Apple moves production of Mac Pro from U.S. to China

Apple’s new Mac Pro is notable for a number of reasons. The $6,000 beast famously resembles a cheese grater and probably will never be used by most people. It might also be the end of Apple manufacturing products in the United States.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Apple would move production of the new Mac Pro to China. Back in 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook made a big to-do about building the Mac Pro in the U.S. 

According to the Journal‘s sources, contractor Quanta Computer Inc. will handle manufacturing near Shanghai. While consumers are unlikely to tell the difference, it could land Apple in trouble with the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has criticized Apple for years for producing hardware in China. Recently, the iPhone maker has spoken out against the tariffs the administration has put on Chinese products as part of its trade war. 

The worry is that Trump’s tariffs would make production in China more expensive and possibly increase the prices of things like iPhones and MacBooks. 

On the other hand, it’s not hard to see why Apple gave up on building Mac Pros in the U.S. Labor issues and general inefficiency dogged its Texas operation. For example, Apple had a hard time acquiring the specialized tiny screws it needed to make the premium desktop computer.