My endeavor to avoid things produced in China took a serious slam in the last two weeks. One started with an unfortunate accident. I use an Apple Macbook Pro for work. The vast majority of my development happens on Linux systems but I don't terribly care for using Linux on laptops. They don't play well with batteries. While there are some detractors to that assertion, an extended dialog with most Linux-laptop owners will eventually lead to a concession that, "Yeah, it's not quite as long on the battery as when I boot to Windows." In my case, strike Windows, add Mac OS/X.
I use iTunes, I was an early adopter of using non-stolen music on my computer. Very little of the music is DRM'd anymore, probably only a dozen songs from holier-than-thou-art labels. But I like iTunes well enough that seeking out an alternative has never been a priority.
I have an iPhone which I like. I also have an Android phone but it doesn't last 8 hours of useful time like my iPhone. It helps that iTunes nicely syncs between my iPhone and my Mac. The system just works, with no quirks, questions, or exceptions. I write code for a living, manage technology products, and I don't like the technology I use needing heavy setup, nor having unlivable quirks. That means more of my time in fixing the system I need to do work. Those types of time sucks are money and productivity losers.
My family uses an iPad. My daughter has been fickle about her favorite stuffed animal to cuddle, her favorite TV show, and her favorite foods. She has never once chosen to play with any toy over getting to use "the black computer." At only three years old, she is highly proficient at finding her video games and "videos." I feel abandoning that platform would be a foolhardy parenting choice.
The Macbook Pro upon which this ecosystem revolves was damaged by beer. Not my own beer but that of a good friend of mine. It was a complete accident and I hold no bitterness or resentment against him for the spill. It took out the keyboard, the audio ports, and the power adapter no longer really charges the laptop. The track pad no longer feels "right" either. Replacing this with a Windows or Linux laptop seemed problematic. It would be more downtime and setup and most of the laptops I looked at would have been made in China.
Of course, what doesn't help is that there is only one manufacture of MacBook Pros: Apple. All of Apple's products are made in China. Recently, the New York Times ran a series espousing that Apple's factories offer slave like conditions to their works and have been under scrutiny for some of their practices. All of which Apple is accused of ignoring. Apple fired back and I'm sure at some point, litigation will find a "winner." So, I bought the MacBook Pro, made in China, to do my work. I'm a huge capitalistic pig. Really, I don't actually feel good about it, but at this point couldn't find a reasonable away around my own Apple vendor lock-in.
