Back in November, some folks started seeing “Assembled in the USA” etched into the backs of their iMacs. This obviously led to the conclusion that Apple has been quietly moving some of its assembly operations from China to the United States.
Today we learn where, at least some of, those Macs are being put together. In a recent update to its Supplier Responsibility page, Apple has named Quanta Computer Inc., in its Fremont, California plant, as a final assembler for its Mac computers…
9to5Mac highlights the listing, which is mentioned in the ‘Final Assembly Facilities’ section of Apple’s Supplier Responsibility page. Apple defines these kinds of facilities as ‘facilities where Apple products are assembled and packaged for distribution.’
Apple has taken a lot of criticism over the years for outsourcing its manufacturing to China and other countries. They’re not the only ones that do this — thousands do — but because of their size and influence, they always manage to get singled out.
But they’re clearly looking to change the conversation. Last month, Tim Cook told Bloomberg Businessweek that Apple is going to be investing over $100 million to bring some of its Mac production back to the United States, starting as early as 2013.
Admittedly, Quanta Computer is just doing tail-end assembly right now. But it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll keep an eye on Apple’s Supplier page over the next several months to see if any more of the company’s operations get moved Stateside.