Let's say someone in China buys an iPhone. Their money, in effect, is going back to the USA. So this single purchase, in turn, raises America's GDP no matter how infinitesimal, right?
In other words, Apple / Microsoft help the American economy. Yep?
I believe the answer is both yes and not really.
When someone in China buys an iPhone, money goes to all over the world: the local dealer, the local wireless service provider, the factories in China, India, Taiwan, or US that makes the hardware and components, various shippers (more Toyota/Isuzu trucks), oil & power companies, Apple who designs and provides software etc, some New Yorkers who handle marketing campaigns, tons of people involved. Applying what's seen in the US, I'd say the biggest winners are the local wireless service provider (which presumably has to buy more tech products from European/American/Japanese companies) and Apple.
This is big for Apple. They makes a lot of money out of this. Hopefully they will pay some US tax. All the Apple employees, contractors, marketing people, lawyers, and everyone involved in the process make good money. They buy bigger houses and watch more movies and hopefully pay more taxes. These are good for the US. The bad news for the US is that not really that many American workers have been involved and benefited from this particular process in this particular example.
Selling Intel chips to China should be another whole different story--that one may be pretty much 100% American productivity and profit.
I think the Intel and iPhone stories represent two different sides in today's global economy. The Intel high tech story is what developed countries maintain an edge and they make good monopolized money there. The iPhone example showcases a more common phenomenon, that Corporate America is better off nowadays by selling various products to developing countries that used to be too poor to buy anything. However, the reason these countries and their people can buy more stuff is that they have become more competitive in terms of productivity and therefore are making more money.
