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This is a classical West vs Asian. This glasses case is a very good example. Apple is building a super duper expensive ego-driven project no one will ever buy
by maxdo 3y ago
This is a classical West vs Asian.
This glasses case is a very good example. Apple is building a super duper expensive ego-driven project no one will ever buy at this price.
The Western world is trying hard to deliver something colossal and giant and sometimes even remarkable. It is driven by ego-centric: "I'm so smart, my product needs to be the best of the best, and I'll be talking to my grandkids about this product". With something like iPhone, it works.
The China-style approach is the classical bottom-up approach. I'll build something I can sell today. I'm not afraid to go with sub par product if people will buy it. I will mobilize my group because otherwise, we will not survive. I will sell it a lot. I will iterate a lot. As a result, I will make lots of money and become famous. The outcome is the same, but look at that. China has so many companies now in any area where it competes. And that combines with the government pushing from the top very long term 10 years+ initiatives. Solar, EVs, nuclear, Air industry, and Education in general.
This pattern is so deep in the culture. You can even see it with the military. And it's evident that the root cause of the problem is the lack of a healthy environment for manufacturing.
Just look at trade wars between China and the West. Microchips aside, what is the subject of war? The US ban pork exports in response to Huawei. Europe is trading French alcohol export quotas for EV imports.
This is extremely sad. The impact of the Western world's de-industrialization is huge. The current war in Ukraine emphasizes the Western incapability to produce almost anything in volume. Or with any quality. The few items still good due to 20-30 investments are just a delusion of previous capabilities.
- vlovich123 3y agoYou realize you're talking about a company that only historically releases a new product that they think will make billions of dollars and ship lots of units right? Vision Pro is shaping up to be the exception. The counterpoint to that strategy is Meta which is pricing the Quest as cheaply as possible and selling as absolutely many as they can. I'm really not seeing this pattern you're describing. China historically just copies successful products and largely ignores IP, not coming up with anything novel. They are changing that pattern following the path America did to seize control from the UK (& arguably faster too). If anything, this suggests it would be more beneficial for us to have IP durations match typical market cycles for products rather than be blanket 15 years. > The current war in Ukraine emphasizes the Western incapability to produce almost anything in volume That's a different problem than manufacturing of consumer products. Apple ships nearly 1B phones each year. Yes, it's assembled in China but most of the components are manufactured elsewhere & they're standing up assembly plants elsewhere (e.g. India).
- engcoach 3y ago> The US ban pork exports in response to Huawei. Europe is trading French alcohol export quotas for EV imports. Might have to do with hitting China where it hurts - food imports might have a more pronounced impact
- throwaway_13140 3y agoThis is such a weird take. Version 1 of anything good is created in the US and then everyone else copies and revises. You call it ego-centric, it’s not. It’s just not a cheap low effort knock off.
- throwthrow9888 3y ago>Version 1 of anything good is created in the US And you call the OP's take a "weird take"? He brings up interesting points, whereas yours is just inaccurate.