Do we anticipate macs to be impacted by upcoming tarrifs

[bradman83]

In response to previous tariffs a lot of Chinese exporters actually lowered their prices to help offset the tariff amount so as not to dampen demand. That's why prices didn't skyrocket during the first round of tariffs (that and all of the exemptions that were handed out).

It would not be unreasonable for Apple to demand similar reductions to maintain their profit margins and not have to increase prices, though the additional 10% tariffs announced today (now 20%) going into effect next week might get to the point where suppliers can't lower prices to offset without taking a loss.

Canadian and Mexican exporters likely have less wiggle room so I would expect to see more dramatic price increases on those goods.

 

[Mity]

Has anyone noticed an increase in prices for Apple products (given the last round of tariffs on China) or is Apple keeping prices the same and not passing them onto consumers? Another 10% are being imposed on China. If you're buying a $4K MBP, for example, that is not a negligible sum IMO.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn48q3150dxo

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/03/trump-dashes-hope-for-last-minute-canada-and-mexico-deal-ahead-of-25percent-tariffs.html

Edit: Here's a Wayback Machine snapshot from the Jan 7: https://web.archive.org/web/2025010...h-14-core-cpu-and-32-core-gpu-36gb-memory-1tb

Base spec 14" MBP M4 Max (14c/32c/16c) 36GB RAM 1TB SSD was $3200 (pre-tax) on Jan 7, same as it is today:

Buy MacBook Pro

Discover the MacBook Pro laptop with the M4 family of chips, built for Apple Intelligence. Get credit when you trade in an eligible Mac. Buy now.

www.apple.com

 

[russell_314]

I’m in the USA and I don’t see any changes to prices. There might be price changes in the future but so far none.

 

[Mity]

I’m in the USA and I don’t see any changes to prices. There might be price changes in the future but so far none.

You're right - see the Wayback Machine page I included in my edit. This means Apple ate this up and so MBP profits were reduced by 10%. I'm going to watch this closely because it means another 10% is going to erode Apple's earnings unless Apple increases prices or Trump removes the tariffs.

 

[russell_314]

You're right - see the Wayback Machine page I included in my edit. This means Apple ate this up and so MBP profits were reduced by 10%. I'm going to watch this closely because it means another 10% is going to erode Apple's earnings unless Apple increases prices or Trump removes the tariffs.

It’s possible that Apple moved a lot of stock before the tariffs. It’s also possible Tim Cook got some sort of exemption for Apple products but I’m not sure about that.

 

[CalMin]

The Tariffs are paid by the importers, not the exporters. It's a mechanism to reduce what people want to buy, not what people want to sell.

This is so important because people think that tariffs are billed to the exporter. It's not a tariff on China, it's a tariff on goods FROM China that the importer or buyer has to pay. In Apple's case, they will be writing the checks - and ultimately, we the consumers, will be paying it on the purchase.

 

[Mity]

It’s possible that Apple moved a lot of stock before the tariffs. It’s also possible Tim Cook got some sort of exemption for Apple products but I’m not sure about that.

This is true for standard stuff we see at our local stores which has already been shipped but anyone looking to buy a custom machine now has to pay some amount more, assuming Apple raises prices.

Do you know if any individual company can get exemptions? I know individual product categories can but I'm not sure if Apple avoided this by making that $500B investment announcement.

 

[Mity]

This is so important because people think that tariffs are billed to the exporter. It's not a tariff on China, it's a tariff on goods FROM China that the importer or buyer has to pay. In Apple's case, they will be writing the checks - and ultimately, we the consumers, will be paying it on the purchase.

There is such a thing as export taxes but they're normally imposed by the exporting country to keep certain goods (ex: agricultural goods) within a country so domestic prices don't rise: https://www.reuters.com/markets/com...attle-exports-beef-shipments-soar-2025-02-26/

These Trump tariffs are, as you pointed out, paid for by importers/consumers.

 

[russell_314]

This is true for standard stuff we see at our local stores which has already been shipped but anyone looking to buy a custom machine now has to pay some amount more, assuming Apple raises prices.

Do you know if any individual company can get exemptions? I know individual product categories can but I'm not sure if Apple avoided this by making that $500B investment announcement.

You are correct that custom machines are directly shipped from China. It’s not guaranteed that Apple will raise prices because if it’s something temporary, they might eat the tariff. I think they could survive with a slight production in profit for a short time 😂

 

[CalMin]

There is such a thing as export taxes but they're normally imposed by the exporting country to keep certain goods (ex: agricultural goods) within a country so domestic prices don't rise: https://www.reuters.com/markets/com...attle-exports-beef-shipments-soar-2025-02-26/

These Trump tariffs are, as you pointed out, paid for by importers/consumers.

Thanks. I wasn't trying to make a political statement here - but I think it's important for people to understand why in the short-term we are going to see some price hikes on the things we buy.

A company I know had some products made in China last year but they weren't shipped here at the time (for reasons I won't get into). They are now looking at a potential 6-figure tariff bill that they MUST eventually pass onto their customers.