> If China (and similar repressive regimes) wants these sorts of products with onerous restrictions built in, they should have to build them themselves.
I'd also like to add that they are, for the most part, already building our products quite literally. Being on the bad side of China might've a farther reach than just missing out on a few customers.
And apple is one of the few companies that could change that with more US or other non-dictatorship country investment. Apple has 200 billion in cash and other securities... Build some infrastructure, build a lobbying arm to get some of these infrastructure spending gridlocks fixed, build somewhere other than china.
Yeah it's hard, but if they aren't willing to do it, maybe we as a society should enact laws to force their hand? It's not like it's an impossible task.
I'd also like to add that they are, for the most part, already building our products quite literally. Being on the bad side of China might've a farther reach than just missing out on a few customers.