Make 'Murica great again!!
And the 96% of the world who does not live in the USA, does not care.
The bigger danger is the US getting blocked from Asian markets, that is where all the consumer growth is.
There is also the danger of being blocked from rare earth materials that are required for all this high tech.
China will soon be the worlds largest economy, and Asia accounts for 60% of the worlds population, it will be far more important to be able to trade with Asian nations than it will be to trade with the US (who already has a protectionist economy).
However, no one has said
all iPhones, it may be just the ones for the US market will get made there, and any production is many years away, its far more likely Trump will not be in office by then. Growth in the Asian markets would see a higher percentage of profits come from international sources, currently over 60% and this will force Apple to keep production in China as it will need to remain competitive internationally.
Its not just the cost of the iPhone, its the cost of the manufacturing factory, the maintenance, cost of power, water, transportation of parts, the retooling costs for the new models that come out annually. Unless substantial savings can be made in manufacturing labour costs (Chinese wages are about 1/10th US wages) to offset these higher costs then I would expect a price rise for the US market.
To see the impact of US manufacturing we could look at the Mac Pro and how this has stagnated, and I would suggest the cost of retooling to upgrade the product line is simply not cost effective.
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https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601491/the-all-american-iphone/
More like between $30 and $100 difference depending on how you calculate it.
I would gladly pay the difference if it would help some folks get jobs.
The 96% of the world who is not in the USA disagrees with you.
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Agree with this completely. People spout off that they'll 'Buy American', but consumers have consistently they will ALWAYS go for the lower price. Always.
Voting with ones wallet is always more effective than voting with ones mouth.
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Me too, but what if they had a special edition that was made in America - you could only get this special color or finish if it's made here. That way it would appeal to those who want a fashionable exclusive, as well as people like us who just want to bring some manufacturing back home.
And what if in return China put tariffs of US brands, on cars, planes, computers, medical technology.
And then you think that China is trying to set up a free trade bloc in Asia, some 60% of the worlds population, and the area with the greatest consumer growth potential.