Apple - Case Study of a TNC

• Spatial Distribution - Key Locations

  • Headquarters & R&D centre based together at Apple Park Cupertino, California
  • Main products designed in Silicon Valley, California
  • Components used in their products are sourced from companies based globally
  • Wifi Chips may originate from any one of 20 countries in the Americas, Europe or Asia
  • Most Apple employees are based in MEDCs, predominantly in the US
  • Reflects the high-tech, knowledge-intensive nature of its business
• Spatial Distribution - Data Centres

  • 2 in California at Newark and Santa Clara
  • 2 further west at Reno, Nevada and Prineville, Oregon
  • 1 on the eastern coast at Maiden, North Carolina
  • A further large centre is planned for the mid-2020s at Wuakee, Iowa
  • The data centres are to better serve North American users of iMessage and Siri
• Spatial Distribution - Employment:

  • Employs 6000 people at Austin, Texas
  • Plans to expand to employ a further 10,000
• Spatial Distribution - Production:

  • Assembly of Apple’s main products is outsourced to partner companies Foxconn & Pegatron.
  • Both Taiwanese tech companies
  • Foxconn is Apple’s longest-running partner
  • Based in Foxconn City, Shenzen near Hong Kong.
• Impacts - Ireland:

  • Apple has its European, Middle Eastern & African headquarters in Cork, Ireland, where it employs 6,000 workers on its iMac production line.
  • Cork also acts as the global transport logistics hub for Apple, organising shipments of assembled iPhones and iPads globally.