Trump's new tariffs push laptop prices up, Apple is absorbing the cost for now

Trump's new 10% tariff on all imports from China is now in effect, and some consumer goods, like laptops, are about to get pricier. As is usually the case, imposing tariffs on certain goods forces manufacturers to either absorb the costs and reduce profit margins, or pass them on to consumers.

Well, Apple is doing a good deed for now and has decided to keep its prices stable and deduct that 10% tariff from its profit margins. Other companies, such as Acer, for example, decided to pass it on to consumers. As a result, all Acer products imported from China in the US will become 10% more expensive.

Moving manufacturing facilities outside of China, however, isn't feasible at the moment, nor is producing hardware inside the US, because some components would still need to be imported and would be taxed anyway.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), of which Apple is a core member, says the new tariffs will cost around $143 billion to US consumers, so a slowdown in sales is also expected.

So if you are looking to buy some new tech soon, you better act fast because even though the new tariffs have already been applied, vendors are keeping a sizeable inventory of goods imported before they came into effect.

Via