Once again, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are Apple’s flagship devices and will sell millions of units. In addition, the renewed AirPods 4 and Apple Watch Series 10 also will generate millions in sales throughout this yearTo meet all this manufacturing and global demand, Apple has multiple factories in China. Via its manufacturing partner (Foxconn)Hundreds of thousands of workers are tasked with manufacturing every device on time to meet Apple’s demanding shipping deadlines.
Tim Cook Talks Manufacturing in China and Surprises with His Statements
In an interview a few years ago, Tim Cook spoke at the Fortune Global Forum about choice of China as a producing country. And, in general, China is associated with cheaply manufactured products that require cheaper labor. Of course, this was the case in the past, and it is still the case in some aspects and sectors. However, in the technological field, they have become a technological power.
It is true that we are in a globalized worldand in fact, many chip factories in China have European and American technologies and patents. But its human strength is unmatched. Not only in terms of costs, but also in terms of talent. And this is precisely what Tim Cook emphasizes in the said interview.
There is a confusion about China, at least in my opinion. The popular view is that companies come to China because of the low cost of labor. The truth is that China has ceased to be the country where labor costs are low for many years. The reason is because of the number of people trained in one place and the type of training they receive. The products we manufacture require very advanced knowledge. The level of training here is very high. In the United States, you could build a group of highly qualified engineers, but I am not sure we could fill this room. In China, you could fill several football fields. The level of training is very high.
This is the reason why Apple decides to work in China. And even though in recent years they have tried to relocate their manufacturing plants to India and other countries to diversifyThe reality is that most products still carry the signature “Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in China.”
And precisely, the proof is in our hands. Apple products have a quality that can be felt. The finish of the Apple Watch Series 10, the cutting-edge technology inside AirPods, iPhone 16 Pro camerasSome of the work is done well in the United States and other parts of the world, but without China, distribution and manufacturing would be much more difficult.
Despite this, and despite Tim Cook’s statements, the so-called “996 days” still exist in China. What this means work from 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. And although the Chinese government is trying to put an end to this way of working, it is common to continue to encounter such days. Despite everything, Apple strives to have decent working conditions. And for this, they have a website with all the policies applied both in the company itself and in all its manufacturing partners.
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