Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed this week in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s cool if you want to read it during lunch or dinner hours as well.
When the chips fell
When he ran for office in early 2016, Donald Trump pledged to “get Apple to build their fucking computers and stuff in this country instead of other countries.” This vague, half-formed plan was widely ridiculed because it seemed so impractical: you can’t just tear up a complex overseas supply chain and start from scratch in a territory that has almost none of the skills and required infrastructure. But publicly at least, Apple has given the idea a polite reception.
Perhaps looking for patriotic cover against accusations of leftist bias – the world’s biggest company can’t afford to alienate half of its home market – Apple is pretty keen on the idea. to build some hardware in the United States Despite Trump’s comments, the company was already making one of its “damn computers” on American soil: the Mac Pro, proudly made in a factory in Austin, Texas. But it’s important to point out that the Mac Pro is a niche product made in small numbers, and therefore orders of magnitude easier to build at home than the iPhone, for example.
Likewise, this week’s announcement that vendor TSMC (which is based in Taiwan) will manufacture Apple chips at a factory in Arizona is equally limited in scope. Again, we’re not talking about making actual Apple products, just a component. But it is something. TSMC makes chips for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and basically just about everything Apple sells, so the company might start claiming that some of those devices are “(partially) made in America”.
Not yet, however. Because the first caveat to this positive-sounding story is the timing. The factory won’t open until 2024, which obviously excludes the first launches of the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 and the next generation of Macs and iPads. TSMC and Apple rushed to spread the news, but the effects of the move are still a long way off.
Even when the factory is running, it won’t manufacture all of the chips Apple uses; he just won’t have the capacity. It also won’t be configured for the 3nm manufacturing process the company is expected to move to in 2023. Working at 5nm or 4nm, the factory will have to focus, at least initially, on legacy chips that don’t are not as important. as a new A-series processor. If you end up buying an iPhone 13 or 14 in 2024, you might find that its processor was made in Arizona, but that’s unlikely to apply to an iPhone 15 or 16. And it’s more likely that the factory will make fewer chips for a small number of Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Ultimately, the problem with Apple’s “Made in America” plans is that the company isn’t really motivated to bring its manufacturing home and won’t see any practical benefit from it. Doing most of the manufacturing in China, Vietnam, and India makes sense because labor is cheaper there, labor laws tend to be less worker-friendly, and existing factories are set up to manufacture technological products on a large scale. Apple didn’t set up a complex international supply chain for fun; on the contrary, each link in the chain is the optimal choice for legal, economic, talent or tax reasons. Moving some of it to the United States will result in higher costs and lower profits, and likely higher prices for consumers. What Apple really wants is good public relations about job creation and chip manufacturing in the United States. The Arizona plant has already made headlines and is expected to provide the jobs. But if people reading these stories think the iPhone 15 will be powered by a US-made chip, they are sadly mistaken.
Of course, the Arizona factory could be the start of a massive change. It’s possible that the financial incentives promised by successive administrations (including the CHIPS law enacted in August) mean that it makes sense for Apple to bring significant parts of its supply chain back to the United States. But it will happen if and when it benefits Apple, and not a moment sooner.
IDG
Trending: Top stories of the week
The Mac fell short expectations but still blew us away in 2022, believes Jason Snell.
Apple could in fact be condemned if Tim Cook can’t fix his biggest iPhone problem.
We can see 5 reasons why you will want update to iOS 16.2 right away.
To beat Google in the speaker warApple needs to deploy its mini secret weapon.
Apple has updated its pricing tiers, which means iOS apps can now cost as little as 29 cents, or up to $10,000.
Apple used illegal tactics to deter retail workers from unionizing, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
Apple Music’s latest feature is perfect for your holiday karaoke nights.
A Simple Trick Did Safari Michael Simon Go to Mac Browser once again.
The rumor mill
Apple is reportedly working on a folding screen, but it will not be an iPhone.
The highly anticipated Apple car project just got a lot less ambitious – and even more delayed, according to reports.
And while we’re pessimistic, Apple mixed reality headset may arrive later than expected.
Podcast of the week
In the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we go over some of the highlights and weak points for Apple in 2022.
You can watch every Macworld podcast episode on Spotify, Soundcloud, Podcasts app or our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
Apple brought end-to-end encryption to almost all iCloud services, including backups.
After a year in limbo, Apple has quietly killed off its controversial CSAM photo scan function.
Google Chrome now uses less battery and runs more smoothly on your Mac.
iOS 16.2, which shipped to developers this week and may have launched to the public by the time you read this, brings Apple Music sing and the Freeform app.
But why Apple latest music feature have such high system requirements?
And the output of macOS Ventura 13.1 seems imminent.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to receive regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter for the latest news. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.
#chip #iPhone #America