Mac desktops or also laptops? If it's only about the desktops, I suspect that they are preparing to lower the volumes below what's economical to build in China.
Or the the rising wages in China means that building a fully automated line isn't as cost-prohibitive as it was in the past. And with states/cities throwing tax incentives at companies it doesn't matter where the automated line is so long as it can be integrated into the supply chain easily.
It's likely a combination of lower volume, like you state, cheaper automation, rising wages and some political incentives like tax breaks, etc.
>Or the the rising wages in China means that building a fully automated line isn't as cost-prohibitive as it was in the past.
The wages don't play much role in it.
There is an article about the last Apple US factory, back when they used to make stuff here, and the guys managing it explain that it wasn't the wages that drove them to China (the extra cost would be negligible in a product's price, like a few extra dollars compared to a $500 price tag), but the economies of scale, with supplier factories for glass, metal, SSDs, parts, etc being literally next door to your factory, something that wasn't true in the US.
Yes. It's the logistics that make the giant Chinese factory cities the preferred manufacturing facilities. Wages are a happy side-effect of doing business with a lawless regime.
