Apple wants the US government to give the Mac Pro special treatment – here’s how
Apple has requested the US government exempt key Mac Pro parts from recent trade tariffs with China, following concerns they will radically ramp up the device’s cost.
Apple filed the requests on the 18th of July. According to Bloomberg, which first spotted the move, the company is seeking exemption from tariffs that would impact key Mac Pro parts including its stainless steel and aluminum frame, power supplies, internal cables and circuit boards, cooling and optional wheels. The company also filed for exceptions on its Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Mouse.
The tariffs are part of a tit-for-tat battle between China and the US over trade. The battle peaked in May when the US White House issued an Executive Order on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain forcing companies to cut ties with key Chinese brands, including Huawei. The battle means Apple could be forced to pay duties of 25% on the Mac Pro parts, which would radically ramp up its already hefty up front cost.
Trusted Reviews contacted Apple for comments on the filings but at the time of publishing had not received a reply.
The new Mac Pro was unveiled alongside MacOS Catalina and iOS 13 at Apple’s WWDC 2019 developer conference. Apple’s marketing it as the ultimate workstation for composers, artists, videographers and engineers claiming it’s the most powerful Mac ever made.
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The base model sees an octa-core Intel Xeon processor, 32GB of RAM, a Radeon Pro 580X graphics card and a 256GB SSD. Those that wish to can upgrade pretty much every part of the new Mac Pro, with it supporting key things like the ability to run four GPUs at once. Whichever model you grab it’ll be seriously expensive, with the most basic configuration will retail for $5999 (roughly £4800 at the time of writing) when it goes on sale later this year.
The Mac Pro isn’t the first item Apple’s requested special exemptions for. Apple successfully secured exemptions for its AirPods true-wireless earphones and Apple Watch wearable earlier this year.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
