Even Forbes admits basic assembly costs would $30-$40 greater in the U.S. and possibly $80-$90 if other components were U.S. sourced.
But all of that is irrelevant. The basic cost is absorbed in various contract deals by the big providers and is typically nothing more then a negotiating point for upsells.
And those are estimated costs NOW, not after a few years of production optimization based on automation.
I don't doubt it. Several years ago I read that the production cost in Asia of all those super expensive sneakers was around $8 to $12 per pair.
And there are plenty of smart phones that sell for $100 and less, so the labor component of making a smart phone can't be too great even on the most expensive phones.
And Rush still will not talk about the harm done to our economy and workers by one-sided trade deals (which he always supported in the past).
One of the big reason you want Apple to manufacture in the US is the ripple effect it does for metal and plastic manufacturing and the full train of source materials.
So Apple’s plant — or a US-based Foxconn facility — could be highly automated but still create 10 times the jobs for companies who supply Apple.
And Samsung would certainly follow.
Trump’s correct. We’ve scared manufacturing away with regulations.