In an interview this week with NBC-TV national news anchor Brian Williams, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that “we will do one of our existing Mac lines in the United States,” hinting that Apple plans to transfer the production of an entire line of iMacs, Mac Minis or Macbooks to the U.S. in 2013.
In “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” Cook indirectly acknowledged that part of the move is to appease many U.S. buyers who have been calling on Apple to outsource less of its labor overseas. Although Apple’s products are designed in the U.S., their parts and assembly are almost entirely completed in China — except for a few parts such as the iPhone’s glass panels, which are made in Kentucky. Apple’s main Chinese supplier Foxconn has been under fire several times over the past two years over reports and incidents of harsh labor practices, and has recently announced efforts to improve its work conditions.
For its part, Apple has committed to invest more than $100 million with a partner — likely Foxconn — to move some production to the U.S. In his interview with Williams, Apple’s Cook pointed to a U.S.’ “skills gap” in manufacturing that would need to be overcome, starting with education.
“Honestly, it’s not so much about price it’s about the skills,” Cook said in the interview. “Over time, there are skills that are associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S. Not necessarily people, but the education system stopped producing them.”
You can check out this excerpt of the interview below (ironically in Flash), or you can watch the entire 11-minute segment here.
