As we reported last week, Apple is set to bring Mac production back to the US by investing $100 million to build one of the company’s Mac products stateside, but which Mac product would it be? After all Apple has the iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and let’s not forget the Mac Pro. While Apple did not state which of its Mac line they would be making in the US, the folks at Fortune have analyzed it and they have come to the conclusion that chances are it would be the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro has been largely neglected, only getting a minor update while its Mac siblings have received substantial upgrades and even a redesign with the iMac. According to Fortune, these are some of the reasons why the Mac Pro would be a likely candidate to be made in the US:
- 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
What do you guys think?
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