Made In Usa

[yossarian1000]

From what I've been able to gather, most Apple computers are now made overseas...China...except for the PowerMacs, which are still made in the USA.

This is a problem for me. On the one hand, I like macs and I like the OS, but, on the other hand, I don't want to continue supporting a company that outsources American jobs. Go ahead. Call me a protectionist and an islolationist. I won't be offended. I support American jobs, I support organized labor, and I don't shop at Walmart. Whenever possible, I buy products made here by people who live here and I do look for the Union Label.

Other than Lou Dobbs on CNN, nobody I know, nobody I meet, and nobody I speak with seems to be interested in our vanishing manufacturing jobs...except maybe for George Carlin, who seems to think that Big Business and Politicians don't give a about us as long as they can grab more money. They'll sell out our middle class to the lowest bidder.

So, much as it pains me, my next computer purchase will probably not be Apple and will probably be from:

http://www.unionbuiltpc.com/home.php

However, I'm open for discussion. Anybody want to share their thoughts?

[kainjow]

First off, this isn't Apple news or rumors - should be moved to Cafe

Second, I'm willing to bet most products you buy aren't made in the US. It's just too dang expensive. And yes, businesses thrive on making profits, what's wrong with hiring employees that do the same work for less? Hasn't China and Taiwan, etc been making products for us for decades? If you're going to base your next computer purchase from the location it was created... well, *no comment*

[ksv]

Most of the components are assembled in Asian countries anyway. Probably everything except the processor.

And keep in mind Microsoft do much of their software development in India.

I personally think the right way to improve workers' conditions is to demand imported goods to have been produced under acceptable conditions, by workers with relatively acceptable wages allowed to organize in unions. Of course, that's not going to happen as long as the WTO is ruled by neo-liberalists, but in my view, "free trade" is not free until the people involved is free as well.

[bobw]

http://www.unionbuiltpc.com/home.php

Maybe union assembled, but the parts come from other countries.

[ebykm]

........ Microsoft do much of their software development in India.

Not true, Microsoft is planning to start development centre in 2008, and for the time being they're only doing some software testing(bug finding, asian languages, etc...). It is true that its 37% employees are Indian origin.

[Perseus]

It won't go away. I bought a pen that had the American flag on it, and on the bottom, it said: Made in Japan.

[lurk]

I looked at the union built pc site to and really you are not doing anything to support American jobs and preventing outsourcing by buying from them. As bobw said all the components are foreign. I have built a few machines in the past and when you think about the 20 minutes they put into unpacking the boxes and putting the cards into the motherboard you have accounted for about 0.04% of the labor involved in making the computer.

Regardless of anyone's politics in the matter I think that such an ineffective gesture is more likely self-defeating than not. From your perspective at least with Apple the design jobs are still in California. So more of the labor that goes into making the computer is from the US. However, that is white collar work so it might not count depending on one's perspective.

[fryke]

You're a protectionist and an islolationist. We live in a globalised world, and the USA certainly "helped" creating this world. Well: You asked for that.

Now for real, though... As I'm Swiss and live in Switzerland, I don't think that I can support your idea. At all. And I certainly hope that Apple does everything it can to allow Macs to become as inexpensive in all countries around the world as possible to stay competitive.

Think of it this way: By supporting Apple _in_ the USA, you support a US company that, by thriving, creates more jobs in the US. (Stores, online stuff, but also R&D, advertising etc.)