The $300bn question: Is this the end of Apple as we know it?

Washington D.C.: Apple faces a $300 billion crisis as President Trump′s aggressive China tariffs — now totaling 145%. If costs pass to consumers, while relocating production to the US it could triple prices to between $2,150 and $3,500 per device.

The tech giant assembles over 90% of iPhones in China, leaving it acutely exposed to Trump’s trade war. Bank of America predicts global price synchronization to prevent arbitrage, while Forrester Research suggests Apple may absorb US losses by raising prices elsewhere.

Though Apple is reportedly airlifting Indian-made iPhones to bypass tariffs — mirroring tactics from Trump’s first term — experts dismiss rapid US manufacturing shifts as unrealistic. "Training 300,000 Americans to assemble iPhones isn’t practical," supply chain expert Fraser Johnson told The Guardian, noting China’s unmatched skilled labor pool.

ALSO READ

The morbid 3 word database that could be Donald Trump's silver bullet to tackle illegal immigration

Alina Habba fires first shots in war with NJ governor as relationship with ICE fails to thaw

Approximately 90% of iPhones are assembled in China, with massive facilities in cities like Zhengzhou and Shenzhen, often referred to as "iPhone City". These hubs employ hundreds of thousands of workers capable of producing millions of devices in a short span of time, a scale unmatched by other countries.

The Guardian warns that moving production from China to the U.S. would be extremely costly and time-consuming, estimating it could take three years and cost $30 billion to relocate just 10% of production.

Labor practices in Apple's Chinese factories have also drawn scrutiny. Reports have highlighted issues such as excessive working hours, low wages, and the use of student labor. In 2010, a series of worker suicides at Foxconn's Shenzhen facility brought global attention to the working conditions. Apple has since implemented supplier responsibility programs and audits, but challenges persist.