The point is Apple made that and much more in China. Some good books on the subject about how Apple almost singlehandedly trained and financed China to be the tech powerhouse they are today. Foxconn, emphasis on CON in USA is a very clean modern version of company towns that chews up humans. We consumers built thatYou know, the Foxconn you are referencing is the size of an actual city, with living, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, etc. And for all people’s dumb, tired jokes about the nets, even without them they had a far lower rate of suicide than any American city. Perhaps we aren’t exceptional after all
They are already destroying the world. The workers don't like their jobs (hence the suicide nets and what not). This will take jobs away but lets not act like these were well respected jobs with a healthy work environment.Big corporations are going to destroy the world.
The world needs regular and simple jobs like manufacturing and retail, without them poverty will increase.
I know these robots create some higher paid jobs, but it eliminates many more.
We are putting our happiness in getting new and shiny things on a yearly basis. Getting into debt while doing so. And all money goes to the same big corporations that own the big companies.
We supposedly live in the best "world economy" ever. But honestly, people don't seem to be happier than before.
Not to mention the training that wont need to be done to bring these up to speed. Simply update the software and it is good to go. Plus they aren't at the mercy of some country like China saying nope and pulling workers (like you stated).This is the first thing that came to my mind. It is much easier to move robots and/or robotic workflows to a foreign country (i.e. India or the U.S.) than it is to get visas for thousands of Chinese/Taiwanese workers. This is the inevitable result of China pulling employees out of India and Apple discovering it is going to have a talent deficit in other countries.
Don't confuse the system with the corruption that people in power took advantage of. Your same argument can be applied to our modern sociopathic form of capitalism and worship of money as the endgame, by any means necessary. Regardless of social, environmental, economic costs to others. Throw in our corruption and we are on a similar path to a capitalism monarchy. And the crowd roars.I've spent time in communist countries. Marx may have had a theoretical solution, the reality of that solution applied to the real world was.... not good.
There's a reason why any Central and Eastern European country that had a communist system are now countries where the general population despises communism.
The reality of communism is not something we should aspire to. It was tried, it failed.
And supposedly communist countries in the world today are realistically capitalism but where the state ( i.e. the government) does not allow a separation of government and corporate. China is a rabidly capitalistic country.
Then you have North Korea, that is just a feudal monarchy pretending to be a "people's republic".
Like many industries in the past, manual labour gets replaced by automation when it can. But look on the bright side we can always sell insurance to each other.
Apple is significantly accelerating the rollout of automation and robotics across its manufacturing supply chain, DigiTimes reports.
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While Apple has advocated for increased automation in supplier facilities for over two years, sources familiar with the matter say that Apple now requires automation as a standard prerequisite for awarding manufacturing contracts. This is said to be part of a broader effort to minimize labor dependency, stabilize product quality and uniformity across different facilities, and reduce long-term production costs amid ongoing supply chain diversification away from China.
Apple's alleged automation mandate spans all major product categories, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Apple now purportedly expects suppliers to fund their own automation upgrades rather than rely on Apple to finance or subsidize the necessary capital equipment. This policy change diverges from Apple's previous approach, where the company frequently invested in tooling and machinery for contract manufacturers to meet its specifications.
The financial burden of this new automation requirement is apparently already impacting supplier margins. High initial capital expenditure, coupled with operational disruptions during integration of robotic systems, has reportedly strained profitability for some suppliers.
Apple still continues to assist suppliers in areas related to environmental responsibility. The company's 2030 target to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain includes direct support for upgrading to energy-efficient equipment and more sustainable materials.
Apple ostensibly hopes that increased use of robotics will help standardize processes, digitize inspections, reduce the impact of labor shortages and political instability, implement consistent processes for new suppliers, and mitigate the challenges of maintaining consistent build quality when production is increasingly split across multiple countries.
Article Link: Report: Apple Demands Suppliers Switch to Robotics for Manufacturing
Increasing services revenue… 👍🏻At some point, the law of diminishing returns will come into play and margin squeezes will no longer be possible. Couple that with a plateau in iPhone demand, and what will be Apple’s safety net? More stock buybacks?
Yes, this is the huge problem, and as yet we don't have a convincing solution for it.
We can't simply make "fake jobs", we can't tell people to dig a hole and then fill it in.
Wehn. I started out in work, I was working in printing and publishing ( hence Macs). I remember very early on meeting an older guy who was, frustrated, to say the least. He was a typesetter. He physically set type and made plates for printing. And his job didn't exist anymore. Telling him to learn DTP wasn't a valid option because 1) that wasn't what he'd spent his working life doing up until now and 2) there were hundred sof young design school graduates who did know their way around DTP packages coming up behind him.
Yes, companies manufacture products to sell. But there needs to be people with enough disposable income to buy the things that are manufactured. People get an income from working.
The robots don't get paid, and, even if they did, they have no burning desire to buy cars or laptops.
Firstly I want a job. Preferably in something I have expertise in. If AI and Robots replace me what do you want me to doo? Society will have to change radically, Politicians are unable to face the challenge in their comfort zone.Do you want to work on a factory floor or in retail?
If it's done right, yes. If not, the build quality is very frequently much less consistent and much worse. Even the most advanced automated/"autonomous" (there's no such thing yet) assembly lines are nothing like the movies or the media portrayals. Even simple objects with very generous tolerances rarely function with the kind of consistency that ones with augmented humans (e.g. augmented with precision tooling & process improvement regimes) do.I'd rather machines build them anyway, much more consistent quality.
That is why most are taught to continuously work at your craft and skill unless you’re in a position of power managerially, financially, or social status.That's a common but dishonest appraisal of the situation.
Reality is that ignorant folk are unaware of their own immediate insecurity, are nested deeply in debt and dependency on others and hanging on a fine thread which can go snap at any time on the will of someone who bears no consequence for pulling it. That applies to both the TikTok folk and the factory workers in China.
And you.
That’s what the foldable iPhone, foldable tablets, and Vision Pro/Air/etc products are for. Vision Pro is a proof of concept for what will eventually replace the phone, tablet, and mobile computer. Once it gets down to size with proper miniaturization, the phone will go away and people will make calls on their glasses. You can already make calls on your watch but it doesn’t have a good enough screen for most purposes, so that’s what AR is for.At some point, the law of diminishing returns will come into play and margin squeezes will no longer be possible. Couple that with a plateau in iPhone demand, and what will be Apple’s safety net? More stock buybacks?
What a F**ked up way to live.That is why most are taught to continuously work at your craft and skill unless you’re in a position of power managerially, financially, or social status.
It’s a privledge to have an “off” day; someone in the world isn’t taking a day off at your craft towards catching up or continually passing you by in skill