(New York Times) Jack Nicas Jan. 28 2019 SAN FRANCISCO Despite a trade war between the United States and China and past admonishments from President Trump to start building their damn computers and things in this country" Apple is unlikely to bring its manufacturing closer to home. A tiny screw illustrates why. In 2012 Apples chief executive Timothy D. Cook went on prime-time television to announce that Apple would make a Mac computer in the United States. It would be the first Apple product in years to be manufactured by American workers and the top-of-the-line Mac Pro would come with an unusual inscription: Assembled in USA." But when Apple began making the $3000 computer in Austin Tex. it struggled to find enough screws according to three people who worked on the project and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality agreements. In China Apple relied on factories that can produce vast quantities of custom screws on short notice. In Texas where they say everything is bigger it turned out the screw suppliers were not.