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Google On-shores Manufacturing of the Nexus Q

Posted by Soulskill on from the tapping-the-cheeseburger-specialists dept.

An anonymous reader sends this quote from the NY Times: "Etched into the base of Google's new wireless home media player that was introduced on Wednesday is its most intriguing feature. On the underside of the Nexus Q is a simple inscription: Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A. The Google executives and engineers who decided to build the player here are engaged in an experiment in American manufacturing. 'We've been absent for so long, we decided, "Why don't we try it and see what happens?" ... It has become accepted wisdom that consumer electronics products can no longer be made in the United States. During the last decade, abundant low-cost Chinese labor and looser environmental regulations have virtually erased what was once a vibrant American industry. ... At $299, the device costs significantly more than competing systems from companies like Apple and Roku. Google says this is in part because of the higher costs of manufacturing in the United States, but the company expects to bring the price down as it increases volume. The company is hoping that consumers will be willing to pay more, though it is unlikely that the “Made in America” lineage will be part of any marketing campaign.'"

6 of 326 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It *should* be part of the marketing by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Keeping jobs on American soil. There's a phone for that."

  2. Industry clusters are also important. by Kergan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "low cost Chinese labor and looser environmental regulations"

    Those aren't the only factors. The fact of the matter is that pretty much everything is clustered in SE Asia nowadays, and that the labor market is a lot more dynamic. Need slightly shorter screws? Call the factory down the street, they'll start arriving within the next hour. Changed the specs for your unibody case? The factory downtown will deliver new ones the same day. Need a new assembly plant? Build it and staff it by next week. Everything is done locally, reducing ETA and shipping costs in the process. These things also count tremendously.

  3. Re:The only problem is... by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    devices are made entirely by robot. chips, transistors, etc.

    but *assembly* of a phone or tablet or pc is still by hand.

    so it DOES MATTER that G is making this in the US. as much as I dislike G these days, I'll give them a solid attaboy! for this one!

    good job, G. unexpected but good job nonetheless.

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    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  4. No paywall links by wcrowe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There should be a rule on Slashdot that no paywall links are allowed to be posted. How can we comment on an article that we cannot see?

    --
    Proverbs 21:19
    1. Re:No paywall links by Kergan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There should be a rule on Slashdot that no paywall links are allowed to be posted. How can we comment on an article that we cannot see?

      Copy the URL, google it, and bypass the paywall by clicking the result from there:

      http://www.google.com/search?q=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/technology/google-and-others-give-manufacturing-in-the-us-a-try.html

  5. Re:It *should* be part of the marketing by SomePgmr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah, though it's hard to bug anyone about getting them mixed up. Nexus S, Nexus Q, Nexus 7... uhg. What would've been so wrong with: Nexus Phone, Nexus TV, Nexus Tablet? Then just call later generations, "second generation", etc.

    Someone over at Google needs to hire away a marketing genius from Apple and give them the reigns on public facing decisions like that.