2. The sourcing of the iPhone

The sourcing of iPhone includes countries in different continents. In North America, Canada, Mexico and the US are the main countries where the sourcing occurs. Brazil is the main country for the sourcing in South America. There are a number a countries in Europe that contributes to the sourcing of iPhone, such as England, France, Spain, Germany. Libya is the main country in Africa that involves in the sourcing activity. East and Southeast Asia, such as Japan, South Koera, China, are the main countries that take part in the sourcing of iPhone.

 

While the iPhone is mostly designed by the Apple team in the US, its components are provided by many countries around the world.

“How and where iPhone is made: A Surprising Report on How Much of Apple’s Top Product is US-manufactured.” FinancesOnline.com. Web. 15 Mar 2015.

 http://financesonline.com/how-iphone-is-made/

 

China is the biggest supplier for the iPhone, with more than 300 companies that supply for iPhone’s components. The second one is Japan, with more than 100 companies. The thrid one is the US, with over 50 companies in the iPhone’s supply chain. There are also some suppliers in the Europe and South America.

 

Clover, Juli. “TSMC May Win Bulk of A9 Orders Due to Better Production Yield.” MacRumors. 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 6 April 2015.

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/30/tsmc-chip-production-yield/

Asia has played a big role in supplying iPhone’s components. For example, the Tanwanese company TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) and Korean company Samsung are the major chipmakers for the iPhone. Together they provide the A8 chip in the iPhone 6. Also, the Japanese company SONY provides the iSight camera for the phone, and the GREENPOINT in Singapore provides the plastic chassis for the iPhone 5c.

 

“How and where iPhone is made: A Surprising Report on How Much of Apple’s Top Product is US-manufactured.” FinancesOnline.com. Web. 15 Mar 2015.

http://financesonline.com/how-iphone-is-made/

The US has also contributed to iPhone’s supply chain. For example, the CORNING is a company in Kentucky that provides iPhone’s Gorilla Glass display. The CIRRUS LOGIC is a Texas company that provides all the audio component for the iPhone.

 

 Gyroscope in the iPhone.         M7 Motion Coprocessor.

“How and where iPhone is made: A Surprising Report on How Much of Apple’s Top Product is US-manufactured.” FinancesOnline.com. Web. 15 Mar 2015.

http://financesonline.com/how-iphone-is-made/

Several companies around the world also contributes to the making of iPhone. For example, the French-Italian company STMicroelectronics manufactures iPhone’s gyroscope that allows people to change the display from vertical to horizontal. The Dutch company NXP Semiconductors provides the M7 Motion Coprocessor that can gather the motion data and use it to measure health and fitness.

 

“How and where iPhone is made: A Surprising Report on How Much of Apple’s Top Product is US-manufactured.” FinancesOnline.com. Web. 15 Mar 2015.

http://financesonline.com/how-iphone-is-made/

 

The sourcing of iPhone has achieved a big social influence, as it creates many jobs around the globe. In the US, Apple creates more than 200,000 jobs in its supply chain, most of which are in the making of iPhone. Those jobs are mostly taken by blue-collar workers, who are the majority of works in the society. They are not as highly-skilled as professionals; their jobs are usually unstable and they are always seeking for employment.  Therefore, the large number of jobs created by the sourcing of iPhone significantly benefits the US economy, decreasing the unemployment rate. The sourcing of iPhone also benefits the the other countries’ economy. The Asia benefits a lot from Apple’s outsourcing strategy. The making of iPhone 6’s components contributes to 1% of Chinese total export, and 5% of the Japanese total electronic export.