Speculation Targets Mac Pro as First "Made in USA" Mac Product

MacRumors · Dec 9, 2012, 08:42 PM

During his interview with Brian Williams, Tim Cook revealed that Apple is planning on bringing some of its*Mac production back to the United States. Cook did not reveal which of the Mac lines would be part of the $100 million investment, but speculation has named the*Mac Pro as the likely suspect.

Fortune has rounded up all of the current thoughts on why the Mac Pro is the only viable candidate:

Quote:

-A $100 million factory, Dan Luria, a labor economist at Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center told Bloomberg, employs about 200 people and produces about 1 million units per year

-Last year, Apple sold 18 million Macs, including 13.5 million MacBooks and 4.6 million desktops (iMacs, minis and Mac Pros). Only the Mac Pro and mini sell fewer than 1 million per year, and the Mac Pro is considerably heavier and more expensive to ship

-Apple, through a spokesperson and through Tim Cook himself, has already indicated that it will be producing a new Mac Pro in 2013

-Any extra labor costs associated with manufacturing in the U.S. can be more easily absorbed by a $2,500-$3,800 Mac Pro than by a MacBook or an iMac that sell for $1,000 to $1,300.

-Mac Pros are easier to build and customize than any other Apple product

Earlier this year, after a minor update to the Mac Pro was announced at WWDC, Tim Cook confirmed to a fan that new Mac Pros were coming in 2013, which was later reiterated by an Apple spokesman. The 2013 Mac Pro could be the first to carry the "Made in the USA" label, if current speculation is correct.

Article Link: Speculation Targets Mac Pro as First "Made in USA" Mac Product

that1guyy · Dec 9, 2012, 08:44 PM

This is amazing.

Mars478 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:47 PM

Weren't iMacs already being built in the USA?

deanbo · Dec 9, 2012, 08:48 PM

Does this mean that they are going to update it?

cmChimera · Dec 9, 2012, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mars478

Weren't iMacs already being built in the USA?

That's what I thought.

Asclepio · Dec 9, 2012, 08:48 PM

from $11,499.00

puckhead193 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:49 PM

Now the million dollar question, when?

brendu · Dec 9, 2012, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmChimera

That's what I thought.

I think some of them were assembled in the USA but not the entire iMac line. I believe this will be the first Mac line that is completely assembled in the USA.

oneMadRssn · Dec 9, 2012, 08:50 PM

Think it'll have no optical drive, proprietary SSD, a mobile CPU, and soldered in RAM?

cmChimera · Dec 9, 2012, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendu

I think some of them were assembled in the USA but not the entire iMac line. I believe this will be the first Mac line that is completely assembled in the USA.

Ah ok, that makes sense.

funman895 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM

We can only hope the mac pro is updated soon; I built a hackintosh since a new iMac just won't float my boat and the current mac pro is too slow. Let's hope others can benefit from a modern pro machine from apple.

MisterKeeks · Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM

As long as they make it...

Rudy69 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM

It makes sense, it's the easiest one to build and also the one they sell the least every year. Perfect product to test a new process

faroZ06 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanbo

Does this mean that they are going to update it?

This means that they aren't going to update it until the plants are finished.

scottrichardson · Dec 9, 2012, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudy69

It makes sense, it's the easiest one to build and also the one they sell the least every year. Perfect product to test a new process

Yep. I even stated to my wife yesterday (before this news), that I bet it would be the Mac Pro that they built stateside first, due to it having a higher margin, thus more ability to absorb higher production costs.

Can't wait to see what the new Mac Pro is like come mid 2013! I want one!

faroZ06 · Dec 9, 2012, 08:54 PM

"-Mac Pros are easier to build and customize than any other Apple product"

Giving Americans the easy job, eh? Racist!
jk

Battlefield Fan · Dec 9, 2012, 09:00 PM

Guess they found a way to make the Mac Pro 100% with robots. The 200 jobs that are being created are for robot technicians.

nStyle · Dec 9, 2012, 09:01 PM

Yeah, Apple! Manufacturer your most least-selling product in the same country that your HQ is located in! Entirely ethical.

Khadgar · Dec 9, 2012, 09:02 PM

Macs used to be produced in the United States, so the rumored Mac Pro would hardly be the first. My original Macintosh and Mac II both say they're made in the United States, and there used to be plants in California and Oregon which made them back in the late 80's, early 90's.

sransari · Dec 9, 2012, 09:02 PM

Good stuff. Not only is the Mac Pro line staying alive, it is being made in 'Merica!

ppdix · Dec 9, 2012, 09:03 PM

WRP · Dec 9, 2012, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funman895

We can only hope the mac pro is updated soon; I built a hackintosh since a new iMac just won't float my boat and the current mac pro is too slow. Let's hope others can benefit from a modern pro machine from apple.

What do you do for a living that a 12-core machine is too slow? I'm claiming *************

carlgo · Dec 9, 2012, 09:06 PM

It is hard to define what is "Assembled in the US and what is "Made in the US". Lots of people buy boxes of Chines parts and stuff them into a case, assembling their own computer on the kitchen table.

What percentage of the parts have to be made in the US for the whole product to be considered to have been made in the US?

Making a relatively few Mac Pros from imported parts would be easy, making millions of iPhones a day is a different deal.

Skika · Dec 9, 2012, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nStyle

Yeah, Apple! Manufacturer your most least-selling product in the same country that your HQ is located in! Entirely ethical.

Huh, what?

fastlanephil · Dec 9, 2012, 09:08 PM

Neither apple's Tim Cook or anyone at Apple has ever said there would be a new Mac Pro in 2013. It was like"something really special for the pro users later in 2013".

That could mean an Apple coffee blend! Just kidding.

Waiting patiently for "something special".

Dec 9, 2012, 08:44 PM	#2
that1guyy macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2011	This is amazing. __________________ I have a signature!
	5

Dec 9, 2012, 08:47 PM	#3
Mars478 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NYC, NY	Weren't iMacs already being built in the USA? __________________ MacBook Air 13.3 1.83ghz 2010; iPhone 5 64GB Black ATT; iMac 2.4; iPad Mini 64GB Wifi black/slate; Prototype iPhone 4 "DF3184"
	8

Dec 9, 2012, 08:48 PM	#4
deanbo macrumors regular Join Date: May 2003	Yay! Does this mean that they are going to update it?
	1

Dec 9, 2012, 08:48 PM	#6
Asclepio macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2011	from $11,499.00
	38

Dec 9, 2012, 08:49 PM	#7
puckhead193 macrumors 604 Join Date: May 2004 Location: NY	Now the million dollar question, when? __________________ 20" iMac C2D - 2.33GHz, 3 GB ram, ATI X1600 256 MB VRAM 17" MBP i7, 8 GB ram, 500 GB HD @ 7200 - 64 gig iPod Touch 64 GB black Verizon iPhone 5 - Verizon 64 gb iPad 3
	2

Dec 9, 2012, 08:50 PM	#9
oneMadRssn macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Boston, MA	Think it'll have no optical drive, proprietary SSD, a mobile CPU, and soldered in RAM?
	23

Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM	#11
funman895 macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: On a planet far far away. If you pass the Milky Way, you've gone too far.	We can only hope the mac pro is updated soon; I built a hackintosh since a new iMac just won't float my boat and the current mac pro is too slow. Let's hope others can benefit from a modern pro machine from apple.
	5

Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM	#12
MisterKeeks macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2012	As long as they make it... __________________ Core Duo 1.83 Mac Mini, Dual 2.7 Power Mac G5, Dual 1.8 Power Mac G5, Dual 1.25 MDD G4, 1.6 GHz iMac G5, 900 MHz iBook G3, 800 MHz iMac G4, 500MHz iMac G3, 400MHz iMac G3
	3

Dec 9, 2012, 08:51 PM	#13
Rudy69 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009	It makes sense, it's the easiest one to build and also the one they sell the least every year. Perfect product to test a new process __________________ My Games: Tangled; QuadPong; West Code Studios
	7

Dec 9, 2012, 08:54 PM	#16
faroZ06 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009	"-Mac Pros are easier to build and customize than any other Apple product" Giving Americans the easy job, eh? Racist! jk
	10

Dec 9, 2012, 09:00 PM	#17
Battlefield Fan macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2008	Guess they found a way to make the Mac Pro 100% with robots. The 200 jobs that are being created are for robot technicians. __________________ 15" Macbook Pro Hi-Res, 2.3 GHz i7 QC, 16GB RAM, 480 GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G Xbench score: 426; 27" TB ACD; 27" MDP ACD; Black iPhone 5 64GB; White iPad 3 32GB LTE
	7

Dec 9, 2012, 09:01 PM	#18
nStyle macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2009	Yeah, Apple! Manufacturer your most least-selling product in the same country that your HQ is located in! Entirely ethical.
	1

Dec 9, 2012, 09:02 PM	#19
Khadgar macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2011	Macs used to be produced in the United States, so the rumored Mac Pro would hardly be the first. My original Macintosh and Mac II both say they're made in the United States, and there used to be plants in California and Oregon which made them back in the late 80's, early 90's.
	3

Dec 9, 2012, 09:02 PM	#20
sransari macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2005	Good stuff. Not only is the Mac Pro line staying alive, it is being made in 'Merica! __________________ 8-core 2.8 GHz MacPro, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB time machine storage + 128 GB Solid-State Drive Macbook Air 1.2 Ghz i5, 64 GB flash, 2 GB RAM.
	2

Dec 9, 2012, 09:03 PM	#21
ppdix macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Miami Beach	Finally! __________________ 12-core 2.66Ghz Mac Pro, 32GB, 1TB Accelsior PCIe SSD Drive, 18TB, ATI 5870, 2X 27" Apple LED Cinema Displays , 64GB iPhone 5, 64GB WiFi New iPad, 8GB iPod Nano, Canon 1D X, EPSON Photo 1400
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 09:06 PM	#23
carlgo macrumors 65816 Join Date: Dec 2006	It is hard to define what is "Assembled in the US and what is "Made in the US". Lots of people buy boxes of Chines parts and stuff them into a case, assembling their own computer on the kitchen table. What percentage of the parts have to be made in the US for the whole product to be considered to have been made in the US? Making a relatively few Mac Pros from imported parts would be easy, making millions of iPhones a day is a different deal.
	1

Dec 9, 2012, 09:08 PM	#25
fastlanephil macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2007	Neither apple's Tim Cook or anyone at Apple has ever said there would be a new Mac Pro in 2013. It was like"something really special for the pro users later in 2013". That could mean an Apple coffee blend! Just kidding. Waiting patiently for "something special".
	3

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