tariffs
Latest
US cancels plans for new penalty tariffs on Chinese-made products
This morning the president tweeted that "We have agreed to a very large Phase One Deal with China........The Penalty Tariffs set for December 15th will not be charged because of the fact that we made the deal." The 15 percent tariffs that would have raised prices on Chinese-made items --including consumer electronics products like iPhones and laptops -- had already been delayed during negotiations, and now won't go into effect at all.
Apple gets US approval for Mac Pro tariff exemptions
President Trump may have claimed in July that Apple wouldn't get tariff exemptions for the redesigned Mac Pro, but the reality is very different. The US Trade Representative's office has confirmed that regulators approved 10 out of 15 of the company's tariff exemptions for computer components focusing primarily on the Mac Pro. It's not certain how much any remaining tariffs will affect pricing for the workstation, but any damage will clearly be limited.
Tariffs hit Apple and other tech companies tomorrow
Some of the tech you like is about to get more expensive -- at least for the companies that design them, if not you. True to earlier plans, the Trump administration has formally enacted a new round of tariffs against China-made products that will take effect September 1st. The measures will hit tech companies with 15 percent tariffs on a range of goods, with Apple potentially feeling the pinch harder than most. The hikes will affect AirPods, the Apple Watch, some Beats earphones, the HomePod and iMacs.
Tesla wins a tax exemption in China to offset trade-war tariffs (updated)
The regulatory body in charge of cars in China has announced several Tesla vehicles will be exempt from its purchase tax, which should help offset an upcoming tariff. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology granted exemptions for more than a dozen Model 3, Model S and Model X models.
China's latest retaliatory tariffs could pose trouble for Tesla
The escalating trade war between the US and China could have particularly steep consequences for car brands. China's Finance Ministry has announced countering tariffs across a range of products, including plans to resume a suspended 25 percent extra tariff on US cars on December 15th -- with an extra 10 percent for certain cars. This could make tariffs as high as 50 percent for some cars, and particularly damage automakers that ship many US-made cars to China, including Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
US delays tariffs on some Chinese-made electronics until December 15th
The Trump administration announced a tariff earlier this month on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports that was to take effect from September 1st, but the 10 percent levy will only kick in then for about half of the goods. The tariff on others -- including mobile phones, laptops, monitors, game consoles, some toys and LED lamps -- is set to be enforced from December 15th.
Trump announces more tariffs on goods made in China
The US plans to add more tariffs to Chinese imports starting September 1st. President Donald Trump made the announcement on Twitter, stating the nation would impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, in addition to an existing 25 percent tariff on $250 billion of imported items. He said the tariff would be enforced after China didn't meet a promise to buy more American agricultural goods. He also claimed China, despite saying it would, failed to stop fentanyl sales to the US.
Sony warns trade war could lead to PlayStation price hikes
Sony has more than just the pre-PS5 sales slump to worry about in the near future. Company financial chief Hiroki Totoki has warned that US plans for expanded tariffs on Chinese products could force a price hike on PlayStation consoles. The tech giant is still exploring its options, Totoki said, but passing the costs to consumers was one of them. There hasn't been a firm decision as it's not clear whether or not widened tariffs will apply in the first place -- that depends on the Trump administration's negotiations with China.
Lenovo fuels the first PC sales increase in six months
The PC market has been pretty gloomy of late, but global shipments went up by at least 1.5 percent after two down quarters, according to Gartner and IDC. Lenovo led the pack with a 25 percent share, followed by HP and Dell with 22.2 and 16.9 percent, respectively. The growth was driven in part by the latest Windows 10 refresh and an easing of the Intel CPU shortage, which has adversely affected PC sales for the last 18 months.
Trump to lift some restrictions on Huawei as part of China truce
Huawei is getting a partial reprieve from the US trade ban. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reached a truce that will remove some restrictions on Huawei selling technology to the US. It's not certain exactly what will change, but Trump suggested the US would allow hardware that didn't have a "great national emergency problem." That could help Huawei restore some of its partnerships for consumer tech like smartphones and PCs, but networking hardware is likely to remain off-limits.
Tariffs are forcing Big Tech to move production out of China
In response to the Trump administration's trade war with China, major tech companies are preparing to relocate key manufacturing operations. According to Bloomberg, Google is moving production of its US-bound Nest thermostats and motherboards to Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is shifting at least some production of its Switch console to Southeast Asia. At the same time, China has allegedly warned companies that they will face permanent consequences if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions.
Chinese tech at CES: Politics is temporary, business is permanent
At the start of 2018, the US imposed a series of tariffs on Chinese products ranging from solar cells through to home appliances. It was the escalation of rhetoric between the two countries over fears that the US-China trade deficit had become too high. According to US Census Bureau statistics for 2018, the US bought $447 billion worth of Chinese goods, but only $102.4 billion went the opposite way. An additional $200 billion tariff package targeting the technology industry was due to be levied on January 1st, 2019.
Apple blames China struggles and slow iPhone upgrades for earnings miss
Smartphone sales are struggling, and Apple is now feeling the pinch from that decline. The tech firm has lowered its guidance for its first fiscal quarter (October to December of last year) from a minimum of $89 billion down to $84 billion due to a variety of factors, most notably due to "fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated." Most of the shortfall, Apple said, stemmed from China's weak economy.
Chinese draft law would prevent forced technology transfers
China might be prepared to further cool the US trade war. Legislators have submitted a draft law that would ban forced technology transfers, one of the objections that prompted the Trump administration to slap tariffs on China in the first place. The proposed measure instead "encourages" voluntary transfers. It would also have a "negative list" that would treat anything outside of that list as if it were a domestic investment, lifting some of the legal burden on foreign companies.
GoPro will make 'most' of its US cameras outside of China
China and the US may have declared a tariff truce (however tentative), but GoPro isn't taking any chances. It's moving "most" of its US-bound action camera production out of China by summer 2019 to reduce the effect of any potential tariff increases. The decision will help diversify manufacturing "regardless of tariff implications," the company said, and shouldn't cost much when it already owns its manufacturing equipment and just needs to switch facilities.
China and US agree on tariff 'truce' that could avoid tech price hikes
If you were worried that some technology prices would go up (among other things) as a result of incoming US tariffs on Chinese goods, you can breathe a little easier -- for now. The US and China have agreed to a tariff "truce" that will give the two sides time to negotiate without the US imposing further tariffs. The Americans will leave their tariffs at the 10 percent rate on January 1st, 2019, rather than raising it to 25 percent. The countries will have 90 days to hash out their differences on issues like intellectual property theft and patents -- if they can't reach a deal when those 90 days are over, the tariffs go up.
Trump will reportedly spare Apple products from latest China tariffs (updated)
If you were scrambling to buy the latest Apple Watch out of concern that Trump's next round of tariffs could lead to price hikes, you can likely relax. Bloomberg sources have claimed that the new tariffs don't affect a technology category that covers many of Apple's products, including the Watch, AirPods, the HomePod and Beats headphones. This is also likely to exempt comparable products from other companies, such as Fitbit's activity trackers and Sonos' speakers, but the scoop only mentioned Apple's by name.
Trump expected to announce more China tech tariffs within days
The White House isn't just dismissing technology companies' concerns about tariffs on China, it's picking up the pace. Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have learned that the Trump administration is likely to formally announce its latest tariffs on Chinese goods within the next few days (possibly as soon as September 17th). Imports for "internet technology products," circuit boards and other electronics are still likely to become more expensive, although the tariff level is reportedly set at 10 percent, not the originally proposed 25 percent also used for earlier tariffs. The administration may have lowered the tariffs to reduce the chances that companies would instantly raise prices to make up for the higher costs.
Trump tells Apple to build more US plants in response to tariffs
If Apple was hoping to elicit sympathy for the potential impact of US tariffs on product prices... well, it's not going to get any from the highest levels of government. In one of his characteristic weekend Twitter sprees, President Trump acknowledged that product prices might go up, but insisted that there would be an "easy solution:" make the products in the US. "Start building new plants now," Trump said.
Apple: Proposed China tariffs will make Watch, AirPods more expensive
Apple claims that proposed US tariffs on $200 billion of goods from China will make some of its products (including Apple Watch, HomePod, AirPods and Mac mini) more expensive. The company said in a letter to the US government, which sought public comments on the levies, that Apple Pencil, Magic Mouse and Trackpad and various leather covers and cases will be among the affected products.
