How Apple Makes the Watch

Atomic Delights ^ | March 13, 2015

[Swordmaker]

Apple is the world's foremost manufacturer of goods. At one time, this statement had to be caged and qualified with modifiers such as "consumer goods" or "electronic goods," but last quarter, Apple shipped a Boeing 787's weight worth of iPhones every 24 hours. When we add the rest of the product line to the mix, it becomes clear that Apple's supply chain is one of the largest scale production organizations in the world.

While Boeing is happy to provide tours of their Everett, WA facility, Apple continues to operate with Willy Wonka levels of secrecy. In the manufacturing world, we hear rumors of entire German CNC mill factories being built to supply Apple exclusively, or even occasionally hear that one of our supplier's process experts has been "disappeared" to move to Cupertino or Shenzhen. While we all are massively impressed with the scale of Apple's operations, there is constant intrigue as to exactly how they pull it all off with the level of fit, finish and precision obvious to anyone who has examined their hardware.

This walkthrough is a detailed narration of what we see in Apple's Watch Craftsmanship videos. Of course, we only get to see a mere fraction of the process; I've tried to provide plausible explanations for the likely steps taking place between the processes shown on film, but these are assumptions and are included only to provide a more satisfying and complete narration.

[minnesota_bound]

The nets were installed by the circus to catch the high wire acts.

[Swordmaker]

The nets were installed by the circus to catch the high wire acts.

READ THE ARTICLE you Delusional ass.

[SamAdams76]

Nice comeback on that one.

I find it amazing that some conservatives will employ the same tactics that we criticize the Left for.

For example, Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live does a skit impersonating Sarah Palin with the catchphrase "I can see Russia from my house." Suddenly all the Palin-hating liberals start acting like it was actually Sarah Palin who said those words, in an effort to make Palin seem stupid and out of touch..."Imagine, Sarah Palin is so naive that she believes she can see Russia from her house even though it's over 500 miles away."

So when a Freeper reports an utter absurdity as fact in order to make his or her point, that Freeper is no better than those liberals running around repeating absurdities about Sarah Palin.

[Cementjungle]

Very few companies have the skills of Apple, when it comes to design and manufacturing prowess.

I think their prowess is more in the area of marketing than anything else. Their stuff is not unlike others, but they manage to get and keep a loyal following who are willing to pay a premium for the brand.

[roadcat]

I think their prowess is more in the area of marketing than anything else.

Not so. Apple engineers and designers get paid more than other Apple jobs (average $130,000), and get paid more than Google. They get almost twice in pay what the marketing people get paid (average $75,000). You put your money where your strength is, and at Apple that is in design and engineering. Their products are unlike others, with others scrambling to mimic Apple. Most companies pay each other licensing fees for patents owned, and Apple has quite a few patents. The "premium" that customers pay is for a quality product with many bundled features absent from other lackluster products at the same price. (Excluding accessories from that statement, as all companies get much of their profit from accessories, not just Apple.)

[Cementjungle]

Not so. Apple engineers and designers get paid more than other Apple jobs (average $130,000), and get paid more than Google. They get almost twice in pay what the marketing people get paid (average $75,000). You put your money where your strength is, and at Apple that is in design and engineering. Their products are unlike others, with others scrambling to mimic Apple. Most companies pay each other licensing fees for patents owned, and Apple has quite a few patents. The "premium" that customers pay is for a quality product with many bundled features absent from other lackluster products at the same price. (Excluding accessories from that statement, as all companies get much of their profit from accessories, not just Apple.)

Engineers make more than other occupations in lots of companies... so I'm not sure that's indicative of anything.

Apple didn't make the first PC, phone, smartwatch or anything else really... they mimic others. They excel in marketing and keeping brand loyalty... that's really the crux of their success. I'm not saying that's a bad thing... it works and it's a good formula for their success.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Just ignore the idiot.

[Swordmaker]

Apple didn't make the first PC, phone, smartwatch or anything else really... they mimic others. They excel in marketing and keeping brand loyalty... that's really the crux of their success. I'm not saying that's a bad thing... it works and it's a good formula for their success.

I submit you really don't have a clue what you are talking about. . . You are talking through your hat, repeating a myth from others who don't know what they are talking about. You don't have to be first to be best. You don't have to be first to innovate. . . but you fail to recognize innovation that IS first. Innovation that completely disrupts markets and industries. Yes there were what were called "smartphones" before the iPhone. . . but they were not "smart" and were at best what today would be termed a feature phone. Even the best of them could not display a full Internet experience like a desktop computer could. The iPhone changed that by putting a full computer in your hand with a screen capable of handling desktop resolutions, and attached a phone to it. To do it, Apple invented the multi-touch video screen. They hold the patents on that. There are over two hundred patents on the 2007 iPhone alone.

There were a few MP3 players before the iPod. . . but none that were as easy to use to select music to play, and because of that ease of use, the engineering and user interface, it quickly because the most popular music player in the world. . . and the others faded. Microsoft thought that they could capture a large segment of the market by copying the hardware with the Zune. It failed utterly.

There were tablet computers before the iPad, but Apple innovated the tablet with one that actually worked. None before did so that people would want to use it. Sales of previous tablet models totaled under 300,000 units combined. . . because they were clunky and tried to fit a desktop OS into a form factor that was unsuited for it.

You say that Apple did not invent the PC. They made the first successful PC they public embraced: The Apple II. Before that were computers that were not user friendly. . . Apple innovated to make the computer easily user friendly. . . and that's what sold it.

The Macintosh was truly revolutionary. . . and innovative. I am going to bet you are going to claim that Xerox created the GUI, but it isn't true. Apple created most of the GUI, things like drag and drop, nested drop down menuing, Draggable windows, live icons, and a host of other things. There is very little similarities between Apple's GUI and Xerox's Smalltalk. Xerox's Star sold for $20,000 per workstation and a small office installation, including server and two workstations would set a business back $75,000 in 1983. That's $176,000 in 2015 dollars. Apple's 32 bit Macintosh was $2495, or $5600 in 2015 dollars. . . while a Microsoft 16 bit DOS machines was $2995 with monitor, or $6750 in 2015 dollars. It would be years before Microsoft adopted a GUI.

Others mimic Apple. That's the way it is. Not Apple copying others.

Cell phone industry samples before the iPhone introduction


Google's pre-iPhone Android phone design (L) and Google's Post iPhone design (R)


All other Android smartphones after the introduction of the iPhone

Your complaint about Apple copying the watch? About two years ago an Apple engineer in an unsanctioned interview was asked what Apple was working on. . . and he described a watch that would interface with the iPhone and outlined some of the functions it could have. Just a week later, Samsung announced they were going to release a line of wearable products. This was the origin of Samsung's Gear line. Copying, again, what Apple was doing.

[N. Theknow]

Missed one!

[Star Traveler]

Oh no! Not another APPLE-HATER CULT member! Where do these guys come from?!

[Swordmaker]

Oh no! Not another APPLE-HATER CULT member! Where do these guys come from?!

The woodwork? Or from under a rock. . .

[TheBattman]

What about the Mac Pro?

[Cementjungle]

Oh no! Not another APPLE-HATER CULT member! Where do these guys come from?!

Wow... you guys sure are sensitive. I didn't say anything that could remotely be construed as "hate". I said they have great marketing, which is true.

I guess that unless we say they make the best products the universe has ever seen you think we're being negative.

[Reaganez]

It is a publicity stunt. Even Apple does not claim Apple assembles in the USA. A joint venture co-owned with Taiwanese firm Flextronics assembles Chinese components into the Mac Pro in Austin Texas but the facility is operated by Flextronics. Apple does not manufacture anything.

[roadcat]

Oh no! Not another APPLE-HATER CULT member! Where do these guys come from?!

I don't know, but they sure have sh*t for brains, and no business acumen. I've asked others that if they like their favorites so much (Dell, Microsoft, insert any name), how much stock do they own, or have they invested in those companies at all? Met by silence. Meanwhile, I bought Apple stock in the teens and low twenties, and it's been through a couple splits since then... and grown. So I can take the abuse they throw my way, while I enjoy my riches in retirement as Apple became the giant they are.

[minnesota_bound]

Apple MacBook Parody Video Features Old Footage of Giggling Spanish Comedian
https://gma.yahoo.com/apple-macbook-parody-video-features-old-footage-giggling-183201280—abc-news-topstories.html

[minnesota_bound]

Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAuB0konzzQ