No longer “designed in California, made in China”. Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, announced that starting next year, Apple will produce a line of computers exclusively in the United States. The Cupertino giant thus gives in to the criticisms that accused him of contributing very little to the revival of the American occupation.
“We have been working for years to support the United States more – Cook said in an interview with NBC -. We've already created over 600 jobs in the United States." Up to now, however, these were only people employed in the points of sale, in the creation of applications and in research and development activities.
Apple's production in China has caused a lot of discussion in recent years, especially for i several suicides related to the difficult working conditions in Foxconn's Chinese plants, where most of the iPads and iPhones are produced.
The Cupertino-based company, to respond to the criticisms, relied on the non-profit organization Fair Labor Association to monitor working conditions in the Chinese supplier's factories. Cook, however, does not admit that he wants to continue producing in China just to take advantage of the cheapest workforce: "It's not much for the cost", he said, "it's mainly for the skills of the employees".
Shortly after Apple's announcement, Foxconn Technology Group, Apple's main supplier based in Taiwan, said yesterday it plans to expand into North America. “We want to produce more in the United States because in general our customers want more made in the USA,” Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo explained to Bloomberg.
The Taiwanese group, with 1,6 million employees, already has component factories in California and Texas. It is currently the leading manufacturer of iPods, iPads and iPhones. Although the convergence of Apple's and Foxconn's statements does not seem accidental, no intention has been expressed on the part of Apple to entrust the Taiwanese company with its production in the USA.
