Investors in Apple Inc, which still produces the vast majority of its iPhones and other devices in China, rejoiced late April 11, when Customs and Border Protection quietly announced guidance that smartphones, computers, and a handful of other tech goods would be spared from the most-punishing 125% tariffs inflicted on China (while still being subject to a 20% levy). Critics said the move reeked of cronyism, but the rollback seemed to reveal that someone in Trump’s camp recognised the vast damage these tariffs would do to American tech firms and consumers. iPhones are hardly the only devices the US relies on China for: Some 73% of all US smartphones come from there, as well as 79% of PC monitors and 66% of laptops.
If anyone in the tech industry needed a reminder that there’s no method to President Donald Trump’s tariff madness, they were served one over a chaotic weekend.
The 72-hour saga exposed all the trade war wrongs as the administration retroactively lifted some levies on electronics from China, only to later say that more were coming. This has created an environment where the only known variable is uncertainty, making any sort of long-term planning, especially regarding major investments or hiring, nearly impossible.
