Apple CEO Tim Cook announces plans to manufacture Mac computers in USA

reply to post by DarkSecret


You should know that FOXCONN also makes Sony Playstations, Amazon's Kindle, Microsoft's Xbox, and almost every brand of Microsoft-based PC/tablets out there. Thinking this is only an Apple problem is just plain ignorant.

Personally I applaud their decision to return assembly to the US, it's a major step in the right direction - INsourcing and not OUTsourcing. Let's get the momentum going, and we might see all phases of high-tech manufacturing return to our shores instead of Asian sweat-shops.

I wonder if the price for a mac will decrease.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
reply to post by DarkSecret

 

You should know that FOXCONN also makes Sony Playstations, Amazon's Kindle, Microsoft's Xbox, and almost every brand of Microsoft-based PC/tablets out there. Thinking this is only an Apple problem is just plain ignorant.

This article is about Apple's big publicity campaign not about MSFT or Sony. Yes I am aware that almost everything we buy here in the US is made with slave labor in China or somewhere else in Asia. And Yes I avoid buying it. I still have my old self-assembled computers running an open source OS and my TV is made in Mexico almost a decade ago. My cellphone is about 6 years old and I think it's Canadian. My car is made in Chicago by UAW members. I do my part to stop needless consumerism and stimulate US workers whenever possible. Are you doing yours?

Personally I applaud their decision to return assembly to the US, it's a major step in the right direction - INsourcing and not OUTsourcing. Let's get the momentum going, and we might see all phases of high-tech manufacturing return to our shores instead of Asian sweat-shops.

I've predicted this trend of re-shoring as opposed to off-shoring. It will happen slowly over the next 20-30 years as China's wages are increasing. They won't be doing it because they care about the US workers but rather because they stand to gain more from the Made in USA labels even though their labor costs would go slightly up. Quality will also go up and consumers will have money to buy the products.

But... what we lost in the past 10 years and keep losing today will take 20-30 years to recover. All thanks to the Bain Capitals out there who are out for a quick buck at the expense of all of us.

Back to Apple - they charge 2-3 times the cost of the hardware for their trendy devices. I'm sure they could have made them all here in the US and just charged 25% in addition to their costs. Apple could have truly been the company that brings jobs back to the US at a time where everybody was running away but they missed that train.

Originally posted by MastaShake

10 years ago people would have laughed in your face if you told them that apple was going to be so successful

Apple only became "so successful" because a great evil was done to Americans.

President Ronald Reagan taking office and told the country was broke....they set up little Trust Funds for each Federal Agency and he put their budget into it and said go out and invest it so you have something to operate off of. DOD's Trust Fund went into Apple and was why Steve Jobs and his buddies would dress up as pirates and called the Apple Board of Directors "The Navy"....because it really WAS THE NAVY....then they fired Steve Jobs and he went off and did that Pixar digital imaging thing for awhile.

Bill Clinton axed most of DOD's Federal civil servant work force (the blue collar workers) along with entire military units to generate more free money.....that ended up creating Apple's overbloated stock price.

Why do YOU think the DOD's Military Retiree Trust Fund has enough cash in it to pay the nations retired military right now for +10 years without 1 penny in Federal Appropriations??? There's a reason nobody had money to buy new Detroit vehicles.....they canned all the Americans who used to have Blue collar jobs in DOD.

Apple was part of a great evil American enterprise. It was pretty shameful for DOD when under their BRAC 2005 plans to cut down even more....they created powerpoints saying they were going to use tactics to FORCE people to quit.....freed up more money for their evil actions.

They WANTED the public to get mad and uprise....so they could justify wiping away the debt they created. Don't give them what they want. If you want to get revenge on them for what they did....stop buying Apple.

Made in the USA by whom?

If they are using US prison slave labor at 22 cents an hour of course it will be cheaper than chinese slave labor at 22 cents an hour, They save on all the transport costs.

If anything says Made in teh USA look for a union lable. If they have none it came from a sweatshop.

How many engineers does a factory need to assemble a few parts, do some quality analysis, and prep for shipping? Not many. Engineering would be done elsewhere I'm sure.
Just need some workers that can read instructions, aren't color blind, and pass a manual dexterity test, oh and that can stand on their feet for 8 hours a day. Throw in a machinist or two to keep the assembly line running, some IT guys to make the machines talk, accounts payable/receivable, and management to crack the whip.
That is manufacturing in a nutshell. Blue-collar and no experience required.
The excuse of a lacking education system was bull-pie.

Originally posted by 11235813213455
Aloysius the Gaul must be a Windows fanboy

Why does someone have to be a "fanboy" of something by posting stories or being critical of another company? I often find myself defending Apple because they have so many BS stories posted about them, or people misconstrue facts about them... But on a personal level I've currently at odds with them in my dealings with them. That really doesn't affect how I see or analyze the company and their public image however, it does make me believe they are lacking a bit in their customer service and focused solely on their mass consumption consumer base.

In any case, whatever products you used shouldn't reflect anything more than your opinion on whether its a good product or not. Company actions is outside of that.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


I don't know. This seems a little suspect to me. first of all, Apple just made two big boo boo's. America is a significant market. The new got to have wasn't so good. Let's polish up that old Apple image, and throw some dough on the demand side, pay some wages, and make people feel good about popping for the newest redundant got to have that quite frankly don't work so great.

I thought that was a little arrogant of him to say that America was never really the center of the consumer market.

Funny how they won't make iPhones here in the US. The rate people replace (upgrade) their phones far outweighs a person's need to upgrade (replace) a computer.

If it was about jobs, they would bring the iPhone business back here.

Seems to me this is nothing but a reach for favorable public opinion on the business as a whole. When in reality, they are doing as little about the problem as possible.

The core of the problem is that Steve Jobs is dead. Now apple is fumbling around trying to find a sense of purpose/direction/vision just like the pre-imac days. If they dont bring in some new blood with a streak of creative genius I expect theyll start to fade away - although the work that's been done over the past 10 years will probably hold them over for some time to come.

How much is the US government paying for this?

I'm sure it could be better spent on health care or schools, actually now that I think about it the money could be given as a bonus to you all.

Good new from Apple clues~

∞LOVE
mayallsoulsbefree∞

Originally posted by boncho

Originally posted by khimbar
“Assembled in USA.”

Not made in. Parts will still be from China.

What minimum percentage has to be assembled in the USA for them to say that I wonder?

China has the largest supply of rare earths that go into manufacturing computer components. It's not surprising that they would still make them in there. Especially since China is cutting off the high volume REE exports.

Link

The other thing, is the union problems stateside. Look at how GM had workers making the equivalent of $90/hour when the company was nose diving. At the same time, Toyota was paying on average of around $40/hour for a better product.

I believe in worker's rights, but if the unions get too pushy the companies bleed away any chance of survival.

edit on 6-12-2012 by boncho because: (no reason given)

while unions started out obviously for good reasons, it seems like more and more get out of hand with the expectations of unrealistic pay. not all, but some for sure.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


I'm pretty sure it will be the Mac Pro line, not the Mac Book Pro ones. They sell less of them (Mac Pro) and people that are willing to buy those won't mind the extra on the price as long as they get these darn machines that some have been waiting for years to see updated.

They make it sound like a really huge announcement, but I'm pretty sure that by producing these on America will allow them to produce them on demand and keep everything slimmer production wise.

Many of the larger US companies are bringing production back. Our company is investing nearly 1 BILLION in new manufacturing plants. This area all the closed factories have been bought out and are being rehabed. We have to build a new warehouse because there's no space within 10 miles to lease. 2014 is going to be a big year for US manyfacturing and they guy in charge is going to get the credit even though it related to global economics and the MADE IN THE USA brand

This might be the toe in the door for them to have sweat shops here to reduce cost. Foxconn american style and more companies to follow suit. Or like General electric have prisoners make their products.

reply to post by celticdog


Wish I had thought of that.

reply to post by dmsuse


Chinese school leavers out number, and out perform those of other nations every single time. They have rigorous and effective methods for teaching mathematics, sciences, and the like. So you couple the fact that there are vast legions of them, with the fact that those who HAVE been educated to some degree are often able to outperform other students from around the world in key areas, and you have something called a no brainer.

Not an Apple guy, in fact I have boycotted and have NEVER owned an Apple product.

That being said I would buy an American made Mac, would be my first Apple purchase ever.

Needless to say, I support bringing jobs back home.

An American company selling an American made product just makes me feel all fuzzy inside = )

It's a step in the right direction I guess. It's hard for me to get excited when a company like Apple announces a decision to do what would appear to be the right thing. When I think of any major US corporation I think of unscrupulous people doing whatever it takes to make a profit, I think of lobbyists paying for access and control of MY politicians, and how government basically sponsors their violation of the people and resources of the world. Like others have said, this will probably mean prison labor assembling products for 22 cents an hour. Sorry to be jaded & cynical but it's been a long time since I've seen anything to make me believe any major US corporation, or politician seated in DC gives a crap about America.