New US tariffs: After China, other Apple supplier countries also affected
On Wednesday, President Trump imposed new, partly very high tariffs against key Apple supplier countries that previously replaced China. Apple shares fall.
Apple logo (symbolic image): Black clouds over Cupertino?
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Apple's strategy of increasingly withdrawing its supply chain from China, firstly to make itself less dependent on the country and secondly to avoid problems with US tariffs, only seems to be working to a limited extent. The new levies on imports to the US announced by the Trump administration on Wednesday also affect regions to which Apple had “fled”. This did not do Apple shares any favors: the value of the stock fell by more than 7 percent in the aftermarket.
India also affected
In addition to China, whose imports will soon be subject to a 34 percent tariff, the new list also includes Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Japan, and the EU. Vietnam is particularly affected with 46 percent, Thailand with 36 percent. India, which is Apple's second most important production location, was hit with 26 percent, Japan and Malaysia with 24 percent each. Particularly bitter: Taiwan, where almost all Apple Silicon chips come from, also receives a tariff rate – of 32%. The EU, on the other hand, where sensors and chips for iPhones, among other things, come from, receives a 20 percent surcharge. There will also be a standard tariff rate of 10 percent on all imports.
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Donald Trump announced the tariffs as part of a “Liberation Day”, which is intended to bring as much production back to the USA as possible. Apple had already been fighting import duties of 20 percent for Chinese products. However, the good relationship between Apple CEO Tim Cook and Donald Trump led to some exceptions being made. The bank Morgan Stanley estimates that Apple will incur additional expenses of around 8.5 billion US dollars as a result of the new tariffs.
Apple wants to invest more
According to the White House, the tariffs are to apply “immediately”, although observers believe that they are more likely to be considered a “starting point for negotiations” with the respective countries. Apple had recently spread good vibes by promising high investments in production in the USA. However, Apple is relying primarily on suppliers, such as Flextronics or Foxconn, which will then be based in the home country. The company also wants to buy chips from a large, new TSMC factory in Arizona, which currently still produces processors that are several generations older than those coming from Taiwan.
Customs duties are not taxes that have to be paid directly on products; instead, the fees are only due when they are imported into another country. They then ensure that the end customer price of an iPhone in the USA, for example, increases if Apple adds the fee 1:1, which is unlikely to happen. According to market observers, the company is currently in the process of calculating its models. The new tariffs will affect numerous other global companies that want to sell on the US market.
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