The costs of the latest technology seem to rise every year – but this year Smartphone And Laptop prices Could climb even higher because of tariffs.
This week, US President Donald Trump announced a 10% tariff to imports from China after a delivery of 10% last month. Experts assume iPhonesPresent ipadsPresent MacBooks And AirpodsBut not necessarily at the same speed.
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“The youngest tariffs could increase Apple product prices by about 5-10% in the coming months”, by about 5-10%. ” Stephan ShipA certified financial planner and CEO of Scholar Financial Advising said in an e -mail. “Apple traditionally recorded the most tariff effects, but the company would probably have to pass on part of these costs to consumers.”
Target and Best Buy warned consumers warned this week to expect higher prices for everything Last tariff round went into force. The increase in wage of the last month had already prompted Acer to announce that this was the case Increasing prices for its laptops.
If you are on the market for a new Apple device or an imported game system, like that PlayStation 5 ProSo tariffs can increase prices and what to do to prepare.
What’s going on with tariffs?
Trump announced 10% tariffs for imports from China, which in addition to the 10% task corresponds to Chinese imports, which he announced in early February. China reacted to every round of tariffs with its own tariffs for US products, including coal, crude oil and farm products such as chicken, beef, soybeans, wheat and pork.
Products that are imported from China are already exposed to tariffs that Trump ordered during his first term. The latest round of tariffs means that the prices for these goods could increase even higher.
The Trump administration also imposed 25% tariffs on imports Mexico and Canada After the break last month in the middle of the negotiations with both countries.
In theory, tariffs are theoretically designed to influence other countries financially because their goods are taxed. The tariffs are paid for by the US company that imports the product, and it is normally – but not always – passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices.
How much could the iPhone and MacBook prices rise?
Experts assume that the tariffs raised for products from China and Canada and Mexico will lead to higher prices. This means that the technology you use every day, such as imported smartphones, tablets, laptops, TV and evenly Kitchen appliancesCould get even more expensive this year.
How could that look? If the full costs are passed on to buyers, we could record a price increase of 20%. For example the iPhone 16That at T-Mobile at $ 830 could jump up to $ 996. You can get one 15-inch MacBook Air From $ 1,099 at Amazon; A 20% hike would increase the basic price to $ 1,318.
However, a tariff of 20% in China achieved in China does not necessarily mean that prices will increase by the same amount. If companies want to remain competitive, they can absorb some of the costs to keep their prices lower.
Apple announced a price reduction of $ 100 in its cut New MacBook Air Today, although the tariffs come into force only a day earlier. In a generally respected attempt to convince Trump not to impose the latest tariffs, Apple announced last month that it would spend more than 500 billion dollars in the next four years Expand the production processes in the USA.
“Apple has positive income to absorb the higher prices for many of its products, but not all.” Patti BrennanCertified financial planner and CEO from Key Financial said in an e -mail. “The most important product of Apple is the iPhone. Readers should either expect directly or indirectly. How much remains to wait.”
Read more: Higher tariffs could make solarer more expensive
Should you buy technology now to avoid tariffs later?
If you are planning to buy a new iPhone, a gaming console, a MacBook or another technology, it can save you money.
However, if you do not have the money available and plan to use a credit card or buy now, you will later pay the plan to avoid tariffs, experts say. With the average interest rates of credit cards, over 20%currently Costs for the financing of a large purchase Could wipe out all savings from the purchase before the prices rise due to tariffs.
“We would only expect an increase of 50 to 150 US dollars at the upper end of the Apple product line, so that the decision to buy the immediate needs compared to a tolerance for a small potential price increase depends,” said Shipe.
One way to save, even if the prices rise, is to buy the model of the past year instead of the latest publication.
“If you are not planning an upgrade next year, you will not have to hurry to buy a new smartphone.” Shawn DubravacThe chief economist at IPC, a manufacturing trade association, said in an e -mail. “The technology is of course deflationary, which means that the performance increases over time and the prices generally decrease for products of similar quality.”
