https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/23/apple_mac_pro_texas/
And yet manages to blag a federal tariff exclusion. #MAGA!
So has literally nothing changed? Well, there has been a small change. According to Apple, it has made the new Mac Pro a more American product: “The new Mac Pro will include components designed, developed and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies for distribution to US customers. Manufacturers and suppliers across Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont, including Intersil and ON Semiconductor, are providing advanced technology.”
But it’s not clear if that is a new arrangement or if Apple has always bought the unspecified parts from those companies. Apple also engaged in a sleight of hand over its all-American new computer. It says: “The value of American-made components in the new Mac Pro is 2.5 times greater than in Apple’s previous generation Mac Pro.” Note the word “value” in there – not number. What does that mean in reality? We don’t know and Apple is not keen to explain.
Apple then pumped a series of additional U-S-A! comments into the post: “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. We believe deeply in the power of American innovation. That’s why every Apple product is designed and engineered in the US, and made up of parts from 36 states, supporting 450,000 jobs with US suppliers, and we’re going to continue growing here.”
Okaaay…
What’s really going, and why is this newsworthy?
The short answer is that Apple has managed to get some kind of exemption from Chinese tariffs by concocting a pro-America message and then promoting it in order to give the president an apparent win. It’s unclear whether Trump is unaware or simply doesn’t care about the reality of the situation so long as the perception aligns with his message.
David Adams
Article URL : https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/23/apple_mac_pro_texas/