Apple, the Cupertino tech giant, relies on its vast manufacturing network in China to mass-produce 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 much-anticipated launch of the iPhone 16 series, an old video of Apple CEO Tim Cook has gained a lot of attention on social media. The viral video shows Cook addressing the common misconception about why the US-based company has invested heavily in China to produce its products.
Mr Cook debunked the common view that companies are flocking to China for cheap labour, saying: ‘There is confusion about China. And let me at least give you my opinion. The popular view is that companies come to China because of the low labor costs. I’m not sure which part of China they’re going to, but the truth is that China stopped being a low labor cost country years ago.”
Apple’s CEO elaborated on the advanced tooling and precision required to produce the products and highlighted Chinese expertise in this field.
“The reason is because of the skill, the amount of skill in one location and the type of skill it is,” he said.
Mr. Cook noted that the product it makes “requires very sophisticated tooling and the precision you have to have when machining and working with the materials we make is state-of-the-art.”
“And the tooling skills here run very deep. You know, in the US you could have a meeting of tool engineers, and I’m not sure we could fill the space. In China you could fill several football fields. It’s that vocational education expertise is very, very deep here,” he added.
Tim Cook’s throwback clip was shared on social media site X and has been viewed six million times so far. It also caught the attention of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who agreed with his views.
In the comments section, Mr Musk wrote: “True”.
WHERE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 6, 2024
Musk’s comment on China’s 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 fiercely competitive market.
During his trip, he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who praised Tesla as a “successful model” for US-China cooperation.
Meanwhile, Apple is currently gearing up for its mega event ‘It’s Glowtime’. The tech giant will be rolling out its all-new iPhone 16 series, paving the way for a new artificial intelligence platform.
The event will take place on September 9 at 10:30 PM in India.
