Because of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, your favorite consumer electronics will likely cost you a pretty penny.
In case you have been under a rock, Donald Trump has put on a masterclass in tanking the global economy and sending the US stock market into a free fall, shaving off trillions of dollars after announcing “reciprocal” tariffs on every country, mainly our allies causing a trade war.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that consumer electronics like smartwatches, smartphones, and laptops will cost more because of Donald Trump’s new round of tariffs if things don’t change. Still, if there is any silver lining in this situation, the price hikes will take some time to be implemented.
For those who don’t know, many gadgets and gizmos are not solely assembled in the US. Companies rely on other components from around the globe, and the final product is fully assembled overseas before arriving stateside.
Case in point: Nintendo recently delayed US preorders for the Nintendo Switch 2 because of the 46% tariff Trump levied on Vietnam, where the console is made, and the 24% tariff on Japan, where the physical game cartridges are made.
The same tariff on Vietnam will also affect Apple, which has shifted some of its manufacturing. Therefore, if the tariffs stay in place, you can expect the price of your favorite Apple devices to increase.
We wonder if Tim Cook feels stupid after donating to Trump’s inauguration.
Per The Verge:
Barring any new exemptions or changes, you can expect every single device category to be negatively impacted, says Ryan Reith, group vice president of worldwide device trackers at IDC. But devices will be impacted differently. Smartphones, says Reith, have more wiggle room than TVs or PCs as they have a “well-established monthly hardware payment dependence.”
Other devices, like over-the-counter hearing aids, have even thinner margins and are therefore, much more vulnerable.
China has already hit back, slapping the United States with a 34% retaliatory tariff on all imported goods imported from the US. We expect other countries to do the same.
Donald Trump continues to be a hot a** mess and has no idea what he is doing. Unfortunately, regular Americans will have to pay for his nonsense, figuratively and literally.