For people outside of the USA, a "Made in California" sign might be a mark of quality for gadgets, just like "Made in France" for wine, but why adding pride to this?
I'm not a US citizen either. Apple's (and Amazon, Google et al.) primary market is the US. "Designed in California" makes no difference to you and I, but it might make the difference between 15 million vs 15.5 million sales if they drop an extra 0.05 cents worth of paint pointing out where the phone was conceived. That, and I truly believe Apple has a strong sense of pride.
> but why adding pride to this?
Evoking emotion sells your product to people who feel it. Those who don't feel it...eh? They'll still buy the product if they like it. Perhaps you can market it to them in a different way. Broad-spectrum marketing.
Well, what if I am not US citizen?
For people outside of the USA, a "Made in California" sign might be a mark of quality for gadgets, just like "Made in France" for wine, but why adding pride to this?