Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company wants to continue making its Mac Pro computer in the United States following reports that it was shifting production to China.
"In terms of exclusions, we've been making the Mac Pro in the US, we want to continue to do that," Cook said in response to an analyst's question on the company's quarterly earnings call. "So we're working and investing currently in capacity to do so. Because we want to continue to be here."
Cook's comments come after Bloomberg reported last week that Apple had asked President Donald Trump to exclude components for the new Mac Pro from tariffs on imports from China. In a tweet last Friday, President Trump said Apple will not receive such relief, and instead encouraged the company to make its products in the US.
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The Mac Pro has been the only major Apple product that the company produces in the US, but The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have both reported that Apple was shifting production from its Texas-based facility to China. Those reports indicated that Apple had tapped Taiwan-based Quanta Computer to manufacture its forthcoming Mac Pro.
Apple said in a statement to both publications at the time that the Mac Pro is designed and engineered in the US.
The discussions about Apple's plans for producing the Mac Pro come amidst an ongoing trade dispute between the US and China. Although President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to reopen trade discussions after the G20 summit that took place in Japan in June, President Trump also recently said there's "a long way to go" when it comes to imposing tariffs on Chinese goods.
Apple unveiled a redesigned Mac Pro during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, signalling the first time the company has updated its powerful professional-grade desktop since 2013. The machine starts at $6,000, and is designed to be easily upgraded unlike its predecessor.