Google Tries Something Retro ⇥ nytimes.com

John Markoff, for the New York Times:

Etched into the base of Google’s new wireless home media player that was introduced on Wednesday, is its most intriguing feature.

On the underside there is a simple laser-etched inscription: “Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.”

With the raising prices of labour at manufacturing partners in China, this is becoming a viable option for some products. But it has drawbacks, as is pointed out in the article:

The biggest challenge in bringing manufacturing home has been finding component suppliers nearby. Industry executives note that the decision to stay in China is often determined by the web of parts suppliers that surround giant assembly operations, like the one that Foxconn, the manufacturing partner of Apple and many other big electronics companies, operates in Shenzhen. The advantages can be striking. A design change made in a product might be executed in a few hours.