In a press release focused on its latest American Manufacturing Program commitments, Apple reiterated that Mac mini assembly in the U.S. will begin later this year, with Foxconn expected to build the computer at a facility in Houston, Texas.
In an earlier interview, Apple's operations chief Sabih Khan said that Mac mini units assembled in the U.S. would primarily serve the U.S. market, while production would continue in Asia for orders placed abroad. The commitment is part of Apple's broader push to expand domestic manufacturing under its American Manufacturing Program.
The announcement comes as the new Mac mini, featuring M6 and M5 Pro chip options, prepares to launch. Reviews have been mixed on value: the Mac mini now starts at $899 in the U.S., up from $599 for the previous model when it first launched. WIRED's Luke Larsen nonetheless said it is "still a good deal" because of the performance of the new chips.
The new models also carry a notable trade-off. As confirmed by the website "Expand Mac mini," NAND storage in the M6 and M5 Pro models is soldered to the logic board, unlike the previous M4 and M4 Pro models, which offer removable, upgradeable storage. The new Mac mini therefore does not support aftermarket storage upgrades.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing