Apple CEO: We'll Build Macs in the U.S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said one of the Mac product lines will be manufactured only in the United States starting in 2013. He isn't saying which models will be made in the States, but at least some iMacs are already sporting the "Assembled in the U.S." label.

Apple to start building Macs in the U.S.Apple to start building Macs in the U.S.

Mr. Cook shared Apple's plans with Brian Williams in an interview that will air on NBC's Rock Center Thursday evening, and said the decision to bring some Mac assembly to the U.S. has been a long time coming. "We've been working for years on doing more and more in the United States," he said.

Mr. Cook doesn't see Apple's decision as bringing jobs back to the U.S., but instead as creating new work since China has been the preferred locale for electronics assembly for some time. One of the big problems Mr. Cook sees is that schools in the U.S. aren't teaching enough people modern manufacturing skills, so companies have to look to other countries.

"The consumer electronics world was really never here. It's a matter of starting it here," Mr. Cook said.

Apple has already created over 600,000 new jobs, according to Mr. Cook's estimates. Some of those jobs earn people Apple pay checks, but others come from other areas such as third-party developers.

Mr. Cook hopes Apple's move will give other companies incentive to start manufacturing their products in the U.S. as well. For now, however, Apple will be limiting its in-country production to just a single Mac line because the infrastructure isn't available to support more.

"It’s not so much about price, it’s about the skills," he said.