I heard the personnel that builds these Apple products is highly specialized, and has been for many years, meaning that even if they decided to do everything in the U.S., they wouldn't be able to do properly. Does this excuse make any sense?
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Future iPhones Could Be 'Made in America' as Apple Asks Foxconn to Consider U.S. Manufacturing
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Well I assume that our new president will require the same "Made In America" standard from the likes of Ford, GM, Chrysler, Maytag and a whole host of other companies. Despite the continued argument that 'regulation and taxes' forces them overseas, no amount of tax breaks and deregulation will bring back that manufacturing, nor will appeals to these company's 'patriotism.'
A big deal was made about Apple manufacturing overseas because it's seen as a 'Liberal' company because it's CEO is gay, supported gay marriage, is nice to it's gay employees and it's always been the go-to company for creatives.
This will go nowhere. If Foxconn moved it's entire operation here over the next ten years they'd have to bring all their employees with them or spend a year hiring and training new ones. At best, this would be one factory that produced at best a small fraction of what it produces in China.
A big deal was made about Apple manufacturing overseas because it's seen as a 'Liberal' company because it's CEO is gay, supported gay marriage, is nice to it's gay employees and it's always been the go-to company for creatives.
This will go nowhere. If Foxconn moved it's entire operation here over the next ten years they'd have to bring all their employees with them or spend a year hiring and training new ones. At best, this would be one factory that produced at best a small fraction of what it produces in China.
Ah so we'll have iPhone city, TX where 300,000+ are going to migrate to from Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc. to assemble iPhones. If this was viable wouldn't Apple already be doing it?
Don't give the democrats a pass either, they abandoned the working class and labor other than fundraising off them decades ago. Thomas Frank does a great job peeling it apart in "Listen Liberal" and this is exactly why the election just turned out the way it did. Trump at least lied that he had the notion to break up neoliberalism, which is what the white working class took a chance on because it was clear that neither established party had any interest in doing so.
That is because of our educational system. It is time to start thinking differently; perhaps adopting an education model similar to that in some European countries--differentiate the education for students based on aptitude with different tracks for vocational, business, and higher educational degrees.
Part of the reason is the lack of jobs available for industrial engineers. Change the conditions and more students will choose to go into industrial engineering. Moving manufacturing back to the US is a good first step.
Actually, that is not true. Most manufacturing facilities run 24/7 and could retool their line as necessary without having to wake up workers.
I'm skeptical.
Industrial jobs are on the decline. What makes people think that if some uneducated disadvantaged dude couldn't start from the bottom, say, at Walmart and become successful, that the same dude will become successful manning the iPhone assembly line?
Especially if he's likely to get replaced by robots. What then? Now they say companies have to give them jobs by bringing production to America. What happens when production in America is done by robots? These guys will take the country hostage and elect Trumper and Trumpest to ban robots?
Also, saying that companies "have to" do something to share profits sounds like communism to me. Never worked, never will.
Industrial jobs are on the decline. What makes people think that if some uneducated disadvantaged dude couldn't start from the bottom, say, at Walmart and become successful, that the same dude will become successful manning the iPhone assembly line?
Especially if he's likely to get replaced by robots. What then? Now they say companies have to give them jobs by bringing production to America. What happens when production in America is done by robots? These guys will take the country hostage and elect Trumper and Trumpest to ban robots?
Also, saying that companies "have to" do something to share profits sounds like communism to me. Never worked, never will.
this is pipe dream. They aren't coming back.
Keep in mind, in order to make a decent living and be part of the lower middle class, these jobs would have to pay upwards of $30 per hour as a starting salery.
This is not going to happen.
Whether you like it our not the only way factories are going to re-open in the US is to create a third world working class in the US and pay them near or under the minimum wage.
Would YOU quite your current job to work in an IPhone factory? You know the drill, 8 to 10 hours a day working on just one thing, like wiping a screen clean every day for years on end, wiping screen free of dust all for minimum and of course the factory is located in an ultra-red state where they don't have unions
Even if you don't work there do you want to LIVE in a town were 100,000 people are all working for minimum wage in non-skilled jobs. The town's tax base will be near zero and hence the city services will be near zero, home prizes will fall to near zero.
No, Apple will NOT pay a non-skilled factory worker a middle class income. They will match salary with other like-jobs in the area like at the chicken processing plant and the re-cycling sorting centers where people sort truckloads of aluminum, plastic and paper or Walmart and McDonalds. Those are the jobs Apple will compete with for employees. I image 9 to 12 dollars per hour for assembly line workers at an iPhone factory.
A FAR better solution is to move all those no-skill no-pay jobs to some place far away like China and put all the marketing, engineering and administrative jobs in the US. Well at least if you live in the US that is a better solution.
Even the Chinese government is trying hard to get those no-pay no-skill jobs gone. Seriously. No one wants to live in a place where all the jobs are low-skill. China's goal is to move to a services based economy like we have here in the US. It will take time and more importantly will require large amounts of EDUCATION.
Decades from now the roles of the US and Chine may swap. Low skill jobs like factory assembly and farm exports will be what the US does and all the design and engineering and all the rich consumers will live in China. That is the current trend at least. and seems to be what many people in the US actually WANT to happen
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Because as of today the political and economical environment is not fit.
However, I would call it iOS Town, TX as they will certainly move iPad production there
Apple was targeted because it's a household name. Trump has said the same about GM, Ford, Carrier and many others. This isn't pick on Apple only, it's pick on every company.
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-new-iphone-screen-2012-1
I was referring to this story, which may be hyperbolic in the "waking the workers" bit.
I did.
Just becasue the mentioned Drumpt doesn't mean that this is related to him. You might want to read the article again.
I still don't get what that has to do with Apple and iPhones. Apple has never manufactured iPhones in the USA. Some factory worker in Ohio or Pennsylvania didn't lose their job because Apple assembles iPhones in China.
I've worked harder crappier jobs at minimum wage to pay my way through school and life. If the work shifts are apportioned right I can see some people with a work ethic and ambition doing it part time, at least.
I would not mind doing it now, actually, if I could get a shift that lets me work around my other responsibilities. I wouldn't mind having money coming in under my own name again and I know a few other stay at home parents whose kids are growing up who might be interested. I don't need minimum wage to live, but I could use it to live better and I like working with my hands.
I have a nephew who could use a job like this, too. He's taken to vocational training pretty well, but a lot of the jobs he could do require people skills he doesn't possess and it's been hard on him. This kind of work would suit him well.
My great aunt worked in a plastics factory after her kids got older. A lot of women had factory jobs once upon a time. It was a unique opportunity for women and could be again. A lot of women do shift work in nursing and retail because it lets them be there for their kids. Some men do, too.
Someone mentioned Millennials in a derogatory way. Not everyone in the Millennial age group is a hipster snot. And if they are, well nobody is forcing them to take a factory job.
My new truck has a sticker on it that says it was assembled in Texas. My 24 year old car was assembled in Tennessee by a factory of American workers who were proud and excited to be a part of that factory back in the day when they were compassionately and wisely managed--before GM let the usual territorial execs crap all over the concept that had been created and turned a unique division into another fiefdom. So we know that Americans can and will make things if given proper training and decent treatment.
I know the auto industry is a different animal but if you look around we do still make things in factories.
Actually for tech skilled labour is a big factor. If apple needed let's say 30000 new skilled workers. In China that can be accomplished in days. Here in the US it would take months if. It years to find that same amount of workers. You can easily ramp up production there than here.
No, but some factory worker somewhere in the US could get a job because some factory worker in China lost their job.
I don't care where it's made, just give me my iPhone 8, shut up and take my money! No bezels and Touch ID under the screen!
I would like to see this even knowing the difficult process involved to make it happen. You will always have people that say it can't be done. If there was some old political influence that prevented this from happening in the past then maybe some new political influence can reverse it.
At least pay the Chinese workers more money for the hard work they do and give them better working conditions and perks. Reduce the margins, increase the cost and make it fair for everyone.
At least pay the Chinese workers more money for the hard work they do and give them better working conditions and perks. Reduce the margins, increase the cost and make it fair for everyone.
Er..... Exactly as it is done now apart from the start point of the journey. Actually LESS people will be involved because of the fewer miles the devices will travel.
Whether we like it or not, this has been part of the republician agenda since the 80s.