'Merica-made Mac Minis marked for manufacturing
(2026/02/24)
- Reference: 1771961216
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/24/apple_mac_mini_us/
- Source link:
Your next Mac might be made in the US of A. Apple this week revealed plans to manufacture its most affordable Macintosh computer at a new Foxconn facility in Texas.
The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas, except where it concerns Apple, which [1]expects to begin Mac Mini production at a 220,000 square foot facility in Houston later this year.
The deal comes a year to the day after Apple [2]pledged to invest $500 billion in US manufacturing and hire 20,000 Americans before the end of the decade. Apple later increased its commitment to $600 billion.
[3]
These investments included the production of some Apple Silicon processors at TSMC's Arizona chip fabs, along with a new AI server factory built in collaboration with Foxconn to produce AI servers for the company's Apple Intelligence services and integrations. Apple says that it's on track to purchase more than 100 million advanced chips from TSMC and plans to expand AI server production this year.
[4]
[5]
The plan may have helped the iGiant secure exemptions from the frenzy of tariffs levied by the Trump administration over the past year. Many of those tariffs have since been ruled [6]unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, but a 10 percent duty remains in effect for global imports.
The Mac Mini is by no means Apple's most popular machine, but its $499 price tag and relatively high performance M-series processors have helped it win over developers and other casual users. The little aluminum box has also become quite popular among AI enthusiasts for running local models and as a platform for agentic systems like the [7]vulnerability packed OpenClaw framework.
[8]Cisco turns to titanium spoons and sand dunes to build a better … box?
[9]Nvidia superchip infusion finally coming to Windows PCs, report says
[10]The idea of using a Raspberry Pi to run OpenClaw makes no sense
[11]PC shipments set to hit the buffers as AI guzzles memory
While US market Mac Minis will eventually be built in the Lone Star State, those bound for the rest of the world will continue to be manufactured in Asia, Apple COO Sabih Khan told the [12]Wall Street Journal .
This wouldn't be Apple's first attempt to re-shore manufacturing. At one point the company built the Mac Pro, one of its most expensive and powerful Macs, in the US, only to move production [13]back to China in 2019.
[14]
Alongside the Mac Mini plant, Apple also detailed plans to open a 20,000 square foot advanced manufacturing center in Houston where it will provide on-site training to students, suppliers, and businesses. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-accelerates-us-manufacturing-with-mac-mini-production/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/24/apple_us_manufacturing/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/trump-attack-supreme-court-tariffs-00792746
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/openclaw_security_issues/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/24/cisco_everpure_brand_design/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/23/nvidia_soc_pc/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/20/raspberry_pi_meme_stock_disorder/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/memory_shortages_price_hikes/
[12] https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-plans-to-manufacture-mac-mini-in-houston-c9b4c23c?mod=tech_lead_pos4
[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/technology/apple-mac-pro-china.html
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas, except where it concerns Apple, which [1]expects to begin Mac Mini production at a 220,000 square foot facility in Houston later this year.
The deal comes a year to the day after Apple [2]pledged to invest $500 billion in US manufacturing and hire 20,000 Americans before the end of the decade. Apple later increased its commitment to $600 billion.
[3]
These investments included the production of some Apple Silicon processors at TSMC's Arizona chip fabs, along with a new AI server factory built in collaboration with Foxconn to produce AI servers for the company's Apple Intelligence services and integrations. Apple says that it's on track to purchase more than 100 million advanced chips from TSMC and plans to expand AI server production this year.
[4]
[5]
The plan may have helped the iGiant secure exemptions from the frenzy of tariffs levied by the Trump administration over the past year. Many of those tariffs have since been ruled [6]unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, but a 10 percent duty remains in effect for global imports.
The Mac Mini is by no means Apple's most popular machine, but its $499 price tag and relatively high performance M-series processors have helped it win over developers and other casual users. The little aluminum box has also become quite popular among AI enthusiasts for running local models and as a platform for agentic systems like the [7]vulnerability packed OpenClaw framework.
[8]Cisco turns to titanium spoons and sand dunes to build a better … box?
[9]Nvidia superchip infusion finally coming to Windows PCs, report says
[10]The idea of using a Raspberry Pi to run OpenClaw makes no sense
[11]PC shipments set to hit the buffers as AI guzzles memory
While US market Mac Minis will eventually be built in the Lone Star State, those bound for the rest of the world will continue to be manufactured in Asia, Apple COO Sabih Khan told the [12]Wall Street Journal .
This wouldn't be Apple's first attempt to re-shore manufacturing. At one point the company built the Mac Pro, one of its most expensive and powerful Macs, in the US, only to move production [13]back to China in 2019.
[14]
Alongside the Mac Mini plant, Apple also detailed plans to open a 20,000 square foot advanced manufacturing center in Houston where it will provide on-site training to students, suppliers, and businesses. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-accelerates-us-manufacturing-with-mac-mini-production/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/24/apple_us_manufacturing/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/trump-attack-supreme-court-tariffs-00792746
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/openclaw_security_issues/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/24/cisco_everpure_brand_design/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/23/nvidia_soc_pc/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/20/raspberry_pi_meme_stock_disorder/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/memory_shortages_price_hikes/
[12] https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-plans-to-manufacture-mac-mini-in-houston-c9b4c23c?mod=tech_lead_pos4
[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/technology/apple-mac-pro-china.html
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZ4tkxGB8DOhkrG6Qf861wAAARU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
First off the production line
Fruit and Nutcase
Would that be a gold plated Mac Mini which will be presented to Trump at the White House by Tim Cook?
Re: First off the production line
Paul Herber
He'd ask what version of Windows is installed?
Re: First off the production line
Ryan D
More likely to ask where the bread goes.
Its most affordable Macintosh
that one in the corner
Well, that accolade is going by the wayside.
Re: Its most affordable Macintosh
Paul Herber
Hey, is this an electric computer? I want one that runs on gasoline!
Welp
No thanks.
Last recruiter who contacted me wanted me to move to Texas. I told him to fuck that MAGA redneck hellhole without even hearing the number.
Would rather buy a computer made in China than in Trumpistan.