Apple would prefer to build the upcoming Mac Pro in the United States. In fact, the company is trying to make it happen, CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday.
“We’ve been making the Mac Pro in the United States and we want to continue doing that,” Cook said during Apple’s earnings call. “We’re working and investing currently in the capacity to do so. We want to continue to be there.”
Cook did not confirm that 2019 Mac Pro production (or final assembly) will take place in the United States. However, the surprising revelation that Apple wants to build it stateside came after a question about the prospect of moving manufacturing out of China to avoid import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Apple recently sought tariff exclusions for specific Mac Pro parts. But President Donald Trump rebuffed the request, tweeting that Apple would receive no such exemptions.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1154774656861257732
Trump’s trade war with China puts Apple in an awkward position. Since the company manufactures most of its products in China, souring economic relations between the two countries — and the threat of expanding tariffs — could hit Cupertino’s bottom line.
Where will Apple build 2019 Mac Pro?
Apple proudly builds the current Mac Pro in Austin, Texas. But a report in The Wall Street Journal last month said Apple would move manufacturing of the 2019 Mac Pro to China.
That machine, which will sport a price tag starting at $6,000 when it goes on sale this fall, will boast powerhouse specs aimed at true pro users. Even with that hefty price tag, it could prove something of a steal.
On Tuesday, Cook said Apple operates like any global company, taking advantage of international supply chains and a distributed workforce. Components of Apple devices come from the United States, China, Europe Japan and Korea, among other places.
“The vast majority of our products are kind of made everywhere,” Cook said.
He also downplayed much of the chatter surrounding Apple and the China tariffs.
“There’s been a lot of speculation around the topic of different moves and so forth,” Cook said. “I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in those.”
