Cook: US-built Mac will be refreshed version of existing product

1235712

Comments

  • Reply 81 of 223
    macroninmacronin Posts: 1,174member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post


     


    In fact the old NeXT plant (Fremont, CA) would be perfect for this (assuming it is the Mac Pro). That plant was tiny. Fairly low volume too. Basically one or two straight line assembly lines and some warehouse space and conference rooms.



    Keeping it in the 'family', I like that idea…!

  • Reply 82 of 223
    mj1970mj1970 Posts: 9,002member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacRonin View Post


    Keeping it in the 'family', I like that idea…!



     


    Yeah, well, except that that plant has probably long since been re-purposed for something else, by someone else. It's been like 20 years! I was actually just kinda joking.

  • Reply 83 of 223
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday revealed that the first Mac to built completely in the U.S. in almost two decades will be a new model in an existing product line, shedding a bit more light on the company's "Made in USA" plans.




     



     


    I'm having difficulty differentiating between "built completely in the U.S." with "assembled in the U.S. using foreign made parts." It would seem the latter would be more appropriate terminology for Cook to use. I have the same problem with basement nerds blathering on about how they "build" their own computers when they do no such thing. They cobble together pre-manufactured parts.


     


    And yes, this U.S. "made" Mac will probably be the Mac Pro. Let's wait to see the price and how it compares to previous models. Since the Mac Pro is a relatively low volume seller it will be interesting to see the profit margin on this. I'm guessing they will be low margin to keep the price in line, sort of a loss-leader for the PR value.

  • Reply 84 of 223
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    lkrupp wrote: »
    I'm having difficulty differentiating between "built completely in the U.S." with "assembled in the U.S. using foreign made parts." It would seem the latter would be more appropriate terminology for Cook to use. I have the same problem with basement nerds blathering on about how they "build" their own computers when they do no such thing. They cobble together pre-manufactured parts.

    And yes, this U.S. "made" Mac will probably be the Mac Pro. Let's wait to see the price and how it compares to previous models. Since the Mac Pro is a relatively low volume seller it will be interesting to see the profit margin on this. I'm guessing they will be low margin to keep the price in line, sort of a loss-leader for the PR value.

    There will be some components that could not have been made in the US, but it's quite possible that the logic board could be assembled in the US. I do know there are certain type of sensitive equipment that has to be designed and made in the US to prevent potential snooping, back doors, and whatnot by foreign parties, so it's possible Apple wants to start making their Macs more attractive to such businesses. I'm sure whatever it is we're all be here dissecting and analyzing it in every way possible.
  • Reply 85 of 223
    This is also the reason it has taken them so long to refresh the Mac Pro...because they had to redesign it in such a way that it can be manufactured here in the U.S.A. The design will also probably lend itself to be built mostly by robots.
  • Reply 86 of 223
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post

    It is a failure in the sense that sales have been so bad that Apple has considered canceling the machine completely.


     


    Source?

  • Reply 87 of 223
    mj1970mj1970 Posts: 9,002member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


     


    I'm having difficulty differentiating between "built completely in the U.S." with "assembled in the U.S. using foreign made parts." It would seem the latter would be more appropriate terminology for Cook to use. I have the same problem with basement nerds blathering on about how they "build" their own computers when they do no such thing. They cobble together pre-manufactured parts.


     


    And yes, this U.S. "made" Mac will probably be the Mac Pro. Let's wait to see the price and how it compares to previous models. Since the Mac Pro is a relatively low volume seller it will be interesting to see the profit margin on this. I'm guessing they will be low margin to keep the price in line, sort of a loss-leader for the PR value.



     


    First, this is a bit of semantics. Second, it actually illuminates the silliness of what is "made" where. Almost everything is global and international now. This has already been pointed out (many times now) with cars for example. Finally, it also exposes the fetish about "Made in America" that so many Americans and, in particular, politicians seem to have.

  • Reply 88 of 223
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    lkrupp wrote: »
    I'm having difficulty differentiating between "built completely in the U.S." with "assembled in the U.S. using foreign made parts." It would seem the latter would be more appropriate terminology for Cook to use.

    Except that Cook specifically said that many of the machine's components will also be made in America, with companies from Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas making contributions. He then added: "We could have quickly maybe done just assembly, but it's broader because we wanted to do something more substantial."

    It doesn't sound like it's simply "Assembled in the US using foreign made parts".

    As for differentiating the two, "Made in the USA" has a very specific legal meaning. The accounting is not always simple, but it's essentially a value-added claim. If most of the value is added in the USA, then one can claim "Made in the USA". If, OTOH, it's simply an assembly operation using foreign components, then one can't make that claim - and would have to settle for "Assembled in the USA". The FTC has very specific (and complicated) rules to distinguish between the two.
  • Reply 89 of 223
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I have to admit I am pretty excited. My long wait is soon to be over :) Made in the USA or not! I couldn't give a rat's ass where Apple feel the best place is to manufacture.

    As an aside, my MBP i7 mid 2010 just got a brand new motherboard courtesy of Apple Care and is running beautifully now. I now know I had a lemon for the last three years. Thank you NVidia /s. . Saving $200 wasn't worth the aggravation and all the &^%&$ wasted time. Not that I suppose I couldn't have got a brand new lemon but I have to wonder ....

    If this is a new MacPro and is within my budget I may keep the MBP now it's singing sweetly as well as get a new Mac Pro and have the best of both worlds (being semi retired means I need the wife's permission ;).. With it booting SSD the MBP is awesome except for the now outdated benchmarks. I hope Apple is taking seriously the number of times NVidia's graphics hardware have been the Achilles heel for their flagship products.
  • Reply 90 of 223
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by igamogam View Post


    This move does not fill me with confidence… Most American made products I have owned or used were pretty poor in terms of build quality, like Italian made goods but not so stylish.


     


    Every time I visit the US I come away feeling that for Americans price beats quality and everything IS cheap! Although there is obviously tremendous pride in American made products they seem old-fashioned and inefficient compared to what the rest of the world uses. Perhaps I generalise but I can't think of a single American made item that sells well in Europe because they are generally perceived as not being very good.


     


    Amongst visible American companies that do well Apple products seem to be an exception in that they are viewed as stylish and well made but the only other visible US high-street presences that jump to mind are Starbucks and fast food outlets. Even McD claim to sell 100% Swiss/French/British Beef/Wheat/Lettice (in their respective markets) because no one particularly wants to eat US grown produce as it is viewed as drug laden GM/Frankenstein food.


     


    I wouldn't be surprised if people over here would plump for the Made in China version given the choice.



     


    I totally agree and if you hadn't been from France then it may have had some weight behind it however, the French stereotype is a lot worse than the American stereotype.


     


    If all of you Americans were given the option of a China built iPhone or a Brazil built iPhone, most of you would choose the China model because you believe the stereotype that Brazilians are lazy and thick but the Chinese people are honorable precise machines.

  • Reply 91 of 223
    isteelersisteelers Posts: 738member
    512ke wrote: »
    A refreshed product!  Take that, Samsung!

    Kind of like the "innovative" Galaxy S4 right?
  • Reply 92 of 223
    Going very deep in this project means what? Dudes what does it mean?
  • Reply 93 of 223
    radarradar Posts: 271member
    I'll buy one, whatever it is. This is a move in the RIGHT direction.

    Other companies should do the same.
  • Reply 94 of 223
    ejieji Posts: 39member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    And sometimes the endless criticism from people who don't know what they're talking about gets even more absurd.


     


     Just because we don't share the same opinion doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.


     



    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post



    There are many reasons for Apple's design decisions.


     


    Yes, but in this case, the repairability took a back seat to other considerations. This isn't just my opinion — it's shared by third-party repair specialists I've talked to, who have said that the new iMacs suffer from the same — if not more — hardware problems as the old ones (many of which are due to heat and ultra-thinness), but they can't be opened and repaired without a huge time- and labor-intensive process. Let's remember that Apple is not infallible.


     



    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post



    If you disagree, go ahead and start your own company and make computers that compete with Apple.


     



    This is no different to saying that if you disagree with my posts, you should go start your own message board. It doesn't prove a point — or at least not the point you want it to prove.

  • Reply 95 of 223
    kpluckkpluck Posts: 500member
    It won't be a Mac Pro. It will be the product Apple plans to replace the Mac Pro with. Expect a larger, super deluxe Mac Mini like box with a Thunderbolt chasis as an option for expansion.

    -kpluck
  • Reply 96 of 223
    ejieji Posts: 39member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    Good point. Those that want what he describes should buy a Mac Pro.


     


    It's not a good point. It's a poorly argued point you happen to agree with. The Mac Pro is not a suitable alternative to a user-repairable (or even third-party-repairable) iMac in terms of cost and footprint. A Mac mini actually comes slightly closer to that ideal, but the lack of a dedicated graphics card is tough.


     


    Kind of hard to believe that a basic desire to see improved repairability in a USA-made iMac is such a taboo topic among some forum members. The need to split glued-together parts and dis- and reassembly in a hermetically sealed environment to rectify common wear and tear (i.e., dust buildup, replacing a dead HDD) would seem to be just a tad bit impractical for a company that is known for its attention to detail.

  • Reply 97 of 223
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member
    Be it Pro or Mini, this is exciting news. But I wish Cook would stop dropping hints one at a time. Say it after you've done it. Launch a product when it's ready. Announce a store or factory when it's ready to open. That's the Apple I prefer.
  • Reply 98 of 223
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    eji wrote: »
     Just because we don't share the same opinion doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.

    No, but the fact that you keep throwing out endless rants that demonstrate that you don't know what you're talking about is sufficient.

    There are tradeoffs. If you think you can do a better job than Apple, start your own company. Or at least go to work for one of the existing companies. I'm sure they'd LOVE to know how to do better than Apple - since Apple gets the lions' share of profits while everyone else is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not to mention, of course, that the entire industry is doing little more than simply following Apple every time Apple does something new.
  • Reply 99 of 223
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    No, but the fact that you keep throwing out endless rants that demonstrate that you don't know what you're talking about is sufficient.



    There are tradeoffs. If you think you can do a better job than Apple, start your own company. Or at least go to work for one of the existing companies. I'm sure they'd LOVE to know how to do better than Apple - since Apple gets the lions' share of profits while everyone else is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not to mention, of course, that the entire industry is doing little more than simply following Apple every time Apple does something new.


    Not so true anymore, is it?

  • Reply 100 of 223
    jcm722jcm722 Posts: 40member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tribalogical View Post


    People do love moaning incessantly about Apple's design decisions… don't like it, don't buy it? But this may work for you, a new Mac Pro is coming that will likely allow you to 'customize' it to your liking… wait for it, and buy that one. The "all in one" iMac is what it is (and pretty extraordinary in my view). Personally I have no issue with it missing an optical drive, or not allowing end-user repairs and internal upgrades. Aside from the RAM, it's unlikely one would need to do anything else internally anyway...





    That is like saying a hard drive simply won't fail, and perhaps most Mac owners have money to burn for costly repairs. I still use my HP's Lightscribe drive for music CDs as gifts. Funny ... the Intel NUC is more accessible than most Macs, even though the CPU is soldered in place.


     


    I have read, perhaps here on AppleInsider, where the Pro and mini are very low volume sellers, compared to all other Macs. The iMac is the heaviest of the popular machines. I would like to see a Pro with a smaller footprint and lower price. Or maybe a mini with a bigger footprint and a higher price. HA! "Made in the USA" is not a deal breaker or deal maker for me.

Sign In or Register to comment.