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Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

asia.nikkei.com

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Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#341

Post by simondotau »

mulmen wrote: post #325

In my dad’s lifetime we went from fighting a bitter war with Vietnam to building our most popular consumer electronics there. I wonder what we will build in Afghanistan in my retirement years.

For previous generations, you could say much the same thing about Germany and the engineering and automotive sectors.

Afghanistan is an inhospitable place that doesn't have inherent qualities such as a skilled population, high population density, logistics channels, shipping ports, or a geography amenable to developing the above. They could become a major minerals exporter (there's believed to be a lot of lithium in Afghanistan, for example) but that would, at best, make Afghanistan more like nearby wealthy oil states.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#342

Post by Saigonauticon »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #339
supernova87a wrote: post #24

I'm interested to know to what extent this is just assembly of parts imported from China, or whether the real control over things like the M1 chip assembly, secure element, logic board, etc. are also moved to Vietnam? Seems like that's the secret sauce / real proprietary stuff that tells you whether the high value is moving too. (or maybe that is not even in China either) And do they have the surrounding parts + engi…

As state before, China is already assembling lots of parts from other Asian countries. Additionally, iPhones are made in special export zones (SEZs), so the parts along with the machinery used to produce an iPhone are all imported without tariff (and even the company doing this is Taiwanese, which embodies a lot of the higher level hardware/production engineering that easily transfers to Vietnam). Consequently, iPhon…

We do. Furniture companies use it a lot already. You can be licensed to import lumber, manufacture using local labor, and export -- without having a license to sell locally. We don't have SEZ, but do have big industrial / IT parks offering support for foreign enterprise. Some are pretty nice.

Overall, the permitted activities on your business license matter. Getting licensed is usually easier than people think, except a handful of sensitive areas.

A small slice of life: this does make furniture tradeshows sad affairs. You can see great things made in Vietnam, but you can't actually buy any of them. This has improved a lot over the last 10 years, but it's still somewhat of a thing.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#343

Post by specialist »

wbsss4412 wrote: post #82
surfpel wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is a lot of dishonesty around Westerners complaining about foreign cheap labor. This is a strawman. You're conflating different groups of people with different interests. Some people complain about labor conditions, some people complain that jobs are leaving the country. Almost nobody is "dishonest" about this.

There are plenty of people who are extremely selective with regards to their outrage on each issue, though.

Our scarcest commodity is attention.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#344

Post by Gunnerhead »

simondotau wrote: post #341
mulmen wrote: post #325

In my dad’s lifetime we went from fighting a bitter war with Vietnam to building our most popular consumer electronics there. I wonder what we will build in Afghanistan in my retirement years.

For previous generations, you could say much the same thing about Germany and the engineering and automotive sectors. Afghanistan is an inhospitable place that doesn't have inherent qualities such as a skilled population, high population density, logistics channels, shipping ports, or a geography amenable to developing the above. They could become a major minerals exporter (there's believed to be a lot of lithium in…

I appreciate your point of view. What about Iraq? What are your thoughts on that? Seems like it has a bit more going for it than Afghanistan.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#346

Post by simondotau »

Gunnerhead wrote: post #344
simondotau wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For previous generations, you could say much the same thing about Germany and the engineering and automotive sectors. Afghanistan is an inhospitable place that doesn't have inherent qualities such as a skilled population, high population density, logistics channels, shipping ports, or a geography amenable to developing the above. They could become a major minerals exporter (there's believed to be a lot of lithium in…

I appreciate your point of view. What about Iraq? What are your thoughts on that? Seems like it has a bit more going for it than Afghanistan.

To be clear, I'm very much a layperson with absolutely no special knowledge or insight. I really don't know enough about Iraq to have an opinion.

But what I do notice is that Germany, Japan, Korea and Vietnam were all able to break free from feelings of anger and grievance against past enemies. Iraq (and Afghanistan) are populations rife with religion-fuelled and religion-adjacent grievances, pointing internally and externally. Sadly I don't have optimism for change.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#347

Post by ggm »

simondotau wrote: post #341
mulmen wrote: post #325

In my dad’s lifetime we went from fighting a bitter war with Vietnam to building our most popular consumer electronics there. I wonder what we will build in Afghanistan in my retirement years.

For previous generations, you could say much the same thing about Germany and the engineering and automotive sectors. Afghanistan is an inhospitable place that doesn't have inherent qualities such as a skilled population, high population density, logistics channels, shipping ports, or a geography amenable to developing the above. They could become a major minerals exporter (there's believed to be a lot of lithium in…

If AF was smart, they'd partner with battery makers to value add instead of just shipping lithium out as-is. Better to build value. And, many dry inhospitable places are productive in the right terms, if you understand them. Look at the bone yards: Making good money, letting birds park there.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#348

Post by ggm »

simondotau wrote: post #346
Gunnerhead wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate your point of view. What about Iraq? What are your thoughts on that? Seems like it has a bit more going for it than Afghanistan.

To be clear, I'm very much a layperson with absolutely no special knowledge or insight. I really don't know enough about Iraq to have an opinion. But what I do notice is that Germany, Japan, Korea and Vietnam were all able to break free from feelings of anger and grievance against past enemies. Iraq (and Afghanistan) are populations rife with religion-fuelled and religion-adjacent grievances, pointing internally and…

Iraq and Iran have massive domestic economies, and established tertiary education. I have no reason to believe graduates from Iraqi uni are any less capable than the Iranians who work with me, or who I know work in Engineering and Health fields all over Australia. There are good AF graduates too, but fewer. They have less resources to fund tertiary education.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#349

Post by adastra22 »

zshbleaker wrote: post #306
dirtyid wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple-Supp... Ctrl+F 157 from PRC, other countries rarely break 30. Vietnam has 21 suppliers, most of whom also has (likely primary) PRC operation. >engineering ecosystems One presumes still need PRC to to build things first and work out kinks - so far only matured manufacturing lines are shifting out of PRC.

I was born in China and my family runs factories here for many years. What you mentioned is true, the absolute majority of the supply chain of the big name companies are still in China, and many of the alternatives in Vietnam are somehow managed by PRC background capital. However, it’s absolutely a good start. The eco mic crisis raising in China will be like the 1930s in US, if not worse. My family are actively searc…

Hope your family can get out.

Re: Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook

#350

Post by nr2x »

ggm wrote: post #347
simondotau wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For previous generations, you could say much the same thing about Germany and the engineering and automotive sectors. Afghanistan is an inhospitable place that doesn't have inherent qualities such as a skilled population, high population density, logistics channels, shipping ports, or a geography amenable to developing the above. They could become a major minerals exporter (there's believed to be a lot of lithium in…

If AF was smart, they'd partner with battery makers to value add instead of just shipping lithium out as-is. Better to build value. And, many dry inhospitable places are productive in the right terms, if you understand them. Look at the bone yards: Making good money, letting birds park there.

So, couple things you should know about the Taliban…
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