📱🔧 Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft breathe easy, but the global tech war is just beginning
In a sudden twist of economic drama, smartphones, monitors, and key electronic components have been spared from President Trump’s sweeping 145% tariff—at least temporarily. While the White House doubles down on its mission to onshore manufacturing, the tech world can exhale… for now.
The exemption, issued late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, kicks in retroactively from April 5 and grants a vital lifeline to companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft. With roughly 90% of Apple’s iPhones assembled in China, Wedbush Securities called the move “the best news possible for tech investors.”
But before anyone pops the champagne, remember: this is only one round in a long and volatile tariff war. The broader 20% tariff tied to China’s role in the fentanyl trade still looms large, and Trump’s latest rhetoric signals more turbulence ahead. “There could be a couple of exceptions,” he said aboard Air Force One, “but I would say 10% is a floor.”
The implications? A major sigh of relief for Big Tech—but also a stark reminder that global manufacturing pipelines are increasingly fragile. Nintendo, for instance, has already delayed Switch 2 preorders in the U.S., with the console’s price potentially surging from $450 to $600 if tariffs bite.
Meanwhile, Trump is calling on tech giants to bring manufacturing home. The White House boasts trillions in investment promises from Apple, Nvidia, and TSMC, while hinting at new studies (Section 232, anyone?) to frame semiconductor imports as national security threats.
Whether this exemption marks the start of a new negotiation phase—or just the eye of the storm—remains to be seen. But for now, Apple won’t be adding a “Tariff Tax” to your next iPhone… and that’s something both Wall Street and Main Street can celebrate.
