Apple is putting a record $US10.5 billion on robots and manufacturing processes. That includes equipment to polish the new iPhone 5c's colourful plastic, laser and milling machines to carve the MacBook's aluminium body, and testing gear for the iPhone and iPad camera lens.

The Tame Apple Press is attempting to tell anyone who will listen that the outfit has so much cash that they can “invest in cutting-edge, world-class machinery that is typically used for aerospace and defence."

But the reality is that Apple needs to do something as employment costs in China start to rise and civil rights groups moan about the treatment of workers behind the bamboo curtain. Apple seems to be agreeing with its main manufacturer Foxconn that robots are better as they do not stop working and do not through themselves off buildings when they get depressed.