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Made in USA Mac Mini News, Rumors, and Wants!

M

MeeMac

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 17, 2013
205
5
The purpose of this thread is to keep informed those of us planning to support Apples’ Commitment to build the next generation Mac Minis in the USA.

List any News, Rumors, Theories, Speculation, and more importantly; FEATURES THAT YOU WANT in the USA Mac Mini, so we can one-stop shop for information on our soon to be new, Made in the USA Mac Minis :)
 
Let the Unification Begin?

Three observations and a conclusion to share:

Observation one. It seems to me that people who buy the Mac Mini like the “independence” that the Mac Mini line provides (e.g. pick your own monitor/TV, and adding RAM). People also want the ability to install THEIR OWN customizations to THEIR computers, such as memory upgrades, SSDs, etc. They also appear to want more options to upgrade on THEIR Mac Minis than Apple currently provides.

Observation two: Now at the same time; the Mac Pro line is WAY overdue for a product line upgrade. People who love the Mac Pro line want horsepower and the ability to upgrade on their own as well.

Observation three: Apple is focused on smaller is better on all product lines.

Conclusion: Has anyone considered that maybe, Apple might consider merging the Mac Mini with the Mac Pro? Instead of starting with a large Mac Pro, you would start with a Mac Mini, and it would “stack” as you added features such as additional drives, fans, and more powerful processors.

Could this become the new Made in the USA Mac Mini/Pro?

Any Thoughts?
 
T is For TEXAS?

Apple’s Made-in-USA Mac Will Be Built in Texas
MAY 22, 2013 AT 6:00 AM PT
All Things Digital
By Jack Paczkowski

When Apple announced its intention to manufacture one of its existing Mac lines exclusively in the U.S. last December, the company didn’t say which line, or where in the country it planned to build it. Now, some five months later, the answer to one of those questions has finally emerged.
During a Tuesday appearance before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the state in which its Made-in-USA Mac will be manufactured: Texas.

“We’re investing $100 million to build a Mac product line here in the U.S.,” Cook said. “The product will be assembled in Texas, include components made in Illinois and Florida, and rely on equipment produced in Kentucky and Michigan.”

Apple’s pledge to build some Macs in the U.S. doesn’t mean that the company is setting up its own production facilities. Cook has said in the past that Apple will work with manufacturing partners on this particular effort. And now that he has disclosed the state in which Mac production will be handled, the identity of Apple’s likely manufacturing partner is becoming clearer, as well.

Foxconn operates plants in Texas and has long handled a lot of Apple’s hardware production and assembly. Recently, the company said it was expanding its existing manufacturing operations in the U.S. to meet the needs of certain unnamed customers. Not definitive proof that Foxconn will manufacture Apple’s Made-in-USA Mac, but certainly a clear indication that it might.
 
MeeMac said:
Conclusion: Has anyone considered that maybe, Apple might consider merging the Mac Mini with the Mac Pro? Instead of starting with a large Mac Pro, you would start with a Mac Mini, and it would “stack” as you added features such as additional drives, fans, and more powerful processors.

Could this become the new Made in the USA Mac Mini/Pro?

Any Thoughts?
Click to expand...

And they could call it the "Macintosh." :eek:
 
MeeMac said:
...
Conclusion: Has anyone considered that maybe, Apple might consider merging the Mac Mini with the Mac Pro? Instead of starting with a large Mac Pro, you would start with a Mac Mini, and it would “stack” as you added features such as additional drives, fans, and more powerful processors.

Could this become the new Made in the USA Mac Mini/Pro?

Any Thoughts?
Click to expand...
THis is a bad idea. It has been tried in the past and it never worked well. Also, the Mini is unlikely to be the line made in the USA, I expect it to be the Mac Pro.
 
Bear said:
THis is a bad idea. It has been tried in the past and it never worked well. Also, the Mini is unlikely to be the line made in the USA, I expect it to be the Mac Pro.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly on both points. I was just waiting for someone else to break it to him :)
 
Would an american made mac be any more expensive than a chinese made mac?

Do you think low paid american workers do a better job than low paid chinese workers?

For people outside the US, we dont really care about where our products are made, we want the best production at the best price.


Cheers
 
Yak Nepper said:
For people outside the US, we dont really care about where our products are made, we want the best production at the best price.Cheers
Click to expand...

That's a lot of people you speak on behalf of in terms of consumer preference. Are you sure you have asked them all about this 'not caring about where products are made' comment? I don't recall being consulted? :confused:
 
opinio said:
That's a lot of people you speak on behalf of in terms of consumer preference. Are you sure you have asked them all about this 'not caring about where products are made' comment? I don't recall being consulted? :confused:
Click to expand...

Ok let me write it again then, some people outside the US, and probably some people inside the US too, do not care so much where our products are made. Some of us care more about price and quality.

I dont see any reason an american made Mac would be any better, or cheaper, than a chinese made Mac?

Cheers
 
Yak Nepper said:
Ok let me write it again then, some people outside the US, and probably some people inside the US too, do not care so much where our products are made. Some of us care more about price and quality.

I dont see any reason an american made Mac would be any better, or cheaper, than a chinese made Mac?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I don't see it being made any better here vs there.

My only thing would be a little self-satisfaction, knowing that in this time of high unemployment that I bought something made / assembled / whatever by someone in the US. Thus justifying their job a little bit.

The job situation stinks out there... so a few hundred people getting hired by a plant is good news.


Price would obviously come into play: if the price difference is greater than X I'd want the savings. But I'd pay a little more knowing that it's helping someone here.
 
If they move it, it will first of all be because it is CHEAPER. They can stick a "good for the USA" feeling onto it, but it will be cheaper.
Chinese wages are going through the roof, and as Braun showed, robots can make made-in-germany razors cheaper than they were before hand-made in china. The mini is the best model for this, easy to robotize, all models will collide into it (the iMac/Apple TV will just be a good monitor soon), so it is all very easy.
 
Apple has spent years getting the quality control perfected on the current production lines in China. There is no telling whether the new products will as good or better just because they will be assembled in the U.S.. More automation for assembly in the U.S. factories would be a good guess as to how they will lower costs. With the health of other country's economies and other world currencies in question moving some production and assembly back to the U.S. might be a stabilizing factor for Apple's future outlook.
 
Last edited:
blanka said:
If they move it, it will first of all be because it is CHEAPER. They can stick a "good for the USA" feeling onto it, but it will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

That is your assumption and not a fact. You have no idea if it will be cheaper to make, especially when you have no idea what is being made.
 
99% of moving production lines is because it is cheaper.
I see no obstacle why the US could not be cheaper.
 
blanka said:
If they move it, it will first of all be because it is CHEAPER. They can stick a "good for the USA" feeling onto it, but it will be cheaper.
Chinese wages are going through the roof, and as Braun showed, robots can make made-in-germany razors cheaper than they were before hand-made in china. The mini is the best model for this, easy to robotize, all models will collide into it (the iMac/Apple TV will just be a good monitor soon), so it is all very easy.
Click to expand...

Automation on a large scale cannot compete with low wage humans for things like computers. Humans require no engineers to design and build them, can be easily retrained to adjust to tweaked/new designs, are easily replaceable (in China) and can be quickly scaled up or down as required.

Massive capital expenditure on machines makes a lot more sense on projects where their core function is not likely to change for extended time frames, as is the case in making razors.

More complex and fiddly micro tasks like computer assembly are just not suited to automation. There is a reason EVERY major computer maker gets their products made in locations with cheap labour. ;)


I would say a major factor in producing a Mac in the US is purely PR. If it were anything much else then we would see a lot more coming back, not just some low scale niche model.
 
I would think a Made in USA would mean the MacPro since it's low volume and needs lots of customization. Assuming Apple introduces a new MacPro it might make sense to build it here. Still, lots of the parts will come from overseas; I don't think there are any plants in the U.S. that still make HDDs for example.
 
Yak Nepper said:
Would an american made mac be any more expensive than a chinese made mac?

Do you think low paid american workers do a better job than low paid chinese workers?

For people outside the US, we dont really care about where our products are made, we want the best production at the best price.


Cheers
Click to expand...
The cost of the Machine is part of why I think it's the Mac Pro that will be made in the US. It might cost Apple a little more to have it made in the US, but the price of the machine would absorb that. Also, I suspect Apple will save on shipping costs to a large enough portion of the customer base that the savings in shipping will make up for the extra labor costs.

And I do care where certain things are made. For example, for clothes that last years longer, I will pay extra over low quality merchandise.

old-wiz said:
I would think a Made in USA would mean the MacPro since it's low volume and needs lots of customization. Assuming Apple introduces a new MacPro it might make sense to build it here. Still, lots of the parts will come from overseas; I don't think there are any plants in the U.S. that still make HDDs for example.
Click to expand...
Although I do think you're right about HDDs, I suspect more parts of the Mac Pro will be made in the US than you think.
 
Bear said:
The cost of the Machine is part of why I think it's the Mac Pro that will be made in the US. It might cost Apple a little more to have it made in the US, but the price of the machine would absorb that. Also, I suspect Apple will save on shipping costs to a large enough portion of the customer base that the savings in shipping will make up for the extra labor costs.

And I do care where certain things are made. For example, for clothes that last years longer, I will pay extra over low quality merchandise.

Although I do think you're right about HDDs, I suspect more parts of the Mac Pro will be made in the US than you think.
Click to expand...

++++++++++yes!
 
Made in USA Mac Mini Arriving 1Q 2014

Expecting the USA Mac Mini to be released 1Q 2014 with the following upgrades: Haswell HD 4600 with dedicated DRAM; 802.11ac WiFi; and SSD only (500G or 1T).

Why 1Q 2014? Apple understands how important the Made in USA Mac Mini is regarding their long-term strategy; so don’t expect to see it until every t crossed and i dotted.

The iPhones, iPads, and iPods will be upgraded for the Holiday Season to keep Apple in the forefront. Mac Book Pro will be upgraded with Haswell’s and the Mac Pro upgrade will be Apple’s 2013 Tower/Desktop computer.

Made in USA Mac Mini will be the 2014 showstopper worth waiting for.
 
MeeMac said:
Expecting the USA Mac Mini to be released 1Q 2014 with the following upgrades: Haswell HD 4600 with dedicated DRAM; 802.11ac WiFi; and SSD only (500G or 1T).

Why 1Q 2014? Apple understands how important the Made in USA Mac Mini is regarding their long-term strategy; so don’t expect to see it until every t crossed and i dotted.

The iPhones, iPads, and iPods will be upgraded for the Holiday Season to keep Apple in the forefront. Mac Book Pro will be upgraded with Haswell’s and the Mac Pro upgrade will be Apple’s 2013 Tower/Desktop computer.

Made in USA Mac Mini will be the 2014 showstopper worth waiting for.
Click to expand...

My Forecast from 6 months ago appears to be holding strong. So let me ask you; "WHO IS READY FOR a 1Q 2014 MADE IN THE USA MAC MINI?"
 
MeeMac said:
Why 1Q 2014? Apple understands how important the Made in USA Mac Mini is regarding their long-term strategy; so don’t expect to see it until every t crossed and i dotted.

Made in USA Mac Mini will be the 2014 showstopper worth waiting for.
Click to expand...

Apple: "HEY! STOP THE PRESSES! OUR SMALLEST, LEAST-SELLING COMPUTER IS MADE IN THE USA!"
Consumers: "OMG! I HAVE TO GET ONE NOW!"

Reality. It's not a dream.

I don't think Apple is moving production here for a mere feather in a cap. It's a bottom dollar calculation with a sugar-frosted PR headline slathered on top.

It won't be a show stopper. If so, I want to see this miracle mini and how it spins into some kind of objet du jour.
 
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