The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Friday approved tariff relief on certain computer parts imported from China. The move in part grants an Apple request for a lifting of tariffs on Mac Pro parts.
Apple had filed 15 requests for an exemption from 25% tariffs applied on goods from China as part of an ongoing trade war between the United States and China. Apple received approval on 10 of its appeals. Reuters reported this information, based on government documents made public on Friday.
The exempted parts include partially complete circuit boards, the Mac Pro’s enclosure, and accessories like the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad., says Bloomberg. Requests for other components are still under review.
Apple filed its exclusion requests back in July, and involved goods that were hit by a 25% tariff, which was scheduled to rise to a 30% rate on October 15.
Apple assembled their previous Mac Pro in Texas, but the computer included a large number of parts from outside the U.S., many of which are sourced from China. The company’s next-generation Mac Pro, which should hit shelves this fall, will be manufactured in China by Quanta Computer.
President Donald Trump has announced that Apple would not receive waivers, claiming the company would instead build a factory in Texas. However, no announcement about such a facility has ever been made by Apple.
While the company announced last year that it will build a $1 billion campus in Austin, the facility is a expected to include research and development, cloud computing, operations, and other areas, but no manufacturing facilities.
