Apple To Make Mac Mini, Not New Mac Pro, In U.S. Next Year [Rumor]

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When Tim Cook said that Apple would start manufacturing part of its Mac lineup stateside in 2013, many speculated that the Mac Pro would be the most likely candidate. We postulated that the upcoming Mac Pro would make the perfect choice because it is easier to build and doesn’t sell as well as the other Macs. Apple would be able to test a desktop production line in the U.S. with a niche Mac that won’t create huge consumer demand.

According to a new rumor, it will not be the Mac Pro, but instead the Mac mini that gets manufactured in the U.S. next year.

The claim comes from the not-always-reliable Digitimes, which is enough to make this one an eyebrow-raiser. Digitimes has gotten a lot wrong in the past, but it has also correctly predicted Apple’s future plans, especially when it comes to display technology. The Taiwanese publication definitely has sources deep within the supply chain; it just doesn’t always know how to frame stuff correctly.

Apple is reportedly set to move its Mac mini production lines back to the US with Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) to be responsible of handling establishment, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Currently, Foxconn has about 15 operating bases in the US and the company reportedly plans to start recruiting workers in 2013 for new automated production lines.

Digitimes notes that Mac mini sales are expected to rise from 1.4 million to 1.8 million in 2013, making it a comfortable, hobby-like kind of product that Apple could experiment with building domestically.

Foxconn recently said that it is planning to bring more manufacturing to America. Apple is Foxconn’s biggest client.

If there was any other Mac that would be made in the United States, it would be the mini. It’s even easier to make than the Mac Pro. Come next year we’ll be able to see whether Digitimes got this one right or not.

Source: Digitimes

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