Apple, the Cupertino tech giant, relies on the vast manufacturing network in China for the mass production of its iPhone and other devices. In recent times, the company has also shifted focus to other key markets, including India, to diversify its manufacturing base.
Now, days ahead of the highly-anticipated launch of the iPhone 16 series, an old video of Apple CEO Tim Cook has gained significant attention on social media. In the viral video, Cook is seen addressing the common misconception about why the US-based company has invested heavily in China for its product manufacturing.
Debunking the common belief that companies flock to China for cheap labour, Mr Cook said, “There is a confusion about China. And let me at least give you my opinion. The popular conception is that companies come to China because of low labour costs. I am not sure what part of China they go to, but the truth is China stopped being a low labour cost country many years ago.”
The Apple CEO elaborated on the advanced tooling and precision required to produce the products and highlighted China’s vocational expertise in these areas.
“The reason is because of the skill, the quantity of skill in one location, and the type of skill it is,” he said.
Mr Cook noted that the product it makes requires “really advanced tooling and the precision that you have to have in tooling and working with the materials that we do are state of the art.”
“And the tooling skill is very deep here. You know, in the US, you could have a meeting of tooling engineers, and I am not sure we could fill the room. In China, you could fill multiple football fields. It’s that vocational expertise is very, very deep here,” he added.
The throwback clip of Tim Cook was shared on social media site X and has garnered six million views so far. It also caught the attention of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who agreed with his views.
In the comments section, Mr Musk wrote, “True”.
True
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 6, 2024
Mr Musk’s comment on the Chinese manufacturing sector came just months after his surprise visit to the Asian country where he plans to introduce Tesla’s self-driving technology to a market with ferocious competition.
On his trip, he met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who praised Tesla as a “successful model” for US-China collaboration.
Meanwhile, Apple is currently gearing up for its mega event, ‘It’s Glowtime’. The tech giant will roll out its all-new iPhone 16 series, besides setting the stage for a new artificial intelligence platform.
The event will take place at 10:30 PM on September 9 in India.
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