Apple’s current-generation Mac Pro, dubbed a “trash can” for its cylinder-shape, has been manufactured in the USA since it was released in 2013, though Apple will reportedly move assembly of the redesigned 2019 Mac Pro model, unveiled at WWDC earlier this month, to Quanta Computer in China, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Quanta is said to be ramping up production of the new Mac hardware at its factory near Shanghai. The factory is located in close proximity to other Apple suppliers in Asia.
Apple has always proudly touted that the cylinder-shaped Mac Pro his assembled in the USA, with the company sharing a behind-the-scenes video to show how the machine is made in its manufacturing plant in Texas.
The move to shift Mac Pro assembly out of the US to China is expected to be down to the ability to reduce manufacturing costs, with workers in Asia receiving lower wages than in the USA, allowing Apple to maximise its profits on the $5,999 machine.
In a statement, an Apple spokesperson said “final assembly is only one part of the manufacturing process,” adding that the new Mac Pro is designed and engineered in the United States and includes some U.S.-made components.