It's still cheaper to import iPhones with 25% tariffs, than assemble in the US

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says, perhaps obviously, that Trump's new 25% tariff on Apple shouldn't make the company move manufacturing to the US, because it's still far cheaper to import.A lack of robots are not the the only thing preventing iPhone manufacture in the USTrump announced his 25% tariff on Apple's iPhones — for once specifically naming a US business instead of nonsensically claiming foreign countries would pay — on Friday, May 23, 2025. It immediately sent Apple's share price tumbling, yet again, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo agrees with AppleInsider and common sense interpretation of the tariffs about the long-term impact.In terms of profitability, it's way better for Apple to take the hit of a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the US market than to move iPhone assembly lines back to US.https://t.co/ycTwPmQyEp pic.twitter.com/VPRRpj0caU— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 23, 2025 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums