Apple's size and scope, along with direct control of production to force a high quality product helps.
Including knowledge transfer, tooling assistance, trade secrets at the start.
But the truth is, even if you can find a rare product such as this, which is really Chinese assembly with US know how, direct control, and methods, 99.999% if the stuff you buy when Made ib China will be... junk.
The exception to the rule is not relevant. Made in China means "junk".
This is just wrong. You can buy junk in China and you can buy very quality products in China
Even if true, irrelevant, because for the rest of the wotld, my statements stand true.
Put another way, let's say I put all Made in China products I can buy in Canada, into a room. Millions of them, surely.
Now I am to pick a product at random. Will it be junk? Yes. Out of those millions and millions of products, maybe 10 or 20 wouldn't be junk.
Everyone knows this, because it's true. It doesn't matter why, for what reason, all that matters is that it's true.
My example has nothing to do with what you personally buy, and instead with "what is Made in China" in a local market. I am referring to both reality, and perception.
If you have millions upon millions of products, and only a tiny, tiny, tiny number are of OK quality, then it's entirely fair to say "Made in China" is junk. That's how it works. Exceptions to the rule are simply that, and not relevant.
If a company makes fridges, and 1 model out of 100 are OK, the other 99 crap that breaks in 2 to 3 years, everyone would say "That company makes junk!". Referencing "But they made one good fridge once!" is not something anyone need care about, and is the exception to the rule.
Yet with Made in China, we're talking about a million junky, sub-par products, compared to 1 that may be acceptable. And even then, quality control is still an issue.
Made in China is junk, an entirely fair, reasonable, logical statement, predicated upon the reality of the situation for most people.
It's not just Apple. You can buy a forged spanner (and other tools) from China that can beat the pants off of any domestically made version. It's all about what the distributor/brand will pay for.