‘5 Planes Full of iPhones’: Apple Rushes Shipments to US Ahead of Trump Tariffs
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) reportedly flew five cargo planes loaded with iPhones and other products from manufacturing centers in Asia to the United States in late March, racing to beat President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs that took effect on April 5.
According to The Times of India, the emergency shipments arrived over just three days during the last week of March, creating a buffer that could temporarily shield US consumers from immediate price increases.
“The reserves that arrived at lower duty will temporarily insulate the company from the higher prices that it will need to pay for new shipments under the revised tax rates,” a source told the newspaper.
The rushed shipments come as Apple faces significant exposure to Trump’s new tariff structure, which imposes duties of 104% on goods from China, 46% on Vietnamese imports, and 26% on products from India. Apple manufactures the bulk of its iPhones in China but has diversified production to Vietnam and India in recent years.
Analysts estimate the tariffs could potentially add $250 or more to the price of high-end iPhones if fully passed on to consumers. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple’s most expensive smartphone, currently retails for $1,599.
Industry watchers remain divided on whether Apple will absorb some costs or pass them entirely to consumers. Ryan Reith, group vice president at research firm IDC, believes price increases are inevitable: “I just don’t see any other way around it.”
Apple is not alone in rushing shipments ahead of the tariffs. Nintendo reportedly shipped over 383,000 Switch 2 consoles across five days in January to “get ahead of the risk of tariffs.”
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