I’ve been sitting here all day watching the news stroll on by, so believe me when I say that it’s one heck of a slow news day. In fact, it’s such a slow news day that Forbes has decided to run a speculative (at best) piece about Apple’s manufacturing move to the U.S.. According to some top notch investigative journalism over at Forbes, Apple’s gearing up to manufacture the Mac Pro in the U.S.
Believe us, it’s a real reach. According to Forbes, Mac Pro manufacturing could happen in the U.S. because:
- Apple only sold 1 million Mac Pros in 2012, and that lines up with speculation that the U.S. Apple factory will be able to turn out about 1 million products a year.
- The Mac Pro is heavy, and it will cost less to ship from the U.S.
- A new Mac Pro will be available in 2013, the same year a new U.S., Apple run factory should open.
- Mac Pros are easy to build.
- Mac Pros are expensive, and so is American labor, so Apple can build the cost into the price.
I. Kid. You. Not. I don’t even know what else to say about this goldmine or hilariousness. Putting everything else aside, and just focusing in on the fact that Apple has to set up a new factory and get it running in tip top shape in order to produce its professional, server class computer by 2013, it’s still a stretch. Building a $100 million dollar factory, and meeting Apple’s publicly stated goals of shipping a Mac Pro in 2013 is going to be a challenge.
It’s also important to note that a new Mac Pro would likely have the most build-to-order options, and people purchasing the computer would have a whole array of different specifications they’re trying to meet with a new server class computer from Apple. The pro crowd is plenty specific about what it wants out of a machine. It’s hardly going to be easier to manufacture and process in the U.S. This logic also fails to account for the fact that rumors have the Mac Pro getting a drastic redesign this time around. It could easily be lighter and thinner.
Maybe it’s true, and maybe Apple pulls it off. Either way, that’s one heck of a speculative piece in Forbes.
