DailyTech - Apple Computers: Made in the USA?

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Gadgets Apple Computers: Made in the USA?
Tiffany Kaiser - December 3, 2012 2:19 PM

68 comment(s) - last by alcalde.. on Dec 8 at 1:17 AM

A "Computer Assembled in USA" sticker made its way onto an iMac purchased this weekend

Apple may be assembling certain hardware in the United States instead of China, according to a recent CNN Money report.

The report referred to a reader, Aaron Gong, that purchased a new 21-inch iMac at an Apple Store in San Jose, California last weekend. When he opened the box, the label said "Computer Assembled in USA" rather than China, which is normally the case.

This is a bit of an odd case, though, since the iMac was an in-stock, entry-level model that had no custom specifications at all. In the past, only "made-to-order" iMacs were assembled in the U.S.

This doesn't mean that Apple is moving all of its hardware -- or even just iMac -- manufacturing the U.S. Another 21-inch iMac buyer purchased his product at the Manhattan Apple Store last week and had an "Assembled in China" label on it.

It's not clear what's going on with Apple's assembly locations, but Gong's Saturday iMac purchase has certainly raised a few questions.

Apple's gadgets are mainly manufactured and assembled at its Foxconn plants in China, but these plants have had several issues this year ranging from poor working conditions to employee abuse in the way of excessive overtime, crowded dorms, and low pay.

Source: CNN

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RE: short memory

By ihateu3 on 12/4/2012 1:35:50 AM , Rating: 1

Can't afford one huh? It seems Apple is caving in to the superior hardware specs of the lesser priced competitors and now offering lower prices. Anyone can afford Apple these days, its no longer "boutique" which helped it rise to the top with that false impression that your buying better.

It seems Apple was the original hipster driven company, now that even people on minimum wage can afford an iPhone, what will you guys move onto next?

As much as you think people hate Apple, the same could be said about you with Google...

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RE: short memory

By epollyon on 12/4/2012 12:41:05 PM , Rating: 2

ridiculous accusation, i love google. it has great services, but less than great software. I don't think android is a good OS. I think google search is phenomenal, gmail is amazing, but the translation services, they are unparalleled. Apple has always been setting competitive prices based on the fact their tech is always slightly ahead of the curve. Now, maybe the latest batch of releases doesn't introduce much if anything new, that doesn't mean they weren't the first to laminate their displays or save space by taking out CDROMS or double the standard resolution on their laptop line or implement intels thunderbolt or...well the list is long. the fact that most of DT users ignore Apples moves as influential and, at times, ahead of the curve, just shows that you don't understand consumer tech. Remember the whole Flash thing? Over that now are we? Ok you may argue "if i wanted flash on my portable device then i should get it," but at the end of the day flash isn't compatible with touch, it isnt compatible with battery life, and it isn't compatible with 2012. same goes for dalvik VM and you will eat my words when google does the right thing and drops android. ugh, there i go, writing too much. apple shouldn't be compared to budget brands on price! thats ridiculous. they put effort into pushing a new standard that everyone copies and they will not put out cheap products. the fact that everyone can afford an iPhone just proves my point. Thing is, not everyone can afford an iPhone5 YET. Or a Retina display 13 inch macbook YET. Soon enough, however, they will drop in price, Dell will make a clone, and apple will already be investing time and money into what they think will be the next trend. remember powerpc's? low heat, effecient RISC chips? yes the kind they are packing to all the latest gadgets? what about the SDK(an apple invention) and Object oriented C. I'm still waiting on a viable Obj-C oriented system that runs on top of unix natively.
ps. i haven't enabled flash on my macbook unless some shitty site is all flash (they are always shitty), i've taken the cdrom drive out of my last 3 macbook pros to throw in an additional HDD (talk about not upgradable), and i am tech savvy. i am convinced most of the apple haters don't actually know anyhting about the tech and the benefits of running os X (native productivity apps and unix side by side)
pss. go fuck yourselves DT

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RE: short memory

By Cheesew1z69 on 12/4/2012 1:46:39 PM , Rating: 1

quote:
what about the SDK(an apple invention)

LOL, they may have "invented" their OWN SDK but they didn't invent the SDK in general.

quote:
ugh, there i go, writing too much

Yep, and mostly useless drivel.

quote:
i am convinced most of the apple haters don't actually know anyhting about the tech and the benefits of running os X (native productivity apps and unix side by side) pss. go fuck yourselves DT

I am convinced most don't care about OSX... or Apple for that matter.

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RE: short memory

By epollyon on 12/4/2012 9:57:29 PM , Rating: 2

hey buddy, great reply. go read about nextstep and the introduction of what was then called a "kit". it included the first interface builder. some day you'll grow up to be just as clueless as everyone on this website. you're ahead of the curve, buddy. you must think apple is the big bad tech company and that its cool to go against them. good job, buddy! :P

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RE: short memory

By ritualm on 12/4/2012 3:59:06 PM , Rating: 2

1. Paragraphs. Use them.

2. You might think you're somehow more tech-literate than the rest of DailyTech.

Except you are so far from it...

quote:
save space by taking out CDROMS

Already done years ago by other laptop makers with ultraportables and palmtops. Apple was first to market its contraption as something you must have or be forever called stodgy and outdated.

quote:
double the standard resolution on their laptop line

The 17" Macbook Pro had a 1920 x 1200 display. Apple killed it this June and replaced it with a 15" Macbook Pro that has a 2880 x 1800 display. That is not "double the standard resolution". Wanna play? Double here means quad-1200v: 3840 x 2400... in other words, 4K at the 15" display size.

Apple didn't do that.

quote:
implement intels thunderbolt

Exclusive to Apple for 12 months, hardly revolutionary besides that it externalizes PCI Express. Unparalleled adoption rates vs USB 3.0 indeed.

quote:
the fact that most of DT users ignore Apples moves as influential and, at times, ahead of the curve, just shows that you don't understand consumer tech.

Most DT users not only understand consumer tech, but actively use them. Most Apple users don't until Cupertino markets it as the next big thing.

Nope, you're wrong on that count.

quote:
at the end of the day flash isn't compatible with touch

Fact: many iOS games are created... with Flash.

quote:
it isnt compatible with battery life

Because all the work was done by the CPU? Those "double the standard resolution" displays on MBPRs are not compatible with battery life!

quote:
it isn't compatible with 2012

Want 2012 compatible? How about NFC? Apple still has not shipped a single product with integrated NFC. Meanwhile Android smartphones have them for months.

Apple products are incompatible with 2012.

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ugh, there i go, writing too much.

I die a little inside when I have to haul in my 2000X electron microscope to snip a line of text out of your paragraph-less post.

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apple shouldn't be compared to budget brands on price! thats ridiculous.

A glowing fruit logo on the top lid = $500 please.

quote:
they put effort into pushing a new standard that everyone copies and they will not put out cheap products.

Wrong.

Apple never adopted USB 2.0 on its iBook's until it debuted with a G4 CPU vs G3. Why? Because I had that one.

Apple never adopted USB 3.0 on any of its computer lines until Ivy Bridge came in with built-in support of this tech. Meanwhile, other companies have been shipping USB3 on their desktops and laptops with a disparaging 6+ months lead.

Apple to this day still has not shipped a single product with NFC.

While Android smartphone makers are moving towards FHD on their 'phones, Apple is stuck with a so-called "Retina" 1136 x 640.

Apple iPad 3/4 with an industry-leading 2048 x 1536 tablet display? Enter the Google/LG Nexus 10: 2560 x 1600 in a tablet - more display resolution than anything Apple currently puts out except the MBPRs and the 27" iMac.

Apple requires everything be proprietary in its Macbook Airs, including the storage component. ASUS uses standard 2.5" SSDs and standard SO-DIMM DDR3 in their latest Zenbooks. Meanwhile Apple charges $500 for 256GB more SSD storage.

quote:
the fact that everyone can afford an iPhone just proves my point.

Subsidized by the carriers with 2-3 year contracts... that's not affordable at all.

quote:
Soon enough, however, they will drop in price

Yep they do, but the new ones use the same prices as the now-outdated ones.

Epic fail.

quote:
remember powerpc's?

Yeah, and Apple switched from PowerPC to Intel x86 because PowerPC stopped providing meaningful performance increases Cupertino wanted.

quote:
i haven't enabled flash on my macbook

I have on my MBPR, because even if it's "not compatible with 2012", it is still used by many, many places outside the Apple ecosystem.

quote:
i've taken the cdrom drive out of my last 3 macbook pros to throw in an additional HDD (talk about not upgradable)

I'm ahead of you.

The future of PCs is an appliance not anymore different than the refrigerators and microwaves in your house. Storage stops being replaceable, since the expectation is when your appliance breaks, you go to a shop and buy a new one, and have the store folks bring a truck and haul your old appliance away.

Your Fatbook Pro is a relic of the previous generation of Macs, incompatible with 2013, incoherent with Apple's design trends, and speaks volumes of your douche-ness over anything Apple-related.

quote:
and i am tech savvy.

Says the guy who can't think why Apple has Thunderbolt before anyone else does and therefore it's innovating.

You are tech-illiterate. You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

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i am convinced most of the apple haters don't actually know anyhting about the tech and the benefits of running os X (native productivity apps and unix side by side)

Microsoft Windows 7.
Microsoft Office 2010.

Your Mac has neither. Therefore you are incompatible with modern business.

It's official, you lost. You should try harder in giving Tony Swash a rimjob instead.

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RE: short memory

By epollyon on 12/4/2012 9:52:19 PM , Rating: 1

my apple is running office v14/2011. the rest of my points you fought with a leap in logic like a fox news journalist taking things out of context. i clearly stated doulbed resoltuion on their 15" books. the 17" would have stayed if it had any sales at all. it wasn't selling. cdroms went the way of floppies. your argument is that someone else took it out before them, granted, but their clear move away from cdroms in their pro line is unparalleled. the nexus 10 is a response to the iPad. the res was doubled, dunno why your comparing a 17" notebook to a 15" notebook. wait, i know why, you really had a hard time with my post, cuz i'm right. i agree with you on slow usb3 implementation and i wish they would have built it in sooner. hate to break it to you but firewire was and still is faster than usb, arguably faster than USB3 (firewire 800). G3's had that. i dunno what your point is but your point sucks. if you are denying the clear trend setting and influence apple has over the market then you're just delusional! Cupertino users, as a whole, do not necessarily reflect the platform as a whole. it is made to be simple and many people will confuse simple for inferior. doubling the resolution was a great move and has hit the battery life, thats why apple has made justified efforts to remove swappable battery trays and put everything on its board. expect this from other manufacturors soon enough :) i apologize for no paragraphs, i don't have time for formatting and would rather just say what i gutta say.
u missed my point on powerpc. super computers are still made on powerpc, btw, so its not a speed problem per se. i think it was a strategic move so that they could more directly compete with the x86 machines. my point, however, was that RISC is coming back huge with all the low power devices. apple had ARM SoC in the bag since they started developing osx on risc in the first place. haters hated and now everyone is just quietly using RISC chips. i'm not saying they pioneered it cuz i think nokia had ARM chips int heir phones for a while, but i think apple had insight into the demands of effeciency and mobile early on.

sites only use flash for advertising these days. adobe air compiles to native code and its not exactly the cats pajamas when it comes to game coding.

why the hell woudl i want windows 7 to be productive? anyway, you're probably more in touch than most these fools cuz obviously you've actually used a mac. but i think a third party observer would see my point remains. apples sets the standard and the rest of the pack catches up. apples tends to leave certain techs out (NFC) for whatever internal reasons, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they set the pace. i am not a PC hater. like i said i use linux and have worked on HPC installations and have used the ubiquitous windows, but i will not shy away from the fact that OS X is superior. apple did have a huge role in developing the SDK. it was one of the main points of NextSTEP and object oriented programming. don't know your shit don't comment. I recant saying that they invented it only because, as with any invention, there tends to be multiple people on the cusp of innovation at the same time.
I'm not happy that i can't upgrade my memory on my own anymore, but i don't think it could have been done any other way. the idea that being able to take your device apart and add stuff to it isn't all that exciting to me IF the right things are included in the first place. unfortunately, apple sets the price. especially with the onboard SSD. i'm curious to see where this takes apple and if people will care that much. i know you do.I'm holding out on the retina devices for a number of reasons but i am years away from buying a PC. windows is weak and linux is a headache. my hope is that apples SSD charge will go down as more units sell. this is a new class of devices and they are charging a heavy premium on the latest and greatest. also, i tend to buy last gen apple stuff cuz it marks down significantly. do you see how all of these things dont' change my point? i hope you do cuz the trend here tends to be: but you can't do this and you can't do that and the question is who said i wanted to run windows 7 and office 2010? who said i want to pay for the retina display (its only an option to date). apple still sets the trend. linus himself said its about time we up the res on the displays and i couldn't agree more. once the price point reaches me, i will be all over it. nice shot, but i win

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RE: short memory

By ritualm on 12/5/2012 1:36:42 AM , Rating: 1

Once again, learn to use paragraphs, it makes your long and unwieldly post a lot easier to read.

quote:
my apple is running office v14/2011

Unfortunately, Office on Windows beats every other office software in the game, including Office:mac 2011.

Epic fail.

quote:
with a leap in logic like a fox news journalist taking things out of context

Pot kettle black.

quote:
i clearly stated doulbed resoltuion on their 15" books.

LOL what? At the same time Apple killed the 17" Macbook Pro, so the 15" MBPR became its successor. "double the resolution" not.

Apparently you can't read your own Apple news.

quote:
cdroms went the way of floppies

Who on earth needs a freaking Ethernet port? Everything is better wireless! WPA2 has better security than good ol' CAT5e, amirite?

Wrong.

quote:
dunno why your comparing a 17" notebook to a 15" notebook

You don't get it, do you? Oh yeah, never mind what I said, you're too busy gobbling up and down Tony Swash's knob to listen.

quote:
you really had a hard time with my post, cuz i'm right

If you're right, I wouldn't reply in the first place. Abort Retry Fail... oh wait, you use a Mac, only the Fail option is available to you.

quote:
but firewire was and still is faster than usb

FireWire is faster than USB 3.0. What a leap in logic like a Fox News journalist taking things out of context.

Firewire at 800 Mbps is faster than USB 3.0 at 4800 Mbps how?

quote:
i dunno what your point is but your point sucks

Classic testerguy response.

quote:
if you are denying the clear trend setting and influence apple has over the market then you're just delusional

You are delusional if you think Apple is the only innovator in both the computer and mobile spaces.

quote:
Cupertino users, as a whole, do not necessarily reflect the platform as a whole.

Or so Tony Swash / testerguy / epollyon says.

quote:
it is made to be simple

Awfully simple to 0day and pwn2own in less than an hour. OS X makes an unpatched Windows 95 look good in the security department.

quote:
apologize for no paragraphs, i don't have time for formatting and would rather just say what i gutta say.

LOL what? You're just being lazy in sprouting unintelligible gibberish only your own followers at Cupertino can understand.

Apple users make a mockery of the ineptitude of Americans as a whole. That's saying something.

quote:
its not a speed problem per se

Yep, a leap in logic like a Fox News journalist taking things out of context. Man, I'm loving this debate. Especially when I can use your own quotes against yours truly!

quote:
sites only use flash for advertising these days.

Clear example of your knowledge, or lack thereof, over the topic at hand.

quote:
why the hell woudl i want windows 7 to be productive?

Because OS X is incompatible with modern business? Look at the various iWork applications Apple just updated yesterday. Make something on iWork, can't open it in Office on Windows, which is what over 95% of businesses use with office software.

quote:
but i think a third party observer would see my point remains

As clear as mud.

quote:
apples sets the standard and the rest of the pack catches up.

Too bad the rest of the pack is now setting the standard and Apple is merely playing catch-up... by trying to kill Android with lawsuits.

quote:
apples tends to leave certain techs out (NFC) for whatever internal reasons

Can't name one? Oh yeah, how does Tony Swash's knob taste like? Care to tell us?

quote:
i am not a PC hater.

Ha, nice try at deflecting your own arguments, but no cigar.

quote:
don't know your shit don't comment

Pot kettle black.

Shoulda used that exact same line on your own posts.

quote:
I'm holding out on the retina devices for a number of reasons

quote:
i tend to buy last gen apple stuff cuz it marks down significantly.

Then you're not a trailblazer. You're not a trendsetter. You're not an early adopter. And here you are trying in vain to argue why you are right and every other sane person on DT is wrong.

quote:
windows is weak and linux is a headache.

Windows is what over 95% of people and businesses use. Including Apple users, matter of fact. Weak? Hardly.

Linux should be pretty easy for you... oh wait, you're not a techie, yet a few posts ago you claimed to be "tech savvy".

quote:
my hope is that apples SSD charge will go down as more units sell.

Classic Apple sheep. It is worrying when you don't know what you are talking about. Like the quote above.

quote:
do you see how all of these things dont' change my point?

That you are tech-illiterate, contrary to your claims? Yeah, I see your point alright.

quote:
the question is who said i wanted to run windows 7 and office 2010?

You won't? Gee, way to be "not compatible with 2012".

quote:
who said i want to pay for the retina display

You buy and support Apple.

Game over, you lose.

quote:
apple still sets the trend.

Yep, setting the trend for bogus lawsuits trying to ban competitors' products with dubious patents. Then complain that everyone else is trying to do the same against Apple with FRAND.

quote:
nice shot, but i win

You won at being a clueless douche on the Internets, alright.

You should have heeded your own advice:

quote:
1. the rest of my points you fought with a leap in logic like a fox news journalist taking things out of context.
2. don't know your shit don't comment.

I don't expect to win, thankfully I'm not on the losing team. You, however, turned "losing" into an art form. Congorats.

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RE: short memory

By epollyon on 12/4/2012 10:02:43 PM , Rating: 2

i forgot this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(platform)
you mentioned palmtops. apparently this was risc, too, and came before its kind. man apple, you just such a follower. history of following. nothing trend setting or influential to see here. move along, sheep

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RE: short memory

By ritualm on 12/5/2012 1:52:50 AM , Rating: 1

quote:
i forgot this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(platform)
you mentioned palmtops. apparently this was risc, too, and came before its kind. man apple, you just such a follower. history of following. nothing trend setting or influential to see here. move along, sheep

Gross market research miscalculation. People wanted a digital Day Planner that fits inside pants pockets. Apple delivered a gadget that needed a business suitcase to hold it in transit. It was too ahead of its time. Nobody wanted to be seen using it in public. It flopped.

3Com did their homework and came out with the PalmPilot. Also highly relevant: Apple did not invent the smartphone, it merely popularized it.

Move along, Apple sheep.

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RE: short memory

By ihateu3 on 12/5/2012 2:36:30 AM , Rating: 1

OMG ritualm, I wish I did not already use all my "worth reading"'s. GD, spot on and could not have done it better myself!

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RE: short memory

By epollyon on 12/6/2012 2:50:24 AM , Rating: 1

i wont argue that apple is ahead of its time =D i know there were smart phones, there were mp3 players too, as well as IC's and hard drives!!! I remember the smart fones...the ones with the stylus that worked a lot like the Newton from '93. what a strange coincidence. I never said Apple was flawless. It is anything but! there's tons of mistakes and flops. that said, I am a fanboy, but only because so many people antagonize the company while disregarding its contributions. I think thats just silly and immature! I think its common knowledge that apple didn't invent the smart phone, but I would say it did a little bit more than just popularize it. iPhone set a standard. I'm not sure how the standard was different from the Treo's and Windows phones of the era, but I do know that after the iPhone the smartphone market started to change. Are you going to argue that, too? Here is what I THINK the iphone did right and that competitors may or may not have caught up with: 100% full hardware acceleration and support from day 1 till present, multimedia integration, bloat-free approach, simplicity, marketing. We can go into what was wrong with the device (especially initially), but that's just trolling. I'm not going to bring up Vista, or android (i despise google for buying android, its a fucking terrible idea). All i'm trying to say is you guys that try to deny Apple's moves are profound and influential and antagonize them amounts to some sort of really strange nerd envy. sounds like "my gadget is more open, more feature packed, more BIG than yours."
Maybe I've nailed it on the head there. You hated that article on how iPhone owners get laid more than you and you are compensating. Am I right? 4.3" inches ain't much, either way.
Actually, i think you agree with you me, ritualm. Apple, though daring at times, sets the pace for companies that may not want to gamble with the R&D in an uncertain and sometimes highly competitive consumer electronics market. I mean they sure as hell didn't invent the MP3 player, but hey did release a strange cube of a computer with passive cooling and slot loading CDROM way ahead of its time. That thing was cool. see what I did there?

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