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ec. 19, Online

In spite of recent technological advancements in mobile devices and consumer trends shifting toward the latest portable products, sales of laptop computers managed to hit nearly 4.9 million units in Southeast Asia'€™s six key markets in the first three quarters of this year.

Your comments:

Well, China got the investments because of cheap labor '€” sometimes with low welfare of laborers, like almost like sweatshops.

All high-tech parts are made in Taiwan, with Foxconn the biggest high-tech manufacturer in the world and many of the world'€™s biggest brands as their clients.

Indonesia can'€™t compete yet. It'€™s just still way too far behind in terms of human resources  and infrastructure. Manufacturing high-tech products is very complicated and complex. That'€™s why the US'€™ biggest brands choose Taiwan, because of its sophisticated infrastructure. Maybe in at least three decades we can compete '€” if seriously planned and implemented. That'€™s a huge '€œif'€, though.

Ironically, though, years ago, AMD was planning to build their computer processor chips in Tangerang instead of Singapore and Malaysia because we have a better balance between human resources and labor costs. But our government didn'€™t have the vision thus AMD chose the second-best location '€” Malaysia.

Mastara Arief