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That's a huge jump in capacity. So... I'm guessing that Apple is expecting a huge jump in demand over the next year. It will be interesting to see what's the "big" thing with the iPhone 5.

I WILL be getting that in early 2012!
Is there a thread for that?
 
Does that mean you support the exploitation of foreign workers so that you can have cheaper electronic goods? The argument cuts both ways. Apple like most American (and Western) companies, exports jobs to the east because it is cheaper. And it is cheaper because the workforce is paid less and is not unionised. Fair wage=a high, but realistic cost of goods. Cheap goods=exploitation and an unsustainable reduction in the price of goods.

Excuse me? "EXPLOITATION OF FOREGIN WORKERS" ?

LOL, you talk as if people in EU and USA did not exploit foreign workers like the mexicans, cubans, latinos.

Our iphone will just feel the same weather it is made in USA or made in China. But i prefer it cheaper. period.:rolleyes:
 
Excuse me? "EXPLOITATION OF FOREGIN WORKERS" ?

Yes. Exploitation. Of. Foreign. Workers.

Clearly :
iphone-girl-v-sign-superstar.jpg


Look @ that sad face :D Clearly low self esteem.
 
Let's look at the wider perspective....

they build and employee people in more retail shops than any other computer company

True, because what other computer company has retail shops?

But, it's a zero-sum game - when an Apple brick-and-mortar shop comes into an area - it's not too long before the independent Apple resellers in the area have to shrink. (Of course, that doesn't count the Apple resellers who have already folded due to Apple's preferential treatment of its own online store.)


they are building that huge new section of the Apple Campus

I have trouble calling some temporary construction jobs in one small town in California "investing in America".


they have been working on that huge new Data Center in North Carolina (the largest center of it's kind in the U.S.)

Only true if you define "of it's kind" as "Apple-owned data centers east of the Mississippi". ;)

Microsoft is already running two datacenters that are larger than Apple's Maiden site, and two that are only very slightly smaller.

Other data centers are more than twice the size of Apple's little North Carolina shop.

Supporting link: the world's largest data centers
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Why don't people check the facts before posting nonsense like this?
 
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Microsoft is already running two datacenters that are larger than Apple's Maiden site, and two that are only very slightly smaller.

Other data centers are more than twice the size of Apples little North Carolina shop.
____________________

Why don't people check the facts before posting nonsense like this?

Speaking of, are you aware you just compared a hardware company to a software company? Naturally microsofts data centers are larger. But that irrelevant how they compare. If Apple made them smaller because they off shored part of it, you might have a point.

Besides, the original point was to counter those who were saying Apple is doing nothing. Clearly Apple is not doing "nothing".
 
True, because what other computer company has retail shops?

My point exactly. Dell use to, Gateway use to, Microsoft does, but none of them have done it or have proven to do it the way Apple has, thus, Apple is contributing to this U.S. (and the World) economy by successfully building and running these retail stores. And they consistently build newer ones that again contribute to the economy through construction, etc. How can you deny or find fault with that?

But, it's a zero-sum game - when an Apple brick-and-mortar shop comes into an area - it's not too long before the independent Apple resellers in the area have to shrink. (Of course, that doesn't count the Apple resellers who have already folded due to Apple's preferential treatment of its own online store.)

Wrong! Not if they a doing good business. For example, in Los Angeles, for many years there were two independent Apple resellers, (Unitek in Pasadena being the one that I frequent and the shop in Santa Monica) and not only are they still going strong, many more have popped up since, due to the popularity of the Apple brand! So at least in my current area, the opposite of what you stated is true.

I have trouble calling some temporary construction jobs in one small town in California "investing in America".

Uh, better than NO construction jobs. And aren't all construction jobs "temporary"? This has got to be the most ignorant statement I've seen from anyone in a long time... thanks for taking away the importance and contributions of the entire construction industry! And I am not talking about JUST the new Apple campus (though that is a major undertaking and WILL employee thousands both in construction and then afterward to staff the place, plus whatever they churn out will also contribute to the economy) but am also talking about all of the retail construction... but if you would rather cover your eyes as you always do and say "I don't see it" then yes, you are being ignorant.

Only true if you define "of it's kind" as "Apple-owned data centers east of the Mississippi". ;)

Microsoft is already running two datacenters that are larger than Apple's Maiden site, and two that are only very slightly smaller.

Other data centers are more than twice the size of Apple's little North Carolina shop.

Why don't people check the facts before posting nonsense like this?

And maybe YOU should check your facts, according to the facts:

The size of the project raises interesting questions about Apple’s ambitions for its online operations. The $1 billion price tag is nearly twice the $500 to $600 million that Microsoft and Google typically invest in the enormous data centers that power their cloud computing platforms

So Aiden, you are saying that $1 Billion is nothing that is helping the U.S. economy? After all, that is what I was talking about, that the combination of the construction of this data center, the new Apple Campus extension and all the retail sites, plus the employment of the people of all of the above, plus all the products and services that Apple sells, all contribute more to the U.S. (and World) economy than just about any other company. This was in direct response to someone that had said "Apple should give back a bit to the U.S. economy" and I showed that THEY DO! But you had to come on here with your usual trolling self to bring a dark cloud over anything Apple does. Yay for you. :rolleyes:
 
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Does that mean you support the exploitation of foreign workers so that you can have cheaper electronic goods? The argument cuts both ways. Apple like most American (and Western) companies, exports jobs to the east because it is cheaper. And it is cheaper because the workforce is paid less and is not unionised. Fair wage=a high, but realistic cost of goods. Cheap goods=exploitation and an unsustainable reduction in the price of goods.

A fair wage? What kind of double speak is that?

This is a fair wage:

Prospective Worker: Hi, how much do you pay per hour
Company Owner: 15 Yuan/hour
Prospective Worker: How many hours per week
Company Owner: 60 hours
Prospective Worker: when can I start
Company Owner: Tomorrow

You see, a 'fair wage' is one where the worker is told before the job starts, and is give the choice to accept the stated terms or to decline them. The worker in the example was free to decline.

There is no exploitation, they are free to work for the stated wages or not. You make it sound as if they are kidnapped from the streets and forced to make iPhones. This is just not the case; they are given the choice, and many gladly accept it.

I applaud their of hard work, unlike some here in the US with a sense of entailment.

In my opinion, the only way we can get America back to the manufacturing status it once held, is to break the unions and their resource robbing ways. Just look at where auto manufacturing jobs and new factory construction have returned to the US; its in non-union states (Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina).
 
Speaking of, are you aware you just compared a hardware company to a software company?

No, I did not. There were several aspects of the post to which I was responding, and I kept them separate.

The first part of my response was about the claim that Apple created more jobs in the retail sector than any other computer (hardware) company.

Obviously true, since no other computer (hardware) company has any significant presence in company-owned retail sales outlets.

But disingenuous, since there's no company to which to compare Apple's retail push. And it ignores the number of jobs lost in Apple resellers due to Apples retail moves.


Naturally microsofts data centers are larger.

Then you agree with me that the original claim that

that huge new Data Center in North Carolina (the largest center of it's kind in the U.S.)

is simply incorrect. Thank you.

The post that I responded to is simply incorrect on all of its facts. How can you argue to support it?
 
Perhaps you should actually read the articles that you quote - the 1B$ figure is for the first 9 years - or $111M per year.

And is it $100M/year in foreign made servers?

Wow, that's your response? A billion is still a billion and is still more than what Microsoft and Google invest in their data centers (according to that article) whether it is all at once or over 9 years; plus the 3000 jobs it creates JUST in that region (yes, that DOES contribute to the U.S. economy.)

You didn't address any of my other points, but the fact that you are even attempting to with these trivial irrelevant details is not only pathetic, but it doesn't take anything away from my original response to the previous poster who said Apple should give a bit back to the U.S. economy, and I showed, unarguably, that THEY ARE!!! Period. and this is now the third time I've had to explain this.... How many more times do I have to state it? And how many ways are you going to attempt to trash me when the intent of what I am saying is still valid and true? Get a life Aiden...
 
Apple is contributing to this U.S. (and the World) economy by successfully building and running these retail stores. And they consistently build newer ones that again contribute to the economy through construction, etc. How can you deny or find fault with that?

The purpose of these retail stores is to make it easier for your come, whip out your credit card and purchase Apple gear. Apple will then transfer a portion of that purchase price to its suppliers to compensate them for manufacturing the equipment that they just successfully sold you. The purpose of these retail stores, in net terms, is to extract a portion of your income, while transferring it elsewhere to compensate someone else for a permanent employment. The stores are simply enablers to help extract your cash. They do not contribute to the economy in any significant way (unless you think highly of those low-paying Apple retail jobs). The retail stores do not really create any value - the manufacturing facilities do (and in a highly substantive way).
 
Thanks! :)

Toshiba + other asian suppliers that Apple uses have been in the game for a number of years. I don't know any American outfits that can match the delivery of Foxconn, Toshiba et al, not right now atleast.

Exactly what i wanted to say. These companies have a long time experience in the production of high quality high tech products. Combine that with the low production costs in asia, and with the fact, that the U.S. are not the center of the world.
 
The purpose of these retail stores is to make it easier for your come, whip out your credit card and purchase Apple gear. Apple will then transfer a portion of that purchase price to its suppliers to compensate them for manufacturing the equipment that they just successfully sold you. The purpose of these retail stores, in net terms, is to extract a portion of your income, while transferring it elsewhere to compensate someone else for a permanent employment. The stores are simply enablers to help extract your cash. They do not contribute to the economy in any significant way (unless you think highly of those low-paying Apple retail jobs). The retail stores do not really create any value - the manufacturing facilities do (and in a highly substantive way).

You have no clue what you are talking about. I used to work for a major music manufacturer, all of our products were designed in the U.S. and made in China just like Apple and so many others. We pay the factory once manufacturing is completed (contributes to the Chinese economy.) Then we pay a U.S. freight company to bring it over (contributes to the U.S. economy) then our shipping and receiving/warehouse workers receive, separate, bundle and ship out to all of the retailers (contributes to the U.S. economy) the retailers pay us and we, just like Apple, pay the taxes on that (contributes to the U.S. economy) and then the retailers employee people (contributes to the U.S. economy) even if it is at the minimum wage (there are a LOT of retailers, not something to sneeze at!) and the end user who pays for these products also pay sales tax (contributes to the U.S. economy) and a small minority actually us the products professionally (contributes to the U.S. economy.) And if we make a great product, our stock price consistently goes up, just like Apple's (contributes to the U.S. economy) and so on...

Amazing how tight everyone's blinders are on today. And obviously no economists in these forums...
 
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One Dollar A Day Keeps M$ Away

Any business that's looking toward the future as much as it is it's current bottom line will realize that saving a dollar today will cost them ten tomorrow.

Yeah, but the BIG difference is, that you can invest that one dollar today, while you have to wait (at least) until tomorrow for your ten dollars. That can be a huge win.
 
Wow, that's your response? A billion is still a billion and is still more than what Microsoft and Google invest in their data centers (according to that article)

You completely missed the basic idea that Apple's $1G for nine years for one data center vs. Microsoft's $500M per data center figure can't be compared without normalizing for the initial investment (year 0) cost vs. longer term expansion and maintenance costs.

With Apple making about $60G/year in revenue primarily on foreign-made products - a $100M/year expense in North Carolina is a noise figure.


And how many ways are you going to attempt to trash me when the intent of what I am saying is still valid and true? Get a life Aiden...

I've never tried to trash *you*, I'm pointing out that your *arguments* are trash.

I don't need to get a life, you need to get a clue.
 
Does that mean you support the exploitation of foreign workers so that you can have cheaper electronic goods? The argument cuts both ways. Apple like most American (and Western) companies, exports jobs to the east because it is cheaper. And it is cheaper because the workforce is paid less and is not unionised. Fair wage=a high, but realistic cost of goods. Cheap goods=exploitation and an unsustainable reduction in the price of goods.

Why would anyone want to run a manufacturing business in the United States where the employer is forced to pay for the employees health and pension plan?

Btw, what evidence do you have that the LCD factory isn't in Japan - a country with one of the highest GDP per capita (higher than the US the last time I looked)?
 
You have no clue what you are talking about. I used to work for a major music manufacturer, all of our products were designed in the U.S. and made in China just like Apple and so many others. We pay the factory once manufacturing is completed (contributes to the Chinese economy.) Then we pay a U.S. freight company to bring it over (contributes to the U.S. economy) then our shipping and receiving/warehouse workers receive, separate, bundle and ship out to all of the retailers (contributes to the U.S. economy) the retailers pay us and we, just like Apple, pay the taxes on that (contributes to the U.S. economy) and then the retailers employee people (contributes to the U.S. economy) even if it is at the minimum wage (there are a LOT of retailers, not something to sneeze at!) and the end user who pays for these products also pay sales tax (contributes to the U.S. economy) and a small minority actually us the products professionally (contributes to the U.S. economy.) And if we make a great product, our stock price consistently goes up, just like Apple's (contributes to the U.S. economy) and so on...

Amazing how tight everyone's blinders are on today. And obviously no economists in these forums...

I appreciate your in-depth assessment.

So are you suggesting that the freight and channel distribution expenses are comparable in the economic value added terms to the manufacturing effort? Someone had to design and build those factories on the other side of the ocean, equip them with some sophisticated equipment, train the personnel, and employ tens/hundreds of thousands of people on long term basis to manufacture these products. Do you suggest that from the perspective of an equal contribution to an economical growth of a country you can compare these activities as quid pro quo? Clearly there is value added on both sides here, though in terms of the measurable economic growth the benefit distribution is quite a bit lopsided.
 
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Yes. I would have no problem paying a little more for my iPhone knowing it was assembled in USA.

I know every part is not going to be made in US because of the suppliers, but having it assembled in the US would be a nice step forward for me.

Lol what difference do you think there is if it was assembled in USA or elsewhere?
 
And this is the problem with you Americans who think the whole world works the same way as your lazy butts; Japan's construction industry is WAY more efficient and more technologically advanced than America's (because it has to be due to the lack of real estate there.) They could easily put up a building in 6 months tops. And in fact, I recently saw a science documentary about the new self-constructing building in Japan; builds a whole floor at a time in a few hours then raises itself up to build the next floor below it (control center is at the top floor which started as the first floor, all run by computers.)

But the point you are really missing (as is many here) is that it is Toshiba, a Japanese company, building a factory in it's home country.

And Apple DOES also invest in it's own home country as well; more retail stores in the U.S. than any other computer company, building that new huge Apple Campus, and that NC Data Center, all of which will create thousands of construction jobs and then later, permanent jobs for each of those facilities respectively.

But there is no way that factory jobs like this can be done here in America. The other myth about "Chinese sweatshops" was true for the clothing industry years ago (and in some parts, still true) but here again is what everyone is missing... the minimum wage in the U.S. is $8 something an hour, but the rent (at least here in Los Angeles) even in a bad area is at least $800 a month for a studio apartment, not even one bedroom. Compare that to the $1 an hour factory workers make in China, but they are only paying $50 per month in rent and sharing with several people, they are comparatively making and saving (and having a better standard of living) than most Americans!

But again, we're not even talking about China, this is about a Japanese company building a Japanese factory in Japan which will be supplying parts to Apple. If Apple were to try and make this factory here and make the part themselves, it would actually be exactly 5 times the price to make because of demands of American workers, yet the quality of the part would suffer because of the "work ethic" (or lack thereof) of the American worker. This has always been the truth for the last couple of decades (which is why GM cars are crap compared to, well, any other cars.)

Agreed, great post. Couldn't have said it any better myself.
 
Does that mean you support the exploitation of foreign workers so that you can have cheaper electronic goods? The argument cuts both ways. Apple like most American (and Western) companies, exports jobs to the east because it is cheaper. And it is cheaper because the workforce is paid less and is not unionised. Fair wage=a high, but realistic cost of goods. Cheap goods=exploitation and an unsustainable reduction in the price of goods.
Thats not necessarily true of Japan. They treat thier factory workers much more nicely... last time I checked a foxcon factory didn't supply top-class pools, gyms, cafeterias, jacuzzis and let them use those facilities at any time during the day, which is par for the course for some of the top-class Japanese factories... it would be nice if they could support American jobs as an American company, but sadly, all of that R&D has been shipped elsewhere along time ago......

Anyways, i'd rather the money go to Toshiba if they are treating their workers better......
 
I always like reading topics like these. Most people seem to assume that Apple makes the vast majority of its revenue from American consumers, but Apple is an international company where a substantial part of its revenue comes from said countries. To all those who are willing to pay more for American made products, the flip side is that the rest of the world may not share the same ideas, and companies such as Apple would not be able to compete worldwide and continue to produce world class products.
 
I appreciate your in-depth assessment.

So are you suggesting that the freight and channel distribution expenses are comparable in the economic value added terms to the manufacturing effort? Someone had to design and build those factories on the other side of the ocean, equip them with some sophisticated equipment, train the personnel, and employ tens/hundreds of thousands of people on long term basis to manufacture these products. Do you suggest that from the perspective of an equal contribution to an economical growth of a country you can compare these activities as quid pro quo? Clearly there is value added on both sides here, though in terms of the measurable economic growth the benefit distribution is quite a bit lopsided.

No, you are right, I was just responding, once again as I've stated 3 times previous, to the guy saying that Apple should give a bit back to the U.S. economy; as if they weren't. I showed that they are in many ways. Simple as that.
 
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