Change is always possible when there is still life. :) Something similar to what happens with hope, remember?
What makes me say that Apple consumers will always remain Apple consumers, and that will not change is how I see Apple products evolving, and how rapidly I see iOS app developers develop and improve apps. Apps can be something that many consumers will always take into account at the time of choosing a tablet, so it's not only the hardware what counts here, not even the price in some cases.
"The next revolutionary device may not be an Apple product."
Is there one that you can already think of as a revolutionary device, not being an Apple product?
I am not defending Google, but I think they are doing their best to abide by their motto "Don't be evil".
Having said that, the message Google is sending is clear : "We care for the economy of the country that has made us what we are today". We may argue that a company is beholden to its investors, not to its country, that is right. But there is always a "patriotism spirit" in each one of us.
Indeed, it's a good start. If it's like the New York Times reported, we should start looking at this in a positive way. We'll see what happens with the Nexus Q sales, and how the U.S. market responds. Do you know the price of the Nexus Q?
When we have a look at the huge profits Apple and Google are making with their "made outstide the USA", products, I have the feeling that they can still manufacture in the USA and get reasonable profit margins, don't you think?
First and foremost, it's a great PR move for Google. At a time when people are no longer taking their "Don't be Evil" motto seriously, this gives the company a nice halo effect for a while.
But Google is also a smart company, and they would not be doing this if financially it was a big loser.
There's been a noticeable shift over the last year or two towards "reshoring" (including Mexico) for a number of reasons, including a more even total cost comparison vs China. For a high profile company to make such a move, it sends a messge that the shift is real. Hopefully it will make it politically easier within the boardroom for other companies to make a similar move.
"Apple consumers will always remain Apple consumers, and that will not change.",
What makes you say that? Apple's dominance in the smartphone and tablet market started just a few years ago mostly due its revolutioanry products, but things can change very fast. The next revolutionary device may not be an Apple product.
"Harold L. Sirkin, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group, said, "At 58 cents an hour, bringing manufacturing back was impossible, but at $3 to $6 an hour, where wages are today in coastal China, all of a sudden the equation changes."The firm reported in April that one-third of American companies with revenue greater than $1 billion were either planning or considering to move manufacturing back to the United States. Boston Consulting predicted that the reversal could bring two million to three million jobs back to this country."
So, if the labor cost has changed in China, it seems more likely that Google might keep the manufacturing prices in line, instead of trying to equal those of Apple.
Apple consumers will always remain Apple consumers, and that will not change. An Apple consumer will not buy a Google tablet. If Google wants to reach those who will buy a tablet in the follow months the price of the products, if manufactured in the U.S.A., has to be something lower than the iPad.
For now, the only product marked as Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A. is the Nexus Q. So we might want to focus only on this one for now. I haven't seen the price of the Nexus Q, have you?
The real test of whether Google is successful with its Made in America strategy will be in the board room. If Google is able to convince its investors that American manufacturing is as profitable as in off-shore countries then definitely this will turn a new leaf in American manufacturing
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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