On local time on the 11th, the United States announced an exemption from the so-called "reciprocal tariff" for mobile phones, computers, semiconductors and other electronic products. Some major tech giants have temporarily gained breathing room, but concerns and vigilance remain under the unpredictable tariff policies.

According to Xinhua News Agency reports, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on the evening of the 11th that the federal government has agreed to exempt smartphones, computers, chips and other electronic products from the so-called "reciprocal tariff". Bloomberg reported that this measure may alleviate the pressure of price increases faced by American consumers to a certain extent, while also benefiting major electronics giants such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt responded to questions about tariffs on the 12th, stating that the United States cannot rely on China for key technologies. "This is why the president has secured trillions of dollars in investments from some of the world's largest technology companies like Apple, TSMC, and Nvidia. Under the president's direction, these companies are striving to produce domestically as quickly as possible." As of publication, Apple, Nvidia, and Lenovo have not commented on this matter.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump signed the executive order regarding the so-called "reciprocal tariff" on April 2nd, Apple has not publicly discussed tariff policies. The company's stock price was once severely affected. After the exemption policy was released on the 11th, Apple and other tech companies received a "reprieve," but there is still a possibility that the Trump administration could impose new or varying degrees of tariffs on electronics at a later date.

According to reports cited by the Global Times on the 9th, American consumers have been rushing to Apple stores to buy iPhones en masse, fearing that if new tariffs take effect, iPhone prices will rise significantly. On the other hand, to avoid the U.S. "reciprocal tariff," Apple previously transported large quantities of iPhones from India to the U.S. via air in March.

Since Trump began wielding the tariff "stick" in his first term, discussions have arisen about whether Apple would manufacture iPhones in the U.S. With the current round of tariff policies, this topic has garnered renewed attention.

"The idea of producing iPhones in the U.S. won't work."

This week, when asked if Trump believed Apple intended to produce iPhones in the U.S., Leavitt pointed out that Apple's investment commitment proved that the company believed it could be achieved. She said, "If Apple thought it couldn't be done in the U.S., they probably wouldn't invest such a large sum of money."

In February, Apple announced plans to invest $500 billion in the U.S. and hire 20,000 employees by 2028. However, these plans are unrelated to domestic iPhone production. The investment plan includes a commitment to fund a data center in Houston for artificial intelligence computer servers.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick predicted on CBS News on April 6th that tariffs would force the relocation of manufacturing. "Producing iPhones requires millions of workers tightening small screws; such things will happen in the U.S."

Analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities stated on the 12th to the Associated Press, "The idea of producing iPhones in the U.S. simply won't work," reflecting the general view of the investment community, who closely monitor every move made by Apple.

Ives estimated that if production were moved to the U.S., the price of iPhones currently produced in China or India would soar from $1,000 to over $3,000. He also believes that moving production to domestic U.S. production is unlikely to happen before 2028. "The magnitude of the price fluctuation is unimaginable."

According to a report in The New York Times on the 11th, approximately 90% of Apple's production takes place in China, and China is the only country where Apple has continuously invested heavily in human resources, equipment, and process innovation over the past 25 years. The cost of assembling iPhones domestically in the U.S. would be more than three times the current price, approximately $3,500. Additionally, the U.S. lacks the manufacturing technology, industrial clusters, and even population density required for large-scale production of Apple products.

In 2017, when Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a conference in China, he expressed doubt about whether the U.S. had enough skilled workers to produce iPhones. At the time, he said: "In the U.S., if you held a mold engineer meeting, I'm not sure you could fill the entire room. But in China, holding such a meeting would fill several football stadiums."

Apple has space to maintain its iPhone pricing.

Since 2011, Apple has consistently been one of the highest-valued companies globally. Before Trump issued tariff threats, its market capitalization accounted for about 8% of the S&P 500 index. Under the threat of "reciprocal tariffs," many consumers worried that Apple's electronic products would see significant price increases.

According to previous reports by Reuters, if Apple decided to fully pass the tariff costs onto consumers, the retail price of its flagship product, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, in the U.S. market would skyrocket from the current $1,599 to $2,300 (approximately RMB 16,750).

Currently, most electronics have already received tariff exemptions. However, even with tariffs remaining in effect, analysts believe that Apple still has room to maintain its current iPhone pricing. An analyst from Forrester Research, a U.S. market research company, explained that Apple continues to earn substantial profits from subscriptions and other services related to its products. "At least in the short term, Apple can absorb part of the cost increase caused by tariffs without suffering significant financial impact."

Nine years ago, Apple successfully weathered a round of tariff challenges. In 2016, when Trump urged his supporters to boycott Apple products and threatened to impose massive tariffs on China, Cook directly called Trump and frequently visited him to secure tariff exemptions.

Last November, after Trump's re-election, Cook immediately congratulated him on social media, stating that Apple "looks forward to working with you and the government to help ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront and is driven by originality, innovation, and creativity." Last December, Cook dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and donated $1 million to the 2025 presidential inauguration ceremony. In February, Trump privately met with Cook at the White House to discuss trade issues. After the meeting, Trump said that Cook was investing billions of dollars in the U.S., moving Apple's manufacturing business from Mexico to the U.S.

Reporter Nan Boyi of The Paper

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