Mapping the iPhone
Worth nearly $3 billion USD, Apple is globally known for their advanced technology, though the manufacturing process is not entirely simple.
Battery - Samsung, South Korea
Despite being one of Apple's top competitors in the smartphone industry, Samsung provides Apple with its South Korean-manufactured battery. This battery powers the entire iPhone, often seen as the most important component.
Camera - Sony, Japan
Apple utilised enhanced lenses and high-resolution sensors to assist in creating clear images with accurate colour matching. The camera lens is provided by Sony, often renowned for their gaming systems while being situated in Tokyo Japan.
Glass screen - Corning, Australia
The main function of the glass screen is to protect the internal components within the iPhone. Along with this, it also permits users to interact with the smartphone, accessing all its features. It assists with touch input, which allows users to make use of the device's functions. The glass screens are provided by a company known as Corning located in many countries including Australia.
Touch-screen controller - Broadcom, Greece
Within an iPhone, there is a touch-screen controller which enables users to interact with the screen of the smartphone. This works by sending sound waves through the device when the screen is pressed. The primary focus of this is to locate the exact location of the stylist. The sensors determine the location of touch through the information of the consumer's stylist which reacts to the received information.
Audio chip - Cirrus Logic, Singapore
The audio chip is responsible for processing sounds. It provides users with various features such as 'Siri', and enables users to hear audio from phone calls, music, and online videos. Additionally, this chip provides consistent quality through headphones or the smartphone speaker.
Chips for cellular networking - Qualcomm, U.S
A cellular networking chip, commonly known as a SIM card is not required within an iPhone, though it enables connection to the network. It is a very small chip that is purchased separately from the iPhone.
Gyroscope - STMicroelectronics, Switzerland
The gyroscope is a mechanism that computes the rate at which the smartphone rotates around an axis. This advanced mechanism is responsible for providing information about the smartphone movement.
Accelerometer - Bosch Sensortech, Germany
Within an iPhone, the accelerometer measures the acceleration, motion such as shaking, rotating, swinging and tilting. The smartphone rotates accordingly, therefore changing the orientation of the display.
LCD screen - LG, Poland
The LCD (liquid crystal display), is a type of display that is commonly utilised due to its high-quality images and low power expenditure. This screen is made up of microscopic pixels, which form an intricate screen.
Flash memory - Toshiba, Japan
A key component found within an iPhone is the Flash memory. This particular component allows data to be stored even in the absence of power. Flash memory/storage varies from RAM, as RAM storage erases data after losing connection, though flash memory retains information despite the absence of electricity.
What exactly is this list displaying?
The list of information is displaying various components of the iPhone, including their features, suppliers (company), and country of manufacture.
Why do you think companies have multiple offices listed?
Companies have multiple offices listed due to a diverse range of reasons. These reasons may include, market demand, production rate, access to labour, and resource limitations (raw materials).
Where are the most companies located, and why do you think they are located there?
The vast majority of companies are located within parts of Asia due to many factors. Providing that Asia has an advanced electronic manufacturing industry, opportunities such as access to supply chain and infrastructure present themselves. Furthermore, these Asian countries including Japan, China, and Taiwan have direct access to the materials required for the construction of the components. Subsequently, the Asian population exceeds any other region along with having the capability to hire labourers.
Silicon - Israel
Silicon is used within the iPhone within electronic components including the chip and processor. This raw material is vital for the creation of a smartphone as it represents around 25% of all materials used. The key point of differentiation between silicon and other materials is the fact that it is a semiconductor.
Lithium - Brazil
Lithium has a very high electricity capacity and is one of the key materials that make up batteries within the iPhone. Similar to the various other materials mentioned throughout this list, lithium is a finite resource, only mined in a few countries including Brazil, Australia, China, Chile, Argentina and Zimbabwe.
Indium - China
Indium is a metal with a primary use of creating touchscreens due to its conductivity and transparency. Indium, tin and oxygen are combined forming indium tin oxide which is utilised within the transparent film/screen. This screen conducts electricity, resulting in a responsive screen for the user's actions.
Copper - Chile
Copper is utilised to create wires, connectors, along with the main power board. MagSafe charging is a fairly recent concept within iPhone, and it works due to the addition of many components including a copper granite shield. Similar to aluminium, all copper used within Apple iPhones are sourced fully from recycling, signifying the sustainability of this product.
Iron - Australia
Iron is mainly used for the screws required to assemble the iPhone components. Iron alloys also play a major role in the production of the iPhone as they contribute to the batteries and frame. The main reason that iron is utilised for these features is due to it being prone to oxidisation.
Assembly
Manufacturing and assembly are the two primary concepts that are involved in creating an iPhone. The manufactured components include an LCD screen, touch-screen controller, camera, battery and many others mentioned above. The components used within the iPhone each come from different organisations and locations. The main reason that components are created in certain countries is due to the accessibility of the comprised materials in the location.
Narrowing down our research into where the majority of this composition and manufacturing takes place (Asia), we will focus on the prominent assembly companies. The components manufactured by companies all around the globe are sent to only 2 companies, Foxconn and Pegatron, both of which are located in Taiwan.
As seen throughout the graph below, over recent years, Foxconn has significantly increased its contribution to assembling iPhones due to its substantial amount of employees. However, due to an increase in suicide rates among employees, wages were increased, working hours were decreased and more freedom was provided for employees.
Concluding statement
iPhones are a key influence within today's society and have been a fundamental aspect of our everyday lives. It is evident that the processes behind the creation of an iPhone are very complex as they are composed of 75 of the 118 elements. Within the pie chart to the right, we can analyse the cost structure of an iPhone, sourced by EPI. It is evident that Apple maintained a high margin of profit per sale of the iPhone 4S. However, this source may not be entirely accurate as it consists of data from 2012 which may not be relevant.
iPhone sales 2007-2022 https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/
There are around 5 billion people around the world who own a smartphone. Each minute, 2,800 iPhones are created, each of which is comprised of over 600 components from 46 different countries. The smartphone industry is estimated at 3 trillion dollars, but questions may arise about why they're so sought after. There are various reasons behind consumers willingly pay hundreds of dollars for the latest products. Apple's reputation reassures consumers of good quality devices that are 'environmentally friendly'. Furthermore, Apple spend a large portion of their profits on marketing, assisting in increasing their sales.
Final Response
How can the iPhone be used as a tool to help people and communities connect?
The iPhone can be used as a tool to assist not only people but entire communities in connecting with one another. Through the use of various apps including iMessage and WhatsApp, people and communities can connect and communicate with one another through their devices.
How does the production of the iPhone also connect people from different places?
Throughout the global supply chain, an international collaboration is assembled, with numerous suppliers and manufacturers contributing from different parts of the world. Through this collaboration, people from diverse regions work together to reach the final product of the iPhone.
What profit does Apple make from their iPhone sales each year?
As seen within the source below, it is apparent that Apple makes a $598 profit per iPhone sale. According to CNBC, in 2022, Apple sold 16.5 million iPhone 14's. Calculations infer that Apple generated 9.857 billion dollars of profit throughout a single year with one iPhone model. Furthermore, the Apple iPhone is the primary focus of consumers, and arguably the most desired device among other smartphone companies.
From your perspective, explain 3 ways in which Apple could improve the iPhone.
Despite being an exceptional product, there are many things that could be altered throughout the manufacturing process and finished product of an iPhone. Firstly, Apple could improve the iPhone recycling process to ultimately benefit the environment and reduce the amount of raw material mining. In North America alone, 150 million smartphones are disposed of every year, rather than being recycled for their materials. Secondly, rather than preventing updates from occurring on older devices, Apple could increase the lifespan of their device, resulting in a reduced amount of unrecycled iPhones. Although this may be beneficial for consumers and the environment, it would result in less sales for Apple, as consumers wouldn’t require the latest models for the device to function. Thirdly, Apple could improve the durability of the iPhone in various conditions by improving dust and water resistance within their devices.
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