The new iPhones have been announced, and it’s a great opportunity to remind us how this saga has started and explore Apple’s supply chain all around the world.
In 2011, Apple sold 70 million iPhones, none of which were made in America. However, the number 1 reason to outsource production was FAST not cheap labor. The period to hire 8,700 engineers to manage 200,000 factory workers is 15 days in China, compared to 9 months in the U.S.
Apple did generate a ton of US jobs along the way, including 257,000 other industry jobs dependent on Apple, and 291,250 members of the iOS app community.
But not all parts of the iPhone were made in China. LCD panels, chipset, batteries, DRAM and Flash memory come from South Korea and Taiwan, while gyroscope is made by French-Italian company STMicroelectronics…
Here’s how it all comes together in an infographic designed for FinancesOnline.com.
