Production is scheduled to commence at a Foxconn facility in Houston later this year. Apple plans to shift some of its Mac Mini production to the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s push for domestic investment. Manufacturing will start later this year in north Houston, Texas, at a Foxconn facility currently assembling Apple’s AI servers.
“Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac Mini starting later this year,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the announcement. “We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further.”
The move is part of Apple’s plan to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over four years, a commitment made after President Donald Trump threatened a 25 percent tariff on overseas-manufactured Apple products. However, most of the $600 billion spending is not linked to expanding domestic production.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple’s COO Sabih Khan said the aim is to scale U.S. production of the Mac Mini to meet local demand, though manufacturing will continue in Asia. Apple began building some Mac Pro computers in Austin, Texas in 2013, but production there decreased due to low demand.
Despite being Apple’s most affordable desktop, the Mac Mini constitutes less than 1 percent of the company’s sales and less than 5 percent of global Mac sales, as estimated by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Khan expressed optimism about expanding Mac Mini production in Houston due to stronger demand compared to the Mac Pro. Both products represent a small fraction of the approximately 240 million iPhones Apple sells each year, with no current plans to move iPhone production from Asia to the U.S.