I wish I could read an economic analysis of a container of iPhones landing at the port of Los Angeles. This is recorded as trade imbalance but somehow I feel Apple and US customers are getting the full benefit of low cost Chinese labor.
It doesn't seem like Chinese labor plays that big of a role regardless, seeing as labor costs on a $800 device are around $2.
Apple and their shareholders certainly benefit from selling $800 devices at 70% profit margins, but I would not go so far as to say that consumers also get the benefit, seeing as they are paying 70% markups.
Well, the Foxconn (or whomever) assembly labor costs may be $2, but in some way, shape or form, all $800 is a labor cost to somebody, somewhere.
- it makes a lot more sense to ship by Air for product with such value per kg - Apple has been shipping products by Air since 1997(famously they booked the entire capacity for the holiday season) - Apple brags about how little inventory they keep all the time. Sea Freight is slow, very slow.