It’s no secret that the Trump administration is set to impose a new round of massive tariffs on Chinese goods, but according to a recent Bloomberg report, it looks like some tech-related products, like the Apple Watch and AirPods, will be spared from those tariffs. If true, the news should ease the minds of tech companies, who have been worried about getting caught in the crossfire between the Trump administration and the war on Chinese-made imports.
It’s expected that the government will release its final list of Chinese products set to be hit by the new 10-percent tariff in the very near future. That list will reportedly not include Apple products or things like fitness trackers and other smart watches from competing companies — all thanks to the removal of a product code that covers wireless devices. Even the 10-percent tariff is a reduction in and of itself — early reports indicated that the administration was considering a 25-percent tariff.
It’s interesting that Apple’s products won’t be included on the list, especially considering the fact that the wireless devices product code was included on a preliminary list that was released in July.
The news comes soon after Apple said that a “wide range” of products would be impacted by the proposed tariffs, and a request Apple made to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to reconsider the tariffs and take other measures to support the economy instead.
“Tariffs increase the cost of our U.S. operations, divert our resources, and disadvantage Apple compared to foreign competitors,” said Apple’s letter. “More broadly, tariffs will lead to higher U.S. consumer prices, lower overall U.S. economic growth, and other unintended economic consequences.”
Even with the removal of wireless devices from the list, the tariffs are still likely to have repercussions in the tech industry. As a report from The Verge notes, the tariffs will likely heavily disrupt manufacturing channels in the tech industry.
It’s unclear exactly why wireless devices have been removed from the list, though Apple CEO Tim Cook has been seen dining with President Donald Trump in the past — and it’s certainly possible that the proposed tariffs were the topic of discussion at that dinner.
