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Ben Rosen
Natalie Byers
ENG 110
9th December 2013
Technology: Born Mostly in America, But Raised in China Until Now
Welcome to Apple. This company has paved the way for technology the same
Thomas Edison established electricity; by creating something that is simple yet has many
complex uses. Steve Jobs was born in California and brought the famous line of designed
by Apple in California to be printed on all his products (allaboutstevejobs). With a
computer/smartphone/tablet business the size of Apple, the idea of just manufacturing
their products in the U.S. is impossible. There is not enough manpower currently. This is
why China has an enormous manufacturing company called Foxconn. The distribution
giant is responsible for the creation of numerous smartphones from various corporations
including the beloved iPhone.
Inside the iFactory known formally as Foxconn (located in Shenzhen, China)
most of the work is not accomplished through special machines, rather the hands of
young men and women. Bill Weir from Nightline visited Foxconn and described The
factory floor [as] spotless under the bright fluorescent lights [as] thousands of hands
reach[ed] into a conveyor belt river, hoping that their hard work would eventually turn
noticed. Employees of Foxconn pour countless hours into very tedious, repetitive actions
only to find that their paycheck is not always worthy of the tiresome efforts. From dawn
till dusk, there is only a single lunch and dinner break in the midst of a brutal twelve-hour
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shift. By days end, many will remain at the factory where they share dorms with other
workers.
Outside of the iFactory, intimidating suicide nets drape the complex. It was spring
of 2010 when the decision was made to assemble this safety precaution. The corporate
holders of Foxconn have found ways of deterring the facts about suicide in the past, but
eventually the truth leaked. These nets were built in response to nine suicides over three
months where workers plunged off the building (BBC News).
China is a miracle in the many things that it accomplishes. The population is huge
and there are always unemployed individuals who will take a factory job. Whenever a
large tech manufacture in China announces that they are now hiring, one can expect a
flock of people to come barreling towards an entrance when those doors swing open. Not
many are hired, but those who are seem extremely grateful (Nightline). Apple would not
be here if it wasnt for Foxconn. And if not for Apple, there would be many more poor,
desperate villagers harvesting the fields on the outskirts of China.
It is important to see both sides of the moon though. Because Apple brings the
consumer to see a beautiful, elegant, and sleek product, many will overlook the sweaty,
overworked hands that created such luxury.
Foxconn, in my mind is a love hate place to live and work. Many of the people
who work there are honestly receiving the best job that they can get. It is irritating
however to understand that Apple is so wealthy, but it seems careless at times about the
way their products are assembled. As people become increasingly aware of Foxconn,
hopefully the media will shine some much needed publicity on this invisible company.
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The U.S. is now the one place that Motorola manufactures their electronic
devices. This decision came fairly recently when the head CEO decided that he wanted to
turn all American. Motorola is the only smart phone manufacturer to take production of
their latest device (The Moto X) from China to the U.S. Mitchell Schnurman of Dallas
News believes that, if Google and Motorola are right, the future of manufacturing is
local. The reasons for a change are many, most prominent are the turnaround times. As
cell phones become a daily necessity, companies will have to consider the increase in
demand and decrease in supply. We have 150 million smartphones nationwide, and until
now, all were produced abroad, states Schnurman (Dallas News). The overseas market
will most likely not even notice this change in production. With the numerous products
that are assembled abroad, a single phone manufacture is just a needle in the haystack.
There are 2,500 employees at the new factory stationed in Fort Worth Texas,
where over 100,000 phones are produced weekly. The cost to make these phones is
higher and, costs Google an additional $4.00 to have the Moto X assembled in the US.
(Forbes)
Benefits of having an American made product are many: there is an increase in
color customization, reduced shipping times from localization, and more availability to
the fellow consumer. Motorola has pioneered the way for future smartphone
manufacturing and perhaps the biggest reward of all is the fact that this simple change
has added over $60 million to the US economy (Forbes).
Despite all this great headway, it is difficult to reason that all this was done
without any marketing intentions. Businesses no matter how big or small are out to make
fast cash. Being the first to say that their smartphones are made in the US is a big deal,
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and with that title, comes brand loyalty and a large increase in sales. People like to say
that they are helping America when they purchase something. This is why is small
business Saturday comes to help keep the consumerism of local towns. Individuals want
to contribute to what they embrace. When someone spots that Motorola is making their
phones in the US, many are bound to see this as a company who does not just care about
money. At the same time, however, advertisers who understand the way buyers think may
have suggested the switch to US production. The truth is not clear and only those in
charge really know what their full intentions are. There is nothing to complain about
when all that stands is a boost in the marketplace and an increase in jobs.
The next shocker will be when Apple faces the decision of changing locations.
This may never happen for the US, but if it did, people would be even more head over
heels for the latest iPhone.
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Works Cited
[Link] (Nightline Special Report) ABC channel
Chibber, Kabir. "Foxconn: 'Hidden Dragon' out in the Open." BBC News. BBC, 24 Sept.
2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"Foxconn Employees Strike Over Extreme High Quality Standards Of IPhone 5."
Maypalo. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
Worstall, Tim. "Apple And Foxconn Are The Best Thing That's Ever Happened To
Chinese Labour." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"A Trip to The IFactory: 'Nightline' Gets an Unprecedented Glimpse Inside Apple's
Chinese Core." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"Analyst: Apple IPhone 5S Production to Begin This Month." PCMAG. N.p., n.d. Web.
20 Sept. 2013.
Grandoni, Dino. "Foxconn Unions Are Strengthened At Apple's Request." The
Huffington Post. [Link], 04 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"The Verge." The Verge. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"Motorola History." Motorola_US. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
"Schnurman: Fort Worth Smartphone Factory May Change Future of Manufacturing."
Dallas-Fort Worth News, Sports, Entertainment, Weather and Traffic. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Sept. 2013.
Worstall, Tim. "The Real Reason Google's Moto X Is Being Assembled In The US."
Forbes 4 Aug. 2013: 6 pars. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Worstall, Tim. "Google's US Assembly Of The Moto X is Adding $60 Million To The US
Economy." Forbes 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Moisescot, Romain. All About Steve Jobs. Ed. Romain Moisescot. Paypal & Flattr, 7 Mar.
2012. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.