The Outsourced iPhone

[sandnsea]

I have not fact-checked this, I get all kinds of crap in my email that I don't know where it came from. But I do know most computer parts are manufactured overseas. I post to remind Apple lovers that they can't love their products because Al Gore is on the board, and promote ending trade at the same time. We need a President who will get tough on raising living standards around the world, labor, environment, equal rights.

"Look, 451 parts go into each iPod. And if anything, the iPhone is an even more complicated device!

I think the companies that make and assemble these devices are chock-full of investment potential. As you might guess, there is a very direct connection to Asia in there, too. Let me show you …


Japan: The most expensive component in the iPhone is its hard drive, which is manufactured by a Japanese company — Toshiba.

The Philippines: Of course, Toshiba makes a lot of its hard drives in the Philippines.

South Korea: Samsung provides the iPhone's main processor. In other words, South Korea provides the device's "brain."

Taiwan: Apple outsources the entire iPhone manufacturing process to several Taiwanese companies: Asustek, Inventec Appliances and Foxconn.

China: In turn, those three Taiwanese companies have most of their factories in mainland China. In fact, Foxconn has a manufacturing center in Longhua, China that is so large it has been nicknamed iPod City. It's a massive complex where 200,000 Chinese work and sleep."

http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/press.asp?rls_id=847&cat_id=6&

[tridim]

1. And unlike all other products that are primarily manufactured in China,

it demands an ultra-premium price, simply because Jobs tells his followers "It's so cool!". :eyes:

Sorry Apple folks but I'll never understand that company.

[davidwparker]

4. It is cool. Got one in my pocket. Does that mean we're getting out of

WTO so that we can return to making something -- anything -- here?

[sandnsea]

7. How many years would that take?

How many people? What if we don't have enough people to manufacuture EVERYTHING here? God knows we don't want any immigrants. Then what?

[davidwparker]

10. Then, that's when you TRADE. Countries become self-sustaining and

what they don't have they trade with other countries.

[ret5hd]

12. So point out the threads with complete isolationists...as in "no trade"

[sandnsea]

16. gosh, isn't that what's happening?

If you could control commerce, and you knew you had a limited workforce, would you keep the blue collar manufacturing or the white collar programming?

My only point is that there's really no such thing as a "blue" company when it comes to trade.

[davidwparker]

39. what's happening now is that we're losing jobs right and left from

this country. manufacturing. white collar. research is being shipped out.

[emulatorloo]

30. compare iPhone to similarily featured smartphones and there is not much price difference

If you want to understand the company and the devotion of its users, you will need to try the products --

it isn't about "That's so cool." it is about usability.

A well thought out user interface.

Complicated devices made easier to manage.

Devices that "just work."

[tridim]

31. I work on an Intel Mac every day and I still don't get it.

I played with my brother's iPod for a week and I still don't get it.

Never seen an iPhone, but my guess is that I still won't get it.

[emulatorloo]

32. Then maybe it is a personality thing -- some folks like to tinker with their cars, others don't

I am kinda half and half -- I like to tinker but sometimes I don't want to. So I end up liking almost any computer/tech toy.

[nosillies]

2. So help us out here -- which cell phone is completely American made?

[sandnsea]

5. Can't villify some and not others

My point is that we have to stop believing that we can prevent foreign products from coming in, or that by buying one product over another we are being "blue". It isn't true. The problems are a lot more complex than that. I'd never seen the specific components listed for a product, particularly a "blue" product, that's why I posted.

[SoCalDem]

11. Fisher Price?

probably not even this one..:(



or maybe mattel?

[MonkeyFunk]

3. the iPhone doesn't have a hard drive

so it's hard to take much of this seriously.

[sandnsea]

6. It's about the iPod and iPhone

You don't believe the components are manufactured overseas??

[MonkeyFunk]

14. of course they're manufactured overseas

who ever thought otherwise?

[ret5hd]

8. Every dollar is a vote...

disclaimer: i own NEITHER an ipod or iphone. This reply is not solely about Apple.

As with voting for gov't reps, sometimes you end up voting for the lesser of two evils. You can be for fair trade (i don't know many who are "against trade" as you put it) and still buy a foreign-made product if that product is what your research tells you is the best "fair trade" deal. Or you can do without. Or you can rely on only what is solely manufactured in the U.S., which frankly means no computer. Where is that resistor made? Where is that rectifier made?

Every day with every dollar i spend i KNOW i am making a vote. I am purposely concious of it. It affects every purchase i make. No Coke, no Pepsi, no McDonalds, only RedWing workboots, and MANY MANY choices that i realize are (AT BEST) the lesser of two evils. But i am aware. I am aware that the fluorescent bulb i put in last week contains a small amount of mercury...but the amount of coal that would have burned to power the replaced bulb would have spewed MORE mercury, so the lesser of two evils.

I balance my needs and requirements with my budget, but always always with the realization that EVERY DOLLAR IS A VOTE, and how i vote MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

All that said, if i NEEDED a cellphone/pda/internet access device, i would probably have a hard time bettering Apples record. But i would have to put some effort into finding out for sure.

[sandnsea]

18. Or you can advocate appropriate change

across the board. Those who get on the Lou Dobbs bandwagon are missing the bigger picture.

BTW, the light bulb has as much mercury as a watch battery, so it's not all that much to begin with. They just need to be disposed of properly.

[ret5hd]

22. Every cent you spend advocates change...appropriate or not,

good or not. Every dollar is a vote for change, for better or for worse.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Do you have a list of cell phones mfg in the US? I'm hardpressed to think of one. eom

[sandnsea]

17. Exactly, there aren't any blue companies

on the issue of trade. We need to be advocating for specific trade reform, not just ending all the trade agreements.

[MetaTrope]

13. Huzzah for Steve Jobs, highest-paid CEO in America!

At least it's not American sweat that's floating him there.

[Texas_Kat]

15. Cost effective

Samsung has US based manufacturing locations (though it's difficult to tell if they are involved in manufacturing the iPhone.

You also left out the rest of the article that identified American companies:

Of course, even if you're only interested in domestic stocks, don't worry — the U.S. isn't getting frozen out of the iPhone bonanza.

The video processor chip and the input/output controller chip are made by PortalPlayer … Micron makes the camera sensor … Texas Instruments provides the power-management chip … Marvel Technologies delivers the Wi-Fi chip … And Skyworks makes the front-end power amplifier. Plus, don't forget about AT&T … they're providing the wireless service!

BTW, it really DOES blow away the competition and because of the reduced price data package, I'm saving $20.00/month over what my previous blackberry monthly costs were. That's a savings of $240.00/year. Over the life of a two year contract, it's $480.00 less than what I'd have spent on the old blackberry fees. Even at an initial cost of $599.00, by reducing the price (by $480.00) over what my black berry contract was, the iPhone is only costing me $120.00.

Do the math.

[sandnsea]

20. I'm not criticizing the iPhone

I said people who flock to iPhone because it's "blue", and then criticize other outsourcing, might want to rethink their position.

If you want your iPhone, and a clean planet, you might advocate real change in trade policy.

If you don't fall in either one of these categories, then you aren't the one this post is targeted at.

[ret5hd]

25. Well, I can't really tell WHO you are criticizing...

I can't tell if you're pro-nafta/wto and criticizing those who are against so-called "free trade"
I can't tell if you're criticizing Apple fans because they believe Apple's reputation is "bluer"
I can't tell if you are advocating outsourcing.
I can't tell what "real change in trade policy" you are advocating.
Really. It just seems like a ball of negativity to me.

[sandnsea]

26. Pretty simple

Look at where your computer, and even your blue iPod and iPhone, come from. Specific companies.

Outsourced companies. Chinese companies with the on-site worker camps and who knows what kind of pollution.

That's not going to change.

Don't call yourself blue if you buy these products, and then turn around and rant about ending NAFTA and the WTO.

Don't call yourself blue if you don't care about these people in their countries, and only want to end Chinese trade because it's Chinese.

You're not "blue" just because you buy a "blue" product.

[ret5hd]

28. so MAYBE the Amish are blue...

everyone else needs to shutup?

[emulatorloo]

29. FWIW all Apple's tech support, customer service, phone stuff, sales is based in the USA

When as you know so many companies have outsourced that sort of service work.

Asia has always been good at building small computer components, so it is hard to fault the company for buying small hard drives etc

[sandnsea]

33. This was a simple little point

To all the anti-Chinese outsourcing outrage. We need to be concerned and keep products safe, etc., I'm horrified at some of what's coming into this country. BUT, the people who think they can boycott everything foreign or Chinese are just in massive denial. Then I got this stupid thing in the email and thought I'd post it - see, even your iPod and iPhone have Chinese parts. Even Apple uses companies that are part of the labor and environmental trade problem. That's it.

But everything at DU turns into a spitting match.

[emulatorloo]

34. You are the last person I want to be spitting with! Unless we are laughing together and spitting

up beer or something because we are laughing so hard.

[sandnsea]

36. Well that's why I responded

I figured you'd understand. Although no beers in this direction, I don't drink and I'm nuts enough without it anyway!

[emulatorloo]

37. Me neither -- so it will be Milk and Cookies for you and me

:patriot:

[Tesha]

27. Those companies may be based in the US, but...

> Of course, even if you're only interested in domestic
> stocks, don't worry — the U.S. isn't getting frozen
> out of the iPhone bonanza.
>
> The video processor chip and the input/output controller
> chip are made by PortalPlayer … Micron makes the camera
> sensor … Texas Instruments provides the power-management
> chip … Marvel Technologies delivers the Wi-Fi chip … And
> Skyworks makes the front-end power amplifier.

Those companies may be based in the US, but it's very likely
that most or all of the manufacturing is done in the Far East.
It's *POSSIBLE* that the manufacturing of the semiconductor
wafers (the "front-end processing") is done in a "fab"
(fabrication plant) in the US, but *NOBODY* then does
the "back-end processing" stateside. The slicing of the
wafer, the packaging of the chips, and the final testing
of the chips is all done in Asia in places like Taiwan,
Malaysia, and Singapore.

Tesha

[Texas_Kat]

35. So are many of the components 'assembled' in America from foreign parts

Ford, GM get their car components from overseas, even though they are nominally "American' companies. Toyota is a Japanese company though there are more US plants than there are Japanese plants.

No petroleum company is "American".

Multinational's exist and they'll continue to exist. Forever. It's also not a particularly 'new' phenonemon either -- though it may be new to some.

[ret5hd]

19. Straw Man...how many are advocating truly "No Trade".

Got any links?

edit:typo

[sandnsea]

21. What do you think people hear?

When they hear End NAFTA, End the WTO, stop outsourcing, stop visas. What do people who don't read end up thinking?

[ret5hd]

23. I don't know about others, but I hear end "Free Trade" start "Fair Trade".

NAFTA and WTO are about freedom for corporations, slavery for people.

[sandnsea]

24. Some people hear 'make everything here'

There's posts in this thread that verify that. I think we need to be clearer about the change we advocate. "Fair Trade" just isn't enough to get the message across. And people who pat themselves on the back for "buying blue", need to take a second look.

[michael_1166]

38. And indeed, it DOES blend...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI

:evilgrin: