Apple could make iPhones in US in future: sources

Nikkei ^ | November 18, 2016 12:20 am JST | Debby Wu

[cba123]

TAIPEI

iPhones might one day soon carry "Made in America" labels.

(full article available at link, not copied because it requires setting up an account)

[cba123]

Just noting.

The article says "may".

My question is, what in the world has taken Apple so long?

Just do it.

[BipolarBob]

Will it have the suicide nets outside of windows also?

[patro]

Maybe we’ll have steel mills open up in Pennsylvania again. Bought black pipe and fittings the other day for a water tank and pump project, and they all said CHINA.

[noiseman]

It wasn't that many years ago that Apple manufactured most of their laptops at a plant in Colorado Springs. When profit margins are in the several hundred percent range, as they are for Apple, it is hard to argue that it is economically infeasible to manufacture in the U.S.

Of course, not every company is Apple, but if we can cut onerous regulations and create a more favorable tax structure I don't see why we can't lure back a significant portion of our lost manufacturing base. Especially if we make it more expensive to access our coveted consumer market if companies decide to keep their manufacturing offshore.

Carrot and stick.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Think they may have overheard Trump tell Ford that he was going to slap a 35% import tax on those small autos that they were going to build in Meh-e-coh when they moved the plant there.

[central_va]

I know this is impossible because Free Trade Freepers have told me this would be a disaster for the consumer because each iPhone made in the USA would retail for $50,000.00 instead of $500.00. /sarc

[dp0622]

ROFL!!

Free Traders here used to POUNCE on ANY comment we made about making something in the USA or (GOD FORBID) leveling the playing field.

I guess they get excited at the thought of buying anything as long a it’s not made in America and it’s cheap.

[rhett october]

It’ll take tax changes here in the U.S. for them to be able to afford to make them here. They’d need to leave California also and go somewhere like Florida or Tennessee.

[Blood of Tyrants]

There is very little labor in building iphones. Most of the assembly is done by machines and robots.

[central_va]

Bub but but Free Traitors ™ told me each iphone would cost $500,000 if dirty lazy good for nothing Americans were allowed to build them.

[Kellis91789]

This has been my argument for years. I doubt if there is more than 1 man hour labor involved in manufacturing a phone or a TV or many other items whose industries have left the USA completely. So the labor cost per unit increases from $5 to $25. Seems like a “Buy American” movement could overcome that small a differential on items costing several hundred dollars each.

Even automobiles only include about 20 hours of labor, so the difference in labor cost if built here should amount to less than $1,000 — part of which would be offset by lower delivery costs.

[trebb]

Second time I’ve seen the story (not complaining) and wonder if it has any bearing on China’s guy threatening to stomp his foot and not supply us with our precious phones....if China (or any other country) can manufacture something, so can America.