Apple Manufacturing Jobs Are Not Coming Back and That's OK

18.10.2012
These days, everyone wants to invoke Apple to score some political points-and for good reason.

Apple has become the standard bearer for American-style capitalism, becoming the most valuable company of all time. The iPhone has become the symbol of America's dominance as an innovator. And the late Steve Jobs has become a true legend: a college-school dropout who started a company in his parents' garage and became one of history's greatest CEOs.

But the political discourse around Apple is about more than celebrating a great American company. Apple has become a microcosm, a roadmap for competing in the new global economy where skilled workers, entrepreneurs and innovators can prosper, but unskilled American labor faces tough times ahead.

Apple rose to lofty heights during the worst economic climate since the Great Depression and has become a beacon of hope and recovery. It's no wonder President Barrack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney mention Apple at nearly every major event as they vie for the presidency.

August 27, 2012: Republican National Convention

Governor Romney pointed to Steve Jobs as a heroic risk taker who achieves the big payoff: "Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving... It is about dreams. Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. Steve Jobs was fired at Apple and then he came back and changed the world."