Jordan Weissmann - Jordan Weissmann is an associate editor at The Atlantic. He has written for a number of publications, including The Washington Post and The National Law Journal.

Jan 23 2012, 3:41 PM ET Comment

It's not just cheap wages. China has more skilled factory workers and sits at the center of the global supply chain. 

Here are four basic lessons that we can learn from Apple's manufacturing:

Cheap Labor Isn't the Issue 

There's no question that China's low wages are part of the country's appeal -- even though they've increased. According to the Times, building the iPhone stateside would add up to $65 to the cost of each device. To put that in...