Keep in mind that Apple still has “factories” here in the US for doing small-scale prototype runs. This also helps them work out the processes that will be req

Keep in mind that Apple still has “factories” here in the US for doing small-scale prototype runs. This also helps them work out the processes that will be required for manufacturing in the full scale facilities. They will do prototypes that are as good quality with final fit and finish, and build maybe a few hundred of them for testing before they give final sign off to their partners overseas. And they will do internal prototyping of dozens or hundreds of concepts before they ever get to that final pre-production run. Meanwhile, companies like Samsung squirt out 50+ models per year, at a rate of about one per week, just to see what will stick. And then they test them on the public, gather the information they need, and then effectively abandon almost all of those units in place because they have to be ready for the next model to come out next week.