Apple Is Denied Tariff Relief on Five Mac Pro Parts After Staying in Texas

Apple won’t be exempted from tariffs on five Chinese-made components for the upcoming Mac Pro computer, according to Bloomberg.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office denied Apple’s request for relief from 25% tariffs on the much-discussed optional wheels for Apple’s Mac Pro, a circuit board for managing input and output ports, power adapter, charging cable and a cooling system for the computer’s processor. The decisions come about a week after Apple announced it would make new Mac Pro computers at a plant in Austin, Texas after originally considering shifting production to China like its other products. The move followed an announcement this month that the U.S. trade office had agreed to Apple’s request for tariff waivers on 10 of 15 Chinese parts.

Exclusion decisions are based on whether a product is available only from China, is strategically important or related to Chinese industrial programs, and whether duties will “cause severe economic harm“ to the company or U.S. interests. In letters to Apple posted online, USTR said the five exclusion requests were denied because they “failed to show that the imposition of additional duties on the particular product would cause severe economic harm to you or other U.S. interests.“

In announcing that the Mac Pro would continue to be made in Texas, Apple applauded the Trump administration for its tariff relief on the other components, including the computer’s casing and accessories like the mouse and trackpad. The starting price for the Mac Pro is $5,999 and the optional wheels are expected to be an extra cost. In its 15 requests for exclusions posted July 18, Apple said the devices or components are not related to Chinese industrial programs and that “there are no other sources for this proprietary, Apple-designed component.“