LonelyStreets.com
They Just Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To
We’ve all heard that old refrain, whether the source be a grandpa or a movie character. And, truth be told, the idea is an alluring fantasy - I can picture an age when hard working American assembly-line men put together the big pieces of Machinery that are now made in China.
No wait.
They don’t make cars in China. The parts maybe, but the cars still get put together in North America (though often Canada, perhaps as a result of the National Health Insurance plan). And modern electronics haven’t ever been (for the most part) assembled anywhere other than east Asia (Once, Japan, then Taiwan and Korea, and now China).
First Gen iPods, on the other hand, are a truly amazing work of manufacturing prowess that is unlikely to ever again be equaled.
Huh? Well, let me explain. I recently quit smoking, and in an effort to make up for many long years of trashing my lungs I’ve begun running on my building’s treadmills. On one fateful evening I spun myself a nice mix of recently downloaded music, loaded the mix onto my first gen iPod Nano, and went running to my smooth progressive beats. While running I sweat like a pig. When I came back downstairs to my apartment, I peeled off my sweaty workout clothes and dropped them near the laundry basket.
The next day I went running again. It took me a while to find my misplaced iPod (why had I left it on my wife’s desk?), and when I grabbed it I was surprised and saddened to see that a certain amount of moisture had condensed underneath the screen. “Wow” I thought, “I sweat so much that it seeped into my iPod. Gross.” Everything still worked fine however, and I had my jog and listened to my tunes.
What I found out later that night when my wife got home was that iPod and headphones had both been left in my gym shorts the night before and taken a spin (i.e., full cycle) through the washing machine earlier that day. I couldn’t believe it. My iPod had gone through the washing machine, and a mere five hours later I was running along getting my jog on while it pumped music to my ears. Better yet, the next two days I simply set it out on the window sill where it would get direct sunlight, and all of the condensation simply disappeared. My pod is now absolutely none the worse for going through the washing machine!
My iPod after going through the washing machine
I might also point out that, according to the back of the iPod, it was “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.” So perhaps quality comes from the design rather than the locale of manufacture? What a thought.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Well, within your lifetime I guess it is true that consumer electronics have always been assembled in Asia. From the 40s through the 60s televisions were made in the US. Zenith didn’t stop making TVs in the US till sometime in the late 70s IIRC. The first Apple Macs (early 80s) were assembled in California in an automated factory that was an attempt to blunt Asian labor cost advantages. High end electronics (e.g. professional audio equipment, mainframe computers) were assembled in the US through the 90s. It was a classic case of abandoning the low profit end of a technology to a competitor who gradually builds up their expertise and capabilities. They gradually move up-market until there is no profitable market left for the legacy firms. Design may be different, depending as it does on cultural factors. Of course they said that about software development before India started taking on coding projects. Paris still has fashion designers that clothe the top end of the world but they have lost the middle of the market to New York and the bottom is now moving to Asia. Remember those Korean kids you went to school with at Carnegie-Mellon? They may be doing the iPod equivalent products before your career is over.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Your showing your age: I don’t consider Zenith TV’s and mainframes “modern electronics.”
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Paul!
So I’m sitting here with the flu going through my google stuff (which I never do) and I found your site and I am so thrilled. I certainly remember you and I’m not at all surprised that you have been so successful as an artist and a creator and much more. I often think of all of you - all of us and hope and pray all are well. Working on that project was an absolute highlight of my career. I have continued to write for kids, for adults and then I kept doing more and different writing and marketing projects for corporations. I still do. I live in L.A. I still have a picture of all of us. And by the way, yes you are a published illustrator. So add that to your credits cap. I hope you and all you love are well and happy. If you ever come to L.A. (bring your own water..) please let me know. I would love to take you to lunch.
ALL BEST and Ain’t Life Grand??
Leah