Lots of good points above.
To suggest that quality is related to country of origin is prejudice of the highest order. As the Chinese increasingly learn what consumers in a market oriented economy want, they will become a formidible force given the competitive advantage they have in labour costs. They will very soon be in North America with their cars. No doubt they will be lacking somewhat, the same way that Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundais were lacking when they first introduced their cars here. But those companies learned quickly didn't they, and it will be the same with the Chinese. It's sad the way the big three American auto makers are dismissing the threat of Chinese cars, the same way they dismisssed the Japanese and the Koreans.
A few years ago a Japanese motorbike manufacturer, I think it was Honda, entered the Chinese domestic market. The Chinese reverse engineered the bike and sold it at a fraction of the cost. Honda bought a couple, took them back to Japan, and analyzed the materials and construction. They then withdrew from the market. They concluded that the quality was just as good and that they couldn't compete on price.
Got a bit off track there. Anyway, there is no reason that the same thing can't happen with other products such as electronic equipment.
In addition to the labour cost advantages, I am sympathetic to the intellectual property issue noted in Gdoodle's post. You have an even greater price competitive advantage when you don't have to pay for R & D, or amortize the cost of same in your products. Just ask Hollywood what they think of the Chinese. It's a major international issue with China at the moment that goes far beyond our little world of electronics.
To suggest that quality is related to country of origin is prejudice of the highest order. As the Chinese increasingly learn what consumers in a market oriented economy want, they will become a formidible force given the competitive advantage they have in labour costs. They will very soon be in North America with their cars. No doubt they will be lacking somewhat, the same way that Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundais were lacking when they first introduced their cars here. But those companies learned quickly didn't they, and it will be the same with the Chinese. It's sad the way the big three American auto makers are dismissing the threat of Chinese cars, the same way they dismisssed the Japanese and the Koreans.
A few years ago a Japanese motorbike manufacturer, I think it was Honda, entered the Chinese domestic market. The Chinese reverse engineered the bike and sold it at a fraction of the cost. Honda bought a couple, took them back to Japan, and analyzed the materials and construction. They then withdrew from the market. They concluded that the quality was just as good and that they couldn't compete on price.
Got a bit off track there. Anyway, there is no reason that the same thing can't happen with other products such as electronic equipment.
In addition to the labour cost advantages, I am sympathetic to the intellectual property issue noted in Gdoodle's post. You have an even greater price competitive advantage when you don't have to pay for R & D, or amortize the cost of same in your products. Just ask Hollywood what they think of the Chinese. It's a major international issue with China at the moment that goes far beyond our little world of electronics.