One of the tidbits revealed by NBC’s TV interview of Apple CEO Tim Cook is actually a significant piece of news. There have been many complaints about Apple’s heavy reliance on Foxconn for its manufacturing, whether it’s because of the alleged poor working conditions in their factories in China or simply because it’s a missed opportunity for Apple to generate more jobs in USA.

It seems like Apple has been listening for quite a while now to the complaints, making moves to improve work conditions in China. And the move to rectify labor abuses will be even more visible beginning next year: the company is slated to start manufacturing one of its Mac lines in the US in 2013. This is in addition to some of the components of the iPhone which are already being manufactured in the US, such as the glass of the phone being produced in Kentucky.

It should be noted that “manufacturing of Macs” is more “assembly of Macs” than manufacturing simply because the parts for Macs are still sourced from around the world. However, that shouldn’t take away from the important issue at hand — Apple is moving business (and the related jobs and investment) away from China to the USA.

While still far from making the US as heavy of a production plant as China, this is a significant step for Apple as it generates more jobs for the US, with the potential for even more in the future. Most Americans will applaud this move, even Apple haters.

[via NBC, image via deerkoski]