Apple has announced that the Mac Pro 2019 model will be produced in an Austin, Texas manufacturing facility. This is the same location where Mac Pro computers have been manufactured since 2013 with the previous-generation model.
The news marks a milestone in Apple's public commitment to growing the US economy, but also comes amid growing tariffs on imported Chinese goods under the Trump administration as well as growing general criticism of off-shore manufacturing conducted by US companies.
Several parts within the 2019 Mac Pro will be "designed, developed and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies for distribution to US customers," according to a press release.
- Here's what's new with macOS Catalina
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro is coming soon – we hope
'Federal product exclusion'
Apple itself states that this entire endeavor is "made possible following a federal product exclusion Apple is receiving for certain necessary components."
This means that Apple has been pardoned by the US federal government from paying inflated import tariffs on a certain amount of the parts sourced from China within the Mac Pro for 2019. Had Apple not received this "federal product exclusion," it's possible that Mac Pro 2019 production would have taken place elsewhere worldwide.
Apple is also keen to point out that "the value of American-made components in the new Mac Pro is 2.5 times greater than in Apple’s previous generation Mac Pro."
Again, what this means is that these American-made parts are costing Apple and its partners 2.5 times as much to produce as before, due to the generally higher cost of labor in the US compared to that of, say, China – where the majority of Apple product manufacturing and assembly takes place today.
Apple previously stated in June 2019 that the 2019 Mac Pro will start pricing at $5,999 (about £4,730, AU$8.720). It's unknown whether Apple issued this pricing before or after it received this "federal product exclusion." Regardless, it would be in bad form for Apple to increase the starting price after announcement, so we wouldn't expect that to change before release.
If you remember, Apple products of even the recent past used to include the line "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." This line is no longer featured on Apple's iPhones as of the XS and XR series.
Surely, the Mac Pro 2019 will feature a new, more US-centric line emblazoned on its chassis somewhere.
- Here are the best Macs to date
