The USA Lost Out on more than the iPhone
I very much like my mobile phone the iPhone but I am passionate about the good old USA and manufacturing here or Made in America.I know thatApple products are made elsewhere and seem like it will stay overseas.
in the NY TIMES Obama …
joined Silicon Valley’s top luminaries for dinner in California last February, each guest was asked to come with a question for the president.But as Steven P. Jobs of spoke, President Obama interrupted with an inquiry of his own: what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas.
Why can’t that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.
Mr. Jobs’s reply was unambiguous. “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” he said, according to another dinner guest.
The president’s question touched upon a central conviction at Apple. It isn’t just that workers are cheaper abroad. Rather, Apple’s executives believe the vast scale of overseas factories as well as the flexibility, diligence and industrial skills of foreign workers have so outpaced their American counterparts that “Made in the U.S.A.” is no longer a viable option for most Apple products.
Yes we have been out maneuvered in mfg for quite some time. Flashback to the days after WWII and the USA was helping Japan (and others) rebuild.The Americans were THE Masters of manufacturing not the folks oversea on either side. We taught Japan how we did the mfg process. They were also masters at copying and this they did to a “T”. We were all about quality and value which was again passed on to the Japanese.My father served as a paratrooper in Japan in the afore mention days and tells the story of giving a few Japanese men two beer cans and a zippo lighter, and in a few days came back with a replica of that lighter. They were very smart people and willing to learn new things.They just need someone to teach them how to do it.
This is going somewhere and yes I do realize that Apple is a China product but am answering the question why Mr Jobs would make such a statement “industrial skills of foreign workers have so outpaced their American counterparts ”
Now that type of manufacturing in the USA went out from us because of the need (really called greed) to not make things of such high quality anymore. The thinking was that if a car only lasted 7-10 yrs instead 20 yrs plus, then we could have these folks back in our buying line shortly and of course make even more money… and the time keep getting reduced to where now if you can get a 90 day warrenty on a household product you good a good deal.
Could the USA once again be a mfg giant of the world? Yes but it would take alot of effort and at times I am not so sure that we “all” are willing to pay that price. Its a crying shame but lets not just bash presidents,congressmen and so forth,as it must start in our own homes 1st., in the products we buy.
The following is ABC News video of a story about Made in America Please take the time to view this.
Here is a another page from ABC NEWS about same with many stories
