You have that backwards. Obama asked Jobs if the manufacturing could be done in the USA, and Jobs replied that
Those jobs arent coming back.
Companies retool factories every year to build new cars, which are almost infinitely more complicated to manufacture than an Apple device. It doesn't take thousands of mechanical engineers to do that.
Jobs only said something about American workers not having the same flexibility. (Meaning not willing to sleep in dorms and get paid minimal wages.)
Tim Cook is the one who, at last May's All Things D conference, brought up certain factory skills in an attempt to deflect questions about Apple bringing their manufacturing back to the USA.
He commented something like, "
All the remaining American tool-and-die makers could hardly fill the auditorium." Cleverly factual in a way, but ultimately meaningless.
Yes, the number of tool-and-die COMPANIES is down to about five thousand. That's still 100 per state. Plus each company employs up to a dozen skilled people, and with modern computer guided tools, they can outproduce many times that number of Chinese workers who are still doing things by hand.
As
this blog points out:
"The answer is simpleCook is talking balooney. It aint true.
This is not about skilled tool and die markers, this is about having 8000 workers who are willing to roll out of bed, take a cup of tea and a biscuit, and jump onto a 12 hour shift to adapt to a last minute design change Apple mandates.
Its about dealing with a country whose factories and workers are subsidized to the hilt by the Chinese government and by the substandard conditions these workers toil under.
Its about having the Chinese government invest capital so Apple doesnt have to."