the following:

- Brazil has one of the most expensive workforces in the world - please don't think that the world's second-biggest Western democracy is the same as an Asian sweatshop - Apple or Foxconn are NOT going there because of cheap labor - it's a much more strategic reason, along with lower logistical costs;

- Upper-level salaries in Brazil are ALREADY higher than in the US or Europe, for reasons of economic growth and increased demand for skilled positions. A C-level executive in BR earns an average of $520,000, as opposed to some $400,000 in the US and Europe.

HAHAHHA are you retarded? Of all places with such high division of upper and lower class you are going to use Brazil when comparing to the US? C-Levels will not be the ones on the factory floor. Spend 5 seconds on google and you are going to see a much different view in terms of labour cost. In fact I'm a little disappointed you would even argue that cheap labour is not one of the benefits of Brazil. You must be out of touch. FYI monthly salary will be wayy south of $500/month. Hate to tell you this but Foxconn is the highest exporter in % of GDP for ALL of China (I think they proven their competency.).. and well...you are an arm chair president with tons of misinformation.
 
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I'm not fooling anyone. I live in California. I know what its like to be price gouged for everything cost of living wise. I am very lucky to be able to afford the lifestyle. I would have no problem paying a 10-15% premium for a product made here, that is supported here, and helps develop my community.

10-15% is not going to happen. There would be an uproar. However I am willing to bet the margin will be reduced by at least 15% which would be catastrophic as a profit driven company. Apple is doing what's best for it's share holders (some of which are in your community).
 
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