sunman42

JP234 said:

thrang said:

Amazing they are still hiring, if even at a reduced level, given other tech layoffs. Continues to show that Apple maintains such a different value proposition to its customers, and seem to be far better planning resource requirements and assessing market conditions than many others.

The tech industries laying off the most staff are the ones that rely on advertising/marketing to their users for the great majority of their revenue (90% @ Twitter for instance). Apple actually makes things that their users want to buy. That's the big difference.

——

Amazon announced today that it will be laying off ~ 10,000 employees.

Of course, that’s only about 3% of its staff.

JP234 said:

While having more demand than supply may on the face of it seem like a good problem to have, it's really just as bad as having more supply than demand. Both restrict cash flow and earnings for a corporation. Both Imbalances require intervention, and are equally difficult to rebalance.

That said, Apple Inc. is just one of myriad global companies that have outsourced their manufacturing processes to unpredictable and outright enemy countries, where governments, not industry, regulate their operations. Tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, Black Swan events (COVID-19 for instance) and those countries' reaction to them, blackmail, are just a fraction of the difficulties encountered in the search for the cheapest labor pools, rather than looking at the big picture: employing the customers who buy the products, rather than subsistence level workers, indentured workers, political prisoners and peons (It's hard to make slaves take pride in their work).

Sure, bringing manufacturing home would cost more in the short term (improvements in quality control processes would eliminate that disparity). But there wouldn't be the constant seesaw cycles of boom and bust that deprive Americans of long-term employment, and companies that are as loyal to their workers as the workers are to them. Steady employment, like America had in the 1950's provided a stable econmy without those disruptions. Americans were not able to afford as many things are we have now, but were they less happy, satisfied or fulfilled than you are now? I'd argue the opposite. Predictability is underrated.

22july2013 said:

williamh said:

During working hours there is always a dude with a sandwich board advertising a competing shop for Apple repairs. I thought that was kind of a shit thing to do but Apple doesn't seem to do anything about it.

I thought I'd try doing a search online to see if I could find a photo of your claim, and within 10 seconds I found it. 

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/glasgow-apple-store-staff-make-history-as-first-in-uk-to-secure-union-recognition-say-gmb

Although that's not actually a "sandwich board," your point is still valid. I think Apple should sue him for using their trademark in his sign. But he's on a public street so they can't get rid of him.

    If the competing shop ever proves to be a threat, Glasgow being Glasgow, the Apple Store management can always find someone will to kneecap the geezer with the sign.

DAalseth said:

I hadn’t thought about it but I think your analysis is likely spot on. 

Wasn’t the Mini one of the very first Macs with Apple silicon? It’s definitely due. But then it is the bottom end machine and I was surprised when it got Apple silicon so early. Maybe they figure that it can go longer between updates because it is just the Mini. Whatever the reason, I’ve got new computer fever. I can wait till early next year, (and my bank account would be happier if I did), but I was hoping not to have to.