MacBooks May Become 'Assembled in Thailand' as Apple Diversifies Supply Chain
Apple may expand MacBook production to Thailand in the future as the company continues to diversify its supply chain, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a series of tweets today, Kuo said the main production location outside of China for Apple's future MacBooks may be Thailand. Kuo noted that Apple's entire range of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are currently assembled in Chinese factories.
Kuo said Apple plans to increase shipments of products to the U.S. from non-Chinese factories within the next 3-5 years, but it's unclear if this would include MacBooks assembled in Thailand within that timeframe. Apple's longtime MacBook supplier Quanta Computer has been expanding its operations in Thailand over the last few years.
Apple has expanded its supply chain beyond China over the past several years, with some production now occurring at factories in India and Vietnam. Kuo said this diversification helps Apple to avoid risks like U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.
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