Recent iMacs and other Apple products come with the line "Designed in California, Assembled in the USA" printed on the back. What is questionable about this statement is that Apple has closed down its US production facilities. Assuming this isn't a typo, why does Apple keep this statement on their products?
American exceptionalism, the ideology that America and its citizens are the best in the world, is a concept often utilized by businesses who sell to Americans. By placing "made in America" or "assembled in America" on their products, the consumer is more likely to buy it either because they are reassured of its quality or are proud to support the American economy. It is likely that Apple is reluctant to remove their "assembled in America" claim because they are afraid of creating a foreign image for themselves since the parts of Apple products are made overseas. This is just an example of how important keeping an American image is when catering to Americans.
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A label that indicates a product is "made in America" is quite different than one that states "assembled in America." A "made in the USA" label indicates virtually all of the product was made in the US, whereas the latter label means the entire product could have been made in a foreign country, but the "last substantial transformation" was done in America. That being said, I do feel as if Apple puts this label on their product in order to appeal to the majority of Americans.
ReplyDeleteAmericans prefer their products to be made in the states, which can be connected to American Exceptionalism. This preference has brought up controversy, however; the most recent being US Olympic athletes having their uniforms manufactured in China. This created a huge stir in the American population during the Olympic games this year.