Would you prefer a US-made iphone costing 2 to 5 times as much as now, or stick with Chinese/Indian/Taiwanese made?

Poll - Total Votes: 5

I want new iPhone's and other tech cheap (relatively) and made in China/India/Taiwan, etc.

I want new iPhone's and other tech costing 2 to 5 times more but made in the USA

I don't care

You can only vote on one answer.

Currently, new iphones are cheap because they are mostly assembled in foreign factories with primarily low-paid labour.

If Apple is forced to (or decides to) set up manufacturing in the USA, new iphones will cost between 2 and 5 times their current prices because of the costs of everything inc labour in the USA?

I don't have an iphone, but the same would apply with all other US-based tech brands.

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JonUK41 · 36-40, M

That's Apple's problem.

Consider the gross margin on an iPhone is ~50%. Costs $500 to make, sell it for $1k. Sweet - you make a ton of money which Apple obviously do.

Move production to the USA and say the iPhone costs $1k to make. Obviously they can't sell it for $1k but maybe they sell it for $1.5k. Most people will pay but Apple makes less money on the people who pay and loses sales on the people who won't pay. Obviously nobody is going to give up a phone so Google/Android is the winner as they're the only alternative .

On the upside the USA gets more manufacturing jobs on which tax is paid. You could argue this is more valuable to the USA than Apple making a ton of money and hiding most of it offshore.

The USA needs the jobs more than the tax revenue from Apple.

zonavar68 · 56-60, M

@JonUK41 it's not that simple. Apple's supply chain is all geared to just-in-time production using components sourced from lots of places. Even if Apple shifted full production back to the USA a huge amount of the phone's hardware would still be components made in China.

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