Your smart phone was going to be WAY more expensive. Luckily we got a price break when the columbite-tantalite used in its production was illegally exported from the Democratic Republic of Congo fueling a conflict there that has killed millions. Then we caught another break on labor costs when we managed to find a manufacturer in China that pushes its laborers so hard they kill themselves. Here's to saving a buck, America!

3/23/2012 5:49:34 PM

My smart phone is organic

I'm Krallum and I approved this message

3/23/2012 5:50:47 PM

Still too expensive. We should be able to save cost somewhere else

3/23/2012 5:51:04 PM

FUCK YEAH! USA #1!

3/23/2012 5:51:39 PM

cut the salaries of the execs that make the things?

3/23/2012 5:52:07 PM

for every smart phone you use, i'm gonna have 2

3/23/2012 5:55:09 PM

Cost to manufacture iphone: 185
Sale price: 645

3/23/2012 5:58:48 PM

My smartphone is a neural net processor, a learning computer

3/23/2012 6:07:36 PM

Is this an iPhone thread?

3/23/2012 6:10:13 PM

axe siri how we can ficks this

3/23/2012 8:25:50 PM

On appliances, even at50% off they're still making 50% profit. Shits gotta change.

3/23/2012 8:27:55 PM

Quote :

"Cost to manufacture iphone: 185 Sale price: 645 "

more like cost to manufacture iphone: 25

3/23/2012 8:37:19 PM

Who pays full price for any phone?

3/23/2012 9:10:13 PM

i like buying nice tennis shoes for $25

3/23/2012 9:20:21 PM

Chinese workers commit suicide for all kinds of reasons, it's like a form of protest in china. Some Foxconn workers that were making xboxes threatened suicide because they were going to be transferred to another plant.

3/23/2012 9:23:16 PM

i blame king leopold II

3/23/2012 9:26:59 PM

Let them eat cake.

3/23/2012 9:34:37 PM

TSB IN MY CHIT CHAT???

3/23/2012 9:36:06 PM

TBS IN MY CHIT CHAT??

3/23/2012 10:04:09 PM

Those poor Foxconn workers, escaping abject poverty with their jobs and committing suicide at a similar rate as the average Chinese citizen.

3/23/2012 10:16:14 PM

bump for the bummer

3/24/2012 2:19:46 PM

I honestly hope this is a short societal phase... This smart phone fad. I used to like being able to go outside and not be on such a short string (talking about cell phones in general now). But I just have to go with the flow i guess.

3/24/2012 2:24:35 PM

I'm worried that clients will be turned off by the 3 day lag in my emails
what if they take that to mean that I don't care about them?

3/24/2012 3:09:31 PM

Thanks be to Africa and China?

3/24/2012 5:30:48 PM

Quote :

"Cost to manufacture iphone: 185 Sale price: 645"

cost to market, cost of R&D, cost of retail salaries, etc... not included.

3/24/2012 5:51:58 PM

let's not forget, I pay $100/month for my iphone....

P.S- is Snewf still making threads?!

3/24/2012 10:29:26 PM

<3 Snewf

3/24/2012 11:20:43 PM

^^ yes and sadly they haven't gotten any better

is DJ Lauren still posting?

3/29/2012 3:00:20 AM

i paid $135 bucks for a pair of running shoes that were made in the US as opposed to Malaysia or Indochina or wherever.

[Edited on March 29, 2012 at 7:17 AM. Reason : ]

3/29/2012 7:16:38 AM

Labor costs are a red herring and a nice talking point for protectionists who, frankly, don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

It has more to do with scalability and agility. The US simply can't meet that demand.

Good read:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?_r=1

3/29/2012 10:21:22 AM