A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union

Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by kergonath on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @02:01AM (#34409834)

It is also xenophobic to believe that Chinese are not able to design junk by themselves. They have a huge internal market and have a lot of reasons to do so. Also, a lot of the junk in question is white label, with pretty much no western engineer or designer involved even when it is sold in the US or Europe.

But the bottom line is, it is junk that comes from China, ergo Chinese junk.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by winrid on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @02:17AM (#34409933)

I'm sure they do. But the junk comes from many places, and the responsibility is on the companies here. I just think calling it Chinese Junk is hiding the blame.

Look at my fridgidaire fridge and dishwasher - both recently broke at the same time after a few years. Both top of the line consumer models. They're still made in the US, but they're disposable junk sold at the homeless despot.

The fridge is $2k, but has the same cheap components from $400 fridges. Cost cutting is everywhere. Hold the right people accountable, IMO.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by jjeaff on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @05:05AM (#34410859)

Much of the really well made stuff that we buy here in the US also comes from China. They are now quite capable of very high end manufacturing as well.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by rascul on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @08:52AM (#34412332)

I tell people this sometimes but the market is so saturated with the cheap junk that people don't often believe me.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by kube-system on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @09:43AM (#34412908)

I usually use iPhone or MacBooks as examples.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by rascul on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @12:13PM (#34415243)

I thought they were mostly built in South Korea and Taiwan. I don't usually pay much attention to the Apple world, though.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by kube-system on Tuesday January 17, 2023 @12:25PM (#34415454)

Foxconn and Pegatron are both Taiwanese companies (who make devices for many major manufacturers, not just Apple) but most of their manufacturing has been in mainland China.

Although some of that manufacturing has started to shift recently to India and Vietnam.

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Re:A Supermarket Visit Brought Down the Soviet Union by fennecfoxy on Wednesday January 18, 2023 @10:48AM (#34428162)

All designed in the US, using manufacturing methods pioneered (for the most part) outside of China?

I mean it was only a short while ago that they were able to manufacture metal balls with enough precision to make ballpoint pens.

Besides the fact that they are known for making jumps and leaps in progress by stealing trade secrets. Just calling it how it is, I don't think they deserve credit for working in this way at all, if it weren't the case then I'd be applauding them.

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