1 day ago
7
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
The iPhone maker spent years trying to move production of some products out of China to avoid tariffs. But now that may not matter.
April 2, 2025Updated 5:35 p.m. ET
When President Trump first pushed tariffs on China in 2018, Apple began moving more production of iPads and AirPods to Vietnam and iPhones to India.
But with Mr. Trump’s return to the White House, that strategy may have backfired for the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said that the United States would put tariffs of 46 percent on Vietnam and 26 percent on India. The White House has said the tariffs are effective immediately, but some trade experts consider them to be preliminary and designed to be a starting point for negotiations to reduce overseas tariffs.
The proposed tariffs threaten to compound the pressure on Apple’s business. The company is already dealing with 20 percent tariffs on products imported from China, where Apple makes about 90 percent of the iPhones it sells around the world. Mr. Trump said that the rate would go to 34 percent under his new tariff plan.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
While Apple is the most prominent tech company to feel the sting of tariffs, most other tech companies will see an impact — directly or indirectly. Google and Microsoft, for example, are not as heavily dependent on international suppliers, but they do have notable consumer electronics businesses. And the tariffs could increase the cost of building the massive, new data centers the companies are planning on to build new artificial intelligence technology.
The new levies are part of Mr. Trump’s efforts to remake world trade with tariffs on every country that imposes fees on American exports. U.S. trade officials estimate that India has a tariff rate of 13.5 percent on U.S. goods, with a 39 percent tariff on agricultural products. Vietnam has a tariff rate of 8.1 percent on U.S. goods, with a 17.1 percent tariff on agricultural products.
