Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware (Full Documentary) by WIRED Save for later Reblogpost

Shenzhen, China is not just a place of cheap low-end smartphones, cheat knock-offs or low quality labor. The city in the last decade has made strides into the hardware industry and recently has became a big hub for companies from Europe, the United States and the rest of Asia. The local factories and the great number of entrepreneurs from all over China and the rest of the world. This documentary shows the viewers how the city came to be, how the city and its tech industry is as of today and what the future holds for Shenzhen and for the open-source hardware community.

The hardware industry of the city came to be from employees of big international companies who felt that they could produce the same (or better) goods for half the price by decreasing corporate profits and utilizing the domestic Chinese industry. These Chinese tech fans not just copied the products of existing big corporations, but also they have added their local flavor and their spin on it to improve the products for locals and for foreign customers.