cost

Donald Trump jumped into the Apple-China manufacturing debate Tuesday, calling for Apple CEO Tim Cook to make Apple products in the U.S.

After a New York Times article described abject working conditions at China-based Foxconn, Apple is facing increased criticism. Foxconn is Apple's go-to contract manufacturer for iPads and iPhones.

Speaking on Fox News, Trump said Cook should decree that its stuff be made in the U.S.

"Wouldn't it be a great thing if the new leader of Apple said we're going to start building plants in the United States," he said.

Trump … Read more

Amazon.com takes a hit with the sale of each Kindle Fire, but the loss isn't as bad as initially thought.

A look at the build of materials and manufacturing costs concluded that Amazon spends $201.70 on each Kindle Fire, only slightly above its $199 retail price, according to research firm IHS iSuppli. The cost is lower than the nearly $210 estimate the firm initially placed on the device.

Amazon was able to shave off a few dollars by using a few unknown suppliers and employing less memory for the Kindle Fire. The company's strategy of selling … Read more

This week, we check out your thoughts on self-driving cars, why humans can't drive well in the best of conditions, the ultimate car security system, and the price of diesel is tough all over.

Excel users have access to a huge range of free forms, templates, and tools to help them maximize the potential of Microsoft's industry-leading spreadsheet application. Better still, nearly all are free, like Free Employee Hourly Cost Calculator and Labor Burden Estimator from Med-e-Forms. It's all set up and ready to fill in with your data.

We opened the workbook in Excel and enabled editing. As with many Excel templates, it's a busy affair, but color-coding, sample entries, and frequent explanations made for easy setup. Step 1 involved entering tax data, while in Step 2 we entered wages, … Read more

Apple's iPhone 4S is one expensive smartphone to produce, a new study from IHS iSuppli has revealed.

According to the research firm, which opened up Apple's latest smartphone to see what's inside, the 16GB version's bill of materials is $188. The 32GB version's parts jump to $207, according to iSuppli, while the 64GB option sets the company back $245.

iSuppli estimates that each unit costs Apple $8 to produce, therefore pushing the price of the devices up to $196 for the 16GB model, $215 for 32GB, and $254 for 64GB.

With a carrier contract and … Read more

Hyundai bails on EVs, satellite radio just got more expensive, when is it cheaper to fly? (there's an app for that), and we drive the new (but maybe not new enough) Honda Civic Hybrid.

• Hyundai seems to be bailing out on battery electric cars

• The world's fastest hybrid car is...

• An app to tell you when it really is cheaper to drive.

• Is OnStar spying on you, or just doing business 21st century style?

• CNET Reviews the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid… Read more

Recently, I took a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles to drive the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid. When I told friends that I'd driven over 5 hours one-way just spend even more time driving when I got there, the question I got most often was, "Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just fly?"

Had I known about the Cost2Drive Web service and iOS app at the time, I'd have been better equipped to answer that query.

After entering a starting address, ending address, and a make, model, and year of a vehicle, Cost2Drive … Read more

The maker of the PowerCost Monitor, seeking alternatives to discontinued energy-monitoring applications from Microsoft and Google, today said that its home electricity monitor will work with People Power's software.

People Power's Android and iPhone app, which is available this month, brings a few more features to the PowerCost Monitor's real-time electricity reading, including the ability to set up a monthly energy budget, get energy efficiency recommendations, and compare electricity use to others. It can also get electricity rate data from utilities which have variable prices based on the time of day.

Over the past few weeks, Microsoft and Google attracted interest to home energy technology by announcing plans to retire their respective applications, Google PowerMeter and Microsoft Hohm. Both companies said they didn't get the customer uptake they were hoping for.

Utilities are one channel for bringing energy monitoring to market but a handful of companies are selling directly to consumers with products that use home broadband connections, rather than a two-way smart meter, to get data online.

The deal between BlueLine Innovations, which makes the PowerCost Monitor, and People Power hinges on a Wi-Fi gateway that transmits electricity meter information over the Internet to People Power's application. BlueLine Innovations makes an optical sensor that attaches onto a meter to read data. It then sends data to a handheld device that shows near real-time electricity use and the Wi-Fi gateway. The monitor hardware and optical sensor, sold online or at Lowe's, cost about $100 and the Internet gateway costs an additional $159.

Another company that is using a gateway and home broadband to get data online is WattVision, which also makes an optical sensor and Wi-Fi gateway priced at $249. Consumers can view information through a Web application.

The idea behind real-time electricity monitoring is that people will get more insight into how they power their homes and find ways to conserve. In addition to finding ways to save money, people can simply get a better idea of energy usage before a monthly bill arrives.

Meter sensors with a Wi-Fi gateway are attractive to consumers who want more control over energy but don't have smart meters. To get more detailed energy usage, some energy monitors use sensors that clamp onto the individual circuits going into a circuit box. Another promising technology that will provide more detail are sensors that can recognize the electronic "signature" of large power consumers, such as large appliances or air conditioners. … Read more

Governments should scrap policies to support biofuels because they are forcing up global food prices, according to a report by 10 international agencies including the World Bank and World Trade Organization.

The report adds to growing opposition to biofuels targets and subsidies such as those in Europe, Canada, India, and the United States.

"If oil prices are high and a crop's value in the energy market exceeds that in the food market, crops will be diverted to the production of biofuels, which will increase the price of food," said the report.

"Changes in the price of oil can be abrupt and may cause increased food price volatility," said the report.

Prepared at the request of the Group of 20 major economies, the report addressed price volatility in food and agriculture, and its authors also included experts from the World Food Programme, International Monetary Fund, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. … Read more