Apple asks Trump administration to spare Mac Pro parts from tariffs

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Macpro
The Mac Pro is an expensive beast.
Photo: Apple

Apple submitted multiple requests to the Trump administration asking that the government exclude Mac Pro parts from a 25% import tariff.

Production of the Mac Pro moved to China this year as Apple moves on from the “trash can” Mac Pro design manufactured in Austin, Texas. In nearly all 15 of its filings, Apple says there are no other sources for the proprietary, Apple-designed components.

Apple’s products have mostly been spared from President Donald Trump’s tariffs until now. The company wrote a letter last month to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer saying that newly proposed tariffs would make Apple gear more expensive and hurt the company’s global competitiveness.

Trump promised to give tariff relief to some companies that can prove essential components can only be sourced from China. In its submission to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Apple also says the parts are not strategically important or related to “Made in China 2025,” which is another one of Trump’s big concerns.

Will Trump tariffs hit Mac Pro?

Some of the parts Apple seeks exceptions for include the structural frame for the Mac Pro, data cables, the GPU module, power supply, CPU heatsink and partially completed logic board. Apple also asked the U.S. government to exclude the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 from the tariffs.

The Trump administration has until the first of August to reply. Trump also proposed a new round of $300 billion worth of tariffs that would impact pretty much every product. However, the White House did not yet impose those tariffs.

Apple plans to launch the Mac Pro later this year. We got our first glimpse of the beastly new machine during Apple’s WWDC 2019 keynote. Full pricing and launch date details should come later this fall.

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