Digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing have made possible design ideas that were once impossible to execute. A recent report in The Economist highlights these technologies-under the sweeping theme of "The Third Industrial Revolution" -and elucidates their roles within a broad economic context. One notable insight is the rationale behind the locations of developing manufacturing centers. Many assume that the intense activity in China, for example, stems largely from its relatively low cost of labor. But the reality is more complicated. In a cost study of a $499 iPad, University of California at Irvine researchers determined that only $8 goes towards Chinese labor, out of a total of $33 spent on labor costs worldwide.
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