Workshop of the World
Sounds like it's time the world found a new workshop, this one broke.
One of the plants at which Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn makes Apple's iPhone is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19, potentially imperilling supply. China retains strict COVID management policies that require cities where infections are detected to shut down. Essential services and industries are offered some …
Why? Human dog slave labor is a commodity that the Powerful can only find in certain locations. China, India, Pakistan and a few other places.
They won't give up dirt cheap labor with high profits, made of the suffering of others, easily. Let's not hold our breaths!
That just shows how big Apples mark-up is on iThings if they can ship at least some of the goods by air.
Air freight is usually reserved for perishables and "really urgent". iThings are neither (unless you're an Apple Fanboi, I suppose)
Or is it that Apple are short of cash and so can't afford to have capital tied up for weeks on the open seas in shipping containers? :-)