Despite reports to the contrary, Apple today said it will manufacture its upcoming Mac Pro in Austin, Texas.
The news comes after the Trump administration agreed to lift a 25 percent tariff on certain Chinese-manufactured computer parts, including graphics cards, motherboards, and desktop tower cases.
Apple had requested a tariff exemption on 15 components, including what appeared to be the aluminum frame for the Mac Pro. The Trump administration responded by granting exclusions on at least 10 of them.
"The Mac Pro is Apple's most powerful computer ever and we're proud to be building it in Austin. We thank the administration for their support enabling this opportunity," CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
The Mac Pro will be manufactured at the same facility that produced the 2013 model. However, the updated product will feature 2.5 more times US-made components than its predecessor. The parts will come from over a dozen American companies, including those based in Arizona, Maine, and New York, among others.
The Mac Pro will start at $5,999 when it arrives this fall. Production will start soon, Apple says.
Currently, Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on fully assembled desktop tower PCs from China. His administration plans on imposing another 10 percent tariff on Chinese-made smartphones, laptops, and video game consoles in December unless Washington and Beijing can strike a trade deal. As a result, some vendors have been moving manufacturing out of China while others have been warning they'll have to increase prices to offset the tariff costs.