In a replay of 2019, Apple says a single desktop Mac will be manufactured in the US

Source: Ars Technica

Background

The bulk of the supply chain for phones, tablets, computers, game consoles, and most other tech is still overwhelmingly reliant on overseas manufacturers. Most of Apple’s A‑ and M‑series chips are still made in TSMC’s factories in Taiwan, and while TSMC is producing some chips in the US, it has resisted efforts to bring more of its capacity stateside. Facilities for manufacturing memory, storage, and displays are also mostly located overseas, not to mention the plants where all of these components are assembled into finished products.

US Chip Manufacturing Efforts

There are signs that more chip manufacturing is coming to the US. Apple says it will buy roughly 100 million chips manufactured at TSMC’s facilities in Arizona; these 4 nm factories can’t make the newest A‑ and M‑series chips, but they can produce the older Apple A16 (still used in the low‑end iPad) and the Apple S10 chip used in Apple Watches.

Intel, the beneficiary of multiple sources of external investment, is still working on new factories in Ohio and elsewhere. Memory manufacturer Micron is using some of its AI‑fueled profits to build domestic factories as well (source).

Outlook for Domestic Mac Production

Apple’s Mac Pro announcement in 2019 wasn’t the first step toward domestic manufacturing for the company’s biggest‑selling hardware, and today’s announcement is unlikely to usher in a major change to Apple’s manufacturing strategy. The Mac mini is almost certainly more popular than the Mac Pro, but it’s not nearly as consequential as domestic iPhone, iPad, or MacBook manufacturing would be.