Apple was denied relief for tariffs on five Chinese-made components for the upcoming Mac Pro computer, even after the company announced it was keeping some assembly operations in Austin, Texas.
Mark Gurman and Mark Niquette for Bloomberg:
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Monday said it didn’t grant reprieve from 25 percent tariffs on the much-discussed optional wheels for Apple’s Mac Pro, a main circuit board, power adapter, charging cable and a cooling system for the computer’s processor.
The decision comes about a week after Apple announced it would make new Mac Pro computers in Austin, Texas after originally considering shifting production to China like its other products. The move followed an announcement earlier this month that the U.S. trade office had agreed to Apple’s request for tariff waivers on 10 out of 15 Chinese parts.
In announcing that the Mac Pro would continue to be made in Texas, Apple applauded the Trump administration for its tariff relief on the other components, including the computer’s casing and accessories like the mouse and trackpad.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, so these are the five parts that weren’t granted waivers by The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. They obviously weren’t enough to stop Apple from reversing course and keeping Mac Pro assembly in Austin.