Apple Marks Some New iMacs as Assembled in the USA
The nimble fingered folks at iFixIt got their mitts on one of Apple's refreshed iMac models, so naturally the first thing they did was put it on the operating table for a full dissection. Before cracking the 21.5-inch iMac open, however, they discovered an interesting tidbit. On the back, sitting below the FCC stamp and various other certifications, it says that this particular model was "Assembled in USA."
Apple isn't moving its manufacturing operations to the U.S. entirely, because if the company did that, you can bet there would be plenty of fanfare and ballyhooing coming from Cupertino. But the real reason we know this is because there are new iMacs in the wild that still say "Made in China," as they usually do.
Image Source: iFixIt
Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) does the bulk of manufacturing for Apple products. At times, that's been a black eye for Apple amid reports of poor working conditions and, for awhile, frequent employee suicides. Still, it's far cheaper to produce these items in China than it is stateside, though interestingly, it was recently reported that Foxconn was mulling over the idea of opening a manufacturing plant in the U.S.
Regardless of where the iMac is assembled, it's apparently a pain in the backside to service. iFixIt gave it a low 3/10 Repairability Score, where the higher the score, the easier it is to open and repair or replace parts at home. Some of the factors that led to the low score include the glass and LCD being fused together, replaceable components (like RAM) sitting inconveniently behind the logic board, and the inability to add a second hard drive to the base model unless you're super talented at soldering.
Apple isn't moving its manufacturing operations to the U.S. entirely, because if the company did that, you can bet there would be plenty of fanfare and ballyhooing coming from Cupertino. But the real reason we know this is because there are new iMacs in the wild that still say "Made in China," as they usually do.
Image Source: iFixIt
Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) does the bulk of manufacturing for Apple products. At times, that's been a black eye for Apple amid reports of poor working conditions and, for awhile, frequent employee suicides. Still, it's far cheaper to produce these items in China than it is stateside, though interestingly, it was recently reported that Foxconn was mulling over the idea of opening a manufacturing plant in the U.S.
Regardless of where the iMac is assembled, it's apparently a pain in the backside to service. iFixIt gave it a low 3/10 Repairability Score, where the higher the score, the easier it is to open and repair or replace parts at home. Some of the factors that led to the low score include the glass and LCD being fused together, replaceable components (like RAM) sitting inconveniently behind the logic board, and the inability to add a second hard drive to the base model unless you're super talented at soldering.
