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Is the iphone helping the US economy?

nimda0 said:
Wow, you make absolutely no sense, but thanks for posting some crap rant to fill up space and increase your post count. ;) NICE! :rolleyes:

I think YOU have an issue with people from the United States in general, perhaps that's the reason for your attack on our countries people.... hmm?

You have just lumped everyone from our country into the same boat. According to you, all of our people are in the same financial situation... wrong.

DUMB.
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What are you on about? I happen to love the USA and if I were to live anywhere other than London it would be there.

I didn't lump everyone. I gave you the major cause for your countries current economic problems which stem from the credit crunch and high oil prices. YES there are other reasons why people are in financial difficulties, but I can't list every reason. The credit crunch is a major factor at the moment and that has been caused by irresponsible lending (here in the UK too) and irresponsible borrowing.

If this is beyond your understanding then please don't bother replying as your replies are just insults with no substance as to content.
 
Rybold said:
-BUT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP THE UNITED STATES FAR BEYOND THE INCIDENTAL EFFECTS; THE CONSEQUENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE IPHONE; just as the advent of the Internet and networking in the late 1990s led to a boom in productivity, the iPhone will also increase productivity, as Americans will be able to access information whether they are in the office or out of the office - productivity will be enhanced.
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I agree that you can be productive anywhere with a high speed mobile device. But I would be hard pressed to argue that we will be more productive.

since productivity is a measure of output per hour worked ... will having access to information on their phone more productive per hour? or will it allow a more efficient work week?
 
IMO any company doing business in the US who is subject to taxes in the US who also has operations/employees in the US is contributing to the growth of the economy when said company is reporting profits and growth. (as does Apple).

When companies invest in new products, and yes, new products are most certainly an investment, they create either more jobs or more work (productivity) for the economies built up around them. In some cases, they create entirely new economies. Just look at the ipod economy and all of the accessories that go along with it. Many of these companies are employing workers who take their pay and spend it on other goods, pay taxes and invest back into the economy in the form of 401(k)'s, IRAs, savings accounts and stock purchases.

So yes, the iphone is helping the US economy, but I don't think it has a large enough impact to be measured. If you were to ask the question is APPLE helping the US economy, I would think that there are some smarter people than me that can provide an analysis to show to what extent Apple is adding to the growth (or in the case of the current economy mitigating the recession).
 
Ori said:
What are you on about? I happen to love the USA and if I were to live anywhere other than London it would be there.

I didn't lump everyone. I gave you the major cause for your countries current economic problems which stem from the credit crunch and high oil prices. YES there are other reasons why people are in financial difficulties, but I can't list every reason. The credit crunch is a major factor at the moment and that has been caused by irresponsible lending (here in the UK too) and irresponsible borrowing.

If this is beyond your understanding then please don't bother replying as your replies are just insults with no substance as to content.
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Figures, UK... you know absolutely nothing about what you're trying to talk about.
 
nimda0 said:
Figures, UK... you know absolutely nothing about what you're trying to talk about.
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And once again your reply has no substance but just a personal insult on me and my country. You are the type of person that gives Americans a bad name. Shame really as on the whole Americans are a lovely people.
 
Ori said:
And once again your reply has no substance but just a personal insult on me and my country. You are the type of person that gives Americans a bad name. Shame really as on the whole Americans are a lovely people.
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Sniff, Sniff......
 
Ori,

you are letting your perceptions of americans cloud reality, which I have found to be the case too often with my european friends. So because you had a rough time building up your career you assume that americans have it so much easier? Thats the way I am reading your post ... Many many americans have to scrimp and save to make it in a dog eat dog economy and that goes with absolutely no guarantee of any sort of health care... The perception of the rich baby boomer american has become an anachronism. sure there are still plenty of rich spoiled americans but there are also plenty of rich spoiled brits and every other county too. The point is that this perception of iphone being an american product and being great for the american economy is just incorrect because it is a global corporation and doesn't benefit the everyday joe, as it were, which was pointed out more elegantly by a previous poster. {looks for coffee cup}
 
Probably the biggest way that it might help the economy is by forcing AT&T to expand its 3G network more, which will increase efficiency in the workforce (regardless of whether or not they use iPhones).

Sure, it probably has a very marginal benefit because of the money spent on it, but its tiny. Really tiny.

It also could be driving innovation in the cellphone industry as a whole, which is also good for the economy, as it causes businesses to invest more and bring higher value products to the market.

Finally, it also brings more information to the hand of the user, which makes us all more efficient. I know personally that I've used the iPhone to avoid bumper to bumper traffic, saving me time and gas, which makes the economy run smoother.
 
Why would the iPhone not help the US economy?

The way I see it, the iPhone is available in many countries, and if someone in another country buys an iPhone, then that money comes INTO the US from that country via Apple.

Apple gets the money, which they then use to pay their current employees and hire new employees. Their employees spend the money, which ends up "in the US economy".

Is that right?

edit: in addition, Apple pays taxes on the money they make
 
rywat said:
Apple gets the money, which they then use to pay their current employees and hire new employees. Their employees spend the money, which ends up "in the US economy".

Is that right?

edit: in addition, Apple pays taxes on the money they make
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nope its not right. I'll say it again, apple is a GLOBAL corporation. they do not only hire american employees...
 
thechidz said:
nope its not right. I'll say it again, apple is a GLOBAL corporation. they do not only hire american employees...
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Yes, but for the employees they do hire in the US the statement is absoultely correct. It does not make a flip bit of difference that Apple is a global company. The fact remains that they are are US based company. That means that revenue earned abroad eventually finds its way back into the US economy, thus adding to GDP growth.

It is no different than GM or Ford. Both of them are global companies. In fact, with both of these companies it is EASY to prove the point. If you look at domestic operations for each company, they are bleeding money big time. However, if you look at their foreign operations, most are making money. If it were not for these foreign operations, there is a good chance that neither one of these companies would make it much longer. Its not as if that foreign earned money does not make it back to the US. It does and then in many cases it is reinvested in other operations in an attempt to create additional value (ie more earnings) and growth.
 
thechidz said:
Ori,

you are letting your perceptions of americans cloud reality, which I have found to be the case too often with my european friends. So because you had a rough time building up your career you assume that americans have it so much easier? Thats the way I am reading your post ... Many many americans have to scrimp and save to make it in a dog eat dog economy and that goes with absolutely no guarantee of any sort of health care... The perception of the rich baby boomer american has become an anachronism. sure there are still plenty of rich spoiled americans but there are also plenty of rich spoiled brits and every other county too. The point is that this perception of iphone being an american product and being great for the american economy is just incorrect because it is a global corporation and doesn't benefit the everyday joe, as it were, which was pointed out more elegantly by a previous poster. {looks for coffee cup}
Click to expand...

You make a good point about the dog eat dog capitalism in the USA. I am aware of it and it is a problem considering the USA is supposed to be the wealthiest in the world. The healthcare system is a major issue with a large percentage of the country not having access to any healthcare at all.
I retract my statement about it being easier.
There are plenty of rich brats in britain as I'm sure there are in most western countries, but your comments about benefiting every day Joe worries me slightly. I see it every day the demand that people have that someone should help them. Sometimes justified but a lot of the time it's people who want something for nothing. It's like the plumber who thinks he knows better than the chairman of british gas and should be paid a lot more money than him because he does the "real" work.

I once again state that I am a big fan of the USA, but I don't look at it through rose tinted glasses.
 
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