Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google, has been relatively mum on its plans to release new hardware, but yesterday, the company announced that it is opening a brand new manufacturing facility in Texas, where it will assemble its flagship Moto X smartphone. (Read more about the new plant.)
The Moto X will be the first smartphone assembled in America, according to Motorola.
From Motorola:
“Moto X [is] a new flagship smartphone that will be designed, engineered and assembled in the USA. We’re not talking about just a handful of units either — available this summer, every Moto X sold in the USA will be assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, making it the first smartphone ever assembled domestically. We’re not talking about just a handful of units either — available this summer, every Moto X sold in the USA will be assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, making it the first smartphone ever assembled domestically.”
Huh. Who knew?
I know that most smartphone, tablets, TVs, computers, monitors, GPS units, microwave ovens, etc., etc., are made in China or elsewhere in Asia. But it still seems odd that not a single smartphone has ever been made, or “assembled,” in the good ol’ U S of A.
I can’t help but think of the “Designed by Apple in California. Made in China” labels on all those iDevices. I bet you’ll see a big label on the Moto X to let you know it was “assembled” in the USA, too. Take that, Apple.
Then again, just because the Moto X will be assembled in the United States, its various components weren’t necessary made in America. In fact, it’s probably safe to assume the majority of Moto X components will not be made in ‘Murica.
Still, “The First Smartphone Assembled in the USA” makes for a great headline on a press release—or a blog post.
AS
Next read this
Author: asacco, Managing Editor
Al Sacco was a journalist, blogger and editor who covers the fast-paced mobile beat for CIO.com and IDG Enterprise, with a focus on wearable tech, smartphones and tablet PCs. Al managed CIO.com writers and contributors, covered news, and shared insightful expert analysis of key industry happenings. He also wrote a wide variety of tutorials and how-tos to help readers get the most out of their gadgets, and regularly offered up recommendations on software for a number of mobile platforms. Al resides in Boston and is a passionate reader, traveler, beer lover, film buff and Red Sox fan.
