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The only logical choice for Apple is to pay the 25% tariff. And the only logical choice for consumers/voters is to decide if they want to support this "tax" an

The only logical choice for Apple is to pay the 25% tariff. And the only logical choice for consumers/voters is to decide if they want to support this "tax" and by extension, it's proponent. The simple fact is that we now live in an interconnected world. It is simply not possible or practical to natively produce everything that goes into an iPhone. Not now, not within the decades to come and probably not ever. And decrees from the fuhrer and pining for yesteryear won't change this.

duxup 1y ago
I suspect Apple is concerned not just with the tariff, but the next tweet and the next… Tim already paid his bribe, https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-million-trump-inauguration-1236265079/ https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-don... and others who have cut deals with him have found those deals to be less than solid. Law firms that settled with Trump have reported that they've received demands well outside their agreements.
- jqpabc123 1y ago
  Concern is certainly understandable. The choice for Apple (and everyone) is how to respond effectively and appropriately. As it stands, the world economy is being subjected to the whims of one person. And this person has a checkered history with marketplace economics.
- raincom 1y ago
  In the third world, $1M is hardly considered as a bribe. For large contracts in the third world, companies pay 20% as bribe. That's why Benazir Bhutto's husband is called "Mr 10%". In India, regional parties rule many states; the big bosses there want 20%.
AnimalMuppet 1y ago
No, the only logical choice for Apple is to go to court to block this random act of executive over-reach. The president does not have the constitutional authority to impose random tariffs on individual companies.
- jqpabc123 1y ago
  Haven't you heard, the law no longer applies. He has been anointed with immunity.
  - bangertho 1y ago
    All Presidents have. A future President could have the entire admin thrown out of a plane on the way to El Salvador as an official act of national security. I can dream.
- bathtub365 1y ago
  The tariff will likely also be off again in a few days. The only constant with this administration seems to be random change.
boroboro4 1y ago
> The simple fact is that we now live in an interconnected world. It is simply not possible or practical to natively produce everything that goes into an iPhone. US is a huge country with tremendous human capital and natural resources. I don’t see issues with US producing much more goods than it is producing now. It might be not practical, or not practical yet, but it’s for sure possible.
- lawn 1y ago
  Not at this price point it's not.
- watwut 1y ago
  The US will need to crash its own economy and create underclass of people with no better employment options first to make it reasonable. It is working on for sure, but not there yet. It still have too low unemployment rates for these potential jobs to become cheap enough.
  - xp84 1y ago
    It's not even about the supposedly cheap labor. China has built very advanced automated assembly plants, and has a whole supply chain which provides most of the parts needed. Either we have to, at great expense, replicate that whole supply chain here, or we have to import the parts at great, tariffed, cost anyway and only do final assembly. While this would save money since I guess then the tariff is only on the BOM and not Apple's legendary margin, it would still massively inflate the cost. Why do "Republicans" love high taxes so much now? This seems so stupid because we don't really need every continent to have a very complex and expensive supply chain for tiny electronic components when boats and money both exist, but let's say you disagree on that. On what earth does it make sense to tariff smartphones in 2025 with zero warning? It would take ten years to fully construct a completely domestic supply chain for iPhones if you started today. So why not announce a tariff that starts in 10 years, so that that can be built, but we don't burden all Americans with this high tax on something everyone buys? (Answer: Everybody knows Trump and Navarro will be dead in 10 years and that anyone else would cancel this dumbass idea and replace it with policy that isn't so idiotic and self-defeating.)
tim333 1y ago
Come on. In this modern world they must be able to bribe the president for less than that.
- QuietWatchtower 1y ago
  Maybe if Tim buys some Trump coin?

duxup 1y ago

I suspect Apple is concerned not just with the tariff, but the next tweet and the next… Tim already paid his bribe, https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-million-trump-inauguration-1236265079/ https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-don... and others who have cut deals with him have found those deals to be less than solid. Law firms that settled with Trump have reported that they've received demands well outside their agreements.

jqpabc123 1y ago
Concern is certainly understandable. The choice for Apple (and everyone) is how to respond effectively and appropriately. As it stands, the world economy is being subjected to the whims of one person. And this person has a checkered history with marketplace economics.
raincom 1y ago
In the third world, $1M is hardly considered as a bribe. For large contracts in the third world, companies pay 20% as bribe. That's why Benazir Bhutto's husband is called "Mr 10%". In India, regional parties rule many states; the big bosses there want 20%.

AnimalMuppet 1y ago

No, the only logical choice for Apple is to go to court to block this random act of executive over-reach. The president does not have the constitutional authority to impose random tariffs on individual companies.

jqpabc123 1y ago
Haven't you heard, the law no longer applies. He has been anointed with immunity.
- bangertho 1y ago
  All Presidents have. A future President could have the entire admin thrown out of a plane on the way to El Salvador as an official act of national security. I can dream.
bathtub365 1y ago
The tariff will likely also be off again in a few days. The only constant with this administration seems to be random change.

boroboro4 1y ago

> The simple fact is that we now live in an interconnected world. It is simply not possible or practical to natively produce everything that goes into an iPhone. US is a huge country with tremendous human capital and natural resources. I don’t see issues with US producing much more goods than it is producing now. It might be not practical, or not practical yet, but it’s for sure possible.

lawn 1y ago
Not at this price point it's not.
watwut 1y ago
The US will need to crash its own economy and create underclass of people with no better employment options first to make it reasonable. It is working on for sure, but not there yet. It still have too low unemployment rates for these potential jobs to become cheap enough.
- xp84 1y ago
  It's not even about the supposedly cheap labor. China has built very advanced automated assembly plants, and has a whole supply chain which provides most of the parts needed. Either we have to, at great expense, replicate that whole supply chain here, or we have to import the parts at great, tariffed, cost anyway and only do final assembly. While this would save money since I guess then the tariff is only on the BOM and not Apple's legendary margin, it would still massively inflate the cost. Why do "Republicans" love high taxes so much now? This seems so stupid because we don't really need every continent to have a very complex and expensive supply chain for tiny electronic components when boats and money both exist, but let's say you disagree on that. On what earth does it make sense to tariff smartphones in 2025 with zero warning? It would take ten years to fully construct a completely domestic supply chain for iPhones if you started today. So why not announce a tariff that starts in 10 years, so that that can be built, but we don't burden all Americans with this high tax on something everyone buys? (Answer: Everybody knows Trump and Navarro will be dead in 10 years and that anyone else would cancel this dumbass idea and replace it with policy that isn't so idiotic and self-defeating.)

tim333 1y ago

Come on. In this modern world they must be able to bribe the president for less than that.

QuietWatchtower 1y ago
Maybe if Tim buys some Trump coin?