Google Glass to be made in the USA
‘Made in the USA’ is coming back into fashion in Silicon Valley. Apple’s pledged to invest $100 million into American manufacturing. And today, the buzz is that Google is planning to make its long-awaited “Google Glass” in Silicon Valley.
Google Glass is a futuristic, computer that has a tiny display that’s mounted in front of your eye like glasses.
Anand Srinivasan, a tech analyst at Bloomberg Industries, says the primary benefit to making Google Glass in Silicon Valley versus China — is to have more control over the manufacturing.
“Particularly for a new product that’s still early in its development cycle, you want to learn fast, innovate fast and make changes to the manufacturing process in real time,” says Srinivasan.
Srinivasan also adds that the U.S. also has stronger intellectual property protections than China. But thing is, China’s got a huge head start when it comes to computer manufacturing and the U.S. is playing catch-up.
“So before China dominated in producing cheap products, but now China’s become the world’s powerhouse at more sophisticated manufacturing at a good price,” says Shaun Rein, author of End of Cheap China.
Perhaps speaking to such difficulties, last year after much fanfare, Google quietly scrapped its plans to produce “a media-streaming device” in the States.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
