I figured this might be as good a time as any to get my thoughts out on this matter.
After Apple surpassed Exxon-Mobil as the most valued company in the world last week, this week sees Apple valued more than all the Eurozone banks combined.
Apple itself is a remarkable company - just ten years ago, rumors of its demise were rampant. Michael Dell even said, when asked what he could do to turn Apple around, "What would I do? I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."
The rise of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad (along with the iTunes ecosystem) gave Apple the market exposure needed to not only come back, but thrive.
The problem, though, is that Apple's new dominance of the marketplace in computing is leading to some tricky issues- especially for those politically in-tune.
With HP exiting the mobile business, and possibly the consumer computing hardware business as well, only two main large hardware vendors remain: Dell and Apple. The further consolidation could see Apple's continued growth explode, and force it to choose between its perceived identity and profitability.
Apple defines itself as a "progressive" company- building a new "green" campus, creative and artsy products, and touting sustainable manufacturing.
But like any company, Apple relies on ideas counter to what we consider "progressive" to maintain and expand its market leadership.
This includes:
- Using off-shore manufacturing facilities in China and Taiwan
- Sequestering information in proprietary formats (eBooks, for example)
- Exerting ownership of hardware through restrictive End User License Agreements (Did you know that Apple, and most other companies, can modify the contents stored on your devices as they deem appropriate?)
- kicker Lobbying for tax breaks to "create American jobs", without actually wanting to show that American jobs would be created
These events have been well documented. I'll leave it up to the reader to perform the Google searches that will yield the trove of data documenting these decisions.
The last, however, is something we should all be aware of.
Apple, among other companies, is pushing to repatriate off-shore profits at reduced rates and lower corporate tax rates in order to spur job creation "here in America". But these companies do not even disclose how many workers they have here or abroad right now!
We are to trust them to bring jobs here, when they have shown they will send the blue collar jobs we need to China and Taiwan? I don't think so.
I'm not advocating against buying Apple products. What I'm asking, is that for consumers to be aware of what a company purports to do and what is really going on behind closed doors. Your iPad may be neat- and Apple may be in some ways progressive. But don't think that buying that new iPhone won't come without a higher price: More coin to lobby for the policies that threaten our working class.
2:31 PM PT: A Forbes article outlines the decline in US manufacturing- using the Kindle as an example. Apple has managed to stay ahead in design (right now), but could have a trap waiting for it as pressure to increase profitability rises.
http://www.forbes.com/...