Smartphones and computers are exempt from Trump’s mutual tariffs. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 145% tariff on products from China. This is poised to be victimized by high-tech companies like Apple, producing most of the other products in China. This guidance also includes exclusion of other electronic devices and components, such as semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel television displays, flash drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives used to store data. Nathan Howard | Reuters
US President Donald Trump will speak on April 9, 2025 at the White House oval office in Washington, DC, before signing the executive order.
According to new guidance from US Customs and Border Protection, smartphones and computers are one of many technical devices and components that are exempt from mutual tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
The guidance issued late Friday evening comes after Trump imposed a 145% tariff on products from China earlier this month. This is a move that threatens to fall victim to high-tech giants like Apple, producing most of IPHONE and other products in China.
This guidance also includes the exclusion of other electronic devices and components, such as semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel television displays, flash drives, and memory cards.
These products may ultimately be subject to additional obligations, but they could be far lower than the 145% rate Trump has imposed on products from China.
This exemption is a victory for high-tech companies like Apple, producing more than 80% of Chinese products. According to Evercore ISI, the country manufactures 80% of iPads and more than half of Mac computers produced.
“This is a dream scenario for high-tech investors,” Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC. “Smartphones, chips excluded are game-changer scenarios when it comes to Chinese tariffs.”
He added that tariffs are “a black cloud than technology since the day of liberation” because there are no sectors that are less damaged than Big Technology.
“I think the CEO of a major tech ultimately spoke out loud. I think the White House had to understand and listen to the situation, if implemented, that was an armageddon for big technology,” Ives said.
Since Trump’s tariff announcement, Apple has lost more than $640 billion in market value, CNBC previously reported.
– CNBC’s Lori Ann Larocco contributed to this story.
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