Apple’s iPhones are manufactured in China, where a dense network of skilled workers and suppliers enables efficient production. Although labor is no longer as cheap as it once was, the scale and speed of manufacturing in China remain unmatched. Proposals to move production to the U.S. face major obstacles, including high costs, a lack of infrastructure, and a shortage of specialized expertise. Experts estimate that setting up American production at the necessary scale would take three to five years and involve significant investment. New tariffs on Chinese goods could drive up the cost of hardware, potentially raising iPhone prices in the U.S. While automation could help, the complexity of the process makes a fully U.S.-made iPhone unlikely in the near future.
Vocabulary:
• tariff (noun): a tax placed on goods imported from other countries
• expertise (noun): advanced knowledge or skill in a particular area
• automation (noun): the use of machines and technology to perform tasks without human help
• assembly (noun): the process of putting together parts to build something, especially in manufacturing
• hardware (noun): the physical parts of a device like an iPhone (screen, chip, etc.)
• exemption (noun): official permission not to follow a rule, such as not paying a tax
• manufacture (verb): to produce goods in large quantities, often using machines
• decline (verb): to refuse or say no to a request
• charge (verb): to ask a certain amount of money for something
• efficient (adjective): doing something well without wasting time or resources
• advanced (adjective): highly developed or complex in terms of design or technology
• unknown (adjective): not known or identified
• essential (adjective): absolutely necessary or very important
• supply (noun): the available quantity of a product or material
Source: WSJ News