Anyone who understands how iPhones and Macs are made knows how hollow President Trump’s boasts about Apple bringing production back to the United States are. But if you’re looking for a solid anecdote explaining why, then The New York Times delivers with a story about a screw, and how it, and other factors, handcuffed Apple’s ability to mass-produce the ill-fated Mac Pro in Texas.
Here’s the gist:
But when Apple began making the $3,000 computer in Austin, Tex., it struggled to find enough screws… In China, Apple relied on factories that can produce vast quantities of custom screws on short notice. In Texas, where they say everything is bigger, it turned out the screw suppliers were not.
