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Does this mean the robots can be installed in the US and we made iPhones and iPads here in the US, at least the robot service jobs will be local.
by hnriot 14y ago
Does this mean the robots can be installed in the US and we made iPhones and iPads here in the US, at least the robot service jobs will be local.
- grecy 14y agoI imagine said company would then have to contend with getting the raw materials into the US (or buying them in the US at US market rates), US environmental laws, US electricity prices and US rates for "robot service jobs". Of course, they would save on shipping the finished products..
- snuze 14y agoAs far as I understand it, China currently has a monopoly on rare earth minerals: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/06/08/rare-earth-minerals-an-end-to-chinas-monopoly-is-in-sight/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/06/08/rare-earth...
- ImprovedSilence 14y agoActually the US has a pretty fantastic supply of rare earths. the US used to mine a TON, then imports from China got cheaper, so they stopped mining domestically. In this process, lots of "knowledge capital" was lost, but we still have vast reserves of rare earths. The big problem now is the lack of infrastructure to get at them again.