I’m not sure how we categorize moving from a world where goods are distributed physical to electronically. But that’s why we lost those jobs. It’s got nothing to do with China and everything to do with the fact that million selling “record” now only ships maybe 200,000 actual physical copies the rest are now bought as 1s and 0s from server farms which requires drastically less labor. We lost those jobs they are quite simply no longer necessary to supply the demand.
The iPhone and Android themselves probably didn’t kill any jobs. But the concept of buying all your software as a download (first for the phone, and now for desktops) has definitely killed jobs. Both at the retail stores and at the manufacturing level distribution, nobody needs to print thousands and discs and put them in boxes and in trucks because the vast majority of software sales are now 1s and 0s.
And when we go to a 3D printed world the same thing will happen with more and more sectors of retail. Like I said, when you can print the entire contents of Target a lot of jobs will simply evaporate. Ask Barnes and Noble, but hurry because the downloadable economy is killing them. Clothing will be the fatal app. Vast quantities of retail space is taken up with clothes. The day clothes are 1s and 0s will kill at least half the retail sector.
Nothing to do with China? China manufactures the world’s goods. Just because they are making iPhones and tablets instead of cd’s, doesn’t mean manufacturing jobs disappeared. It just means the jobs went out of the U.S. and evolved to different products. Those walmarts and targets and Home Depot and lowes and costcos and Sams are everywhere and they are filled with manufactured goods made in China.
Even if those items are eventually printed with a 3D printer they have to have the raw material to print with and a whole lot of it.
Even if clothes are printed which is a great idea then they have to have raw material because you can’t wear 1’s and 0’s.
I, as one person, can design and produce a product. That goes for nearly everyone else on the planet, granted, some will need assistance in creating the 3d model and printing, but they won’t need a huge design team, office support, machine shop and distributers.
That opens up the world to a whole new realm of possibilities, people will be able to bring their ideas to fruition, everyone and anyone, not just people with money. New products, knick-knacks, art, architecture, tools. Everyone has an idea, something they want, now we can make it and we don’t have to go to a foreign country to have it built.
There are already services that will print your product up in most materials and print shops will be opening up in every neighborhood. The patent office failed us and trading with other countries failed in protecting our intellectual property, now we will have some control over it.
The affordable 3d machines aren’t very good yet, but they are getting there.