Apple is finding itself squarely in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, even after a years-long effort to insulate the iPhone maker from trade wars and supply chain disruptions.
A long list of levies unveiled by the White House are poised to hit the company especially hard, triggering an after-hours stock rout on Wednesday. The new reciprocal tariffs – a tax on imported goods in response to existing tariffs – will reach 34 per cent for China. That would bring the total rate on Chinese goods to 54 per cent, threatening to roil an Apple supply chain that still has the Asian country at its heart.
But tariffs also cover Apple’s other manufacturing centres, undercutting efforts to shift away from China. Though the company still produces most of its US-sold devices in Chinese factories, Apple now makes its wares across a swathe of nations.
The announcement jolted investors, who have grown increasingly concerned that tariffs will hurt Apple’s bottom line. The shares fell as much as 7.9 per cent in extended trading. The stock was already down 11 per cent this year through the close, part of a broader tech retreat.
The White House said the new tariffs would kick in on April 9. An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Apple could be affected further given the need to source components from several other countries and regions that are also being hit by tariffs.
