Apple, Get Out of China
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 5:16AM Last week, in what was certainly not the first time, concern has been raised over the working conditions/age of the men and women who actually assemble Apple's iPods, iPhones, and other products. First in Apple's defense, these latest revelations come from their own, sanctioned review of product suppliers, something other companies don't even do.
The fact of the matter is, as long as Apple relies on third parties to produce their products, they won't be able to tightly control leaks, or the manner in which workers are treated. Rather than continue to risk product leaks, and the bad publicity of worker abuses, Apple has a unique opportunity to do something other tech companies can't: Move to automated manufacturing... in the United States.
Sure, any manufacturing plant is exceedingly expensive to get off the ground, but with $40 billion in cash, Apple is one of the few companies that could pull it off. Again, this isn't just a plan to raise the image of the company (further) as a symbol of social change, but rather a strategic decision, allowing Apple to further control their products from start to finish.
Reader Comments (2)
I would pay 10% more for products built in the USA. Probably not enough to cover the additional costs to build state side, but who knows, with an up to date automated factory it could work.
I think moving some production to the US would be a huge PR win for Apple (good PR never hurts, even when you're on top...) Plus, there would be positive environmental effects by reducing the shipping distance for the products.