Apple US manufacturing operations double, but likely mostly small-scale test production

On paper, Apple US manufacturing operations doubled between 2020 and 2021 - but the likely reality is that the vast majority of US production is carried out on a small scale, for test purposes. The number of US manufacturing sites among Apple's suppliers increased from 25 to 48 in the course of a year, according to the company's latest supplier list. The majority of Apple products are made in China, though the company has been slowly working on diversifying into other countries. Apple has now published its latest Supplier List, and Bloomberg notes the increase in US manufacturing sites. Of Apple's more than 180 suppliers, 48 had manufacturing sites in the U.S. as of September 2021, up from 25 a year earlier, according to a supplier list released by Apple. Apple is naturally secretive about its exact processes, but there are known stages - and it's likely that two to three of them are carried out in the US. Given COVID-19 lockdowns in China, Apple may have moved more of the early test phases to the US. Prototypes. Apple makes prototypes in its own design studios, which include capabilities like computer-controlled milling of aluminum, and 3D printing.