Amid the approaching tariff hike initiated by US President Donald Trump, White House officials have announced the possibility of moving iPhone production to the United States, The Verge reports.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Apple is likely considering the move, given its $500 billion investment plan in the United States. She added that President Trump also supports moving production to the United States, arguing that the country has enough talent and capacity to do so. However, experts believe that Apple's investment is in line with the company's normal expenses.
It is known that Apple founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook have repeatedly emphasized the difficulties of moving production to the U.S. The main problem is the lack of qualified engineers: to support 700,000 workers in China, 30,000 engineers are needed, which the U.S. simply does not have.
Cook also previously emphasized that China is not attractive because of low labor costs, but because of the high level of qualifications and availability of specialists. In the US, he said, it is difficult to assemble even a small group of engineers, while in China they can be found in the thousands.
Thus, the idea of moving iPhone production to the US remains unlikely due to significant logistical and personnel challenges.