Apple is racing to fly planes of iPhones into the US ahead of Trumps tariffs
With the full breadth of Trumps tariffs slated to kick in on Wednesday, Apple is stockpiling iPhone inventory in the United States as quickly as possible. A new report from The Times of India today says that part of Apples strategy to limit the impact of these tariffs is to stockpile as much inventory as possible in the United StatesAccording to senior Indian officials cited in the report, Apple flew five planes full of iPhones and other products from India and China in just three days during the final week of March.Factories in India and China and other key locations had been shipping products to the US in anticipation of the higher tariffs, one source to The Times of IndiaApple currently assembles the entire iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lineups in India as well as China. A 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the United States kicked in on Saturday. On April 9, the tariffs thatTrump has falsely labeled as reciprocalwill kick in. This will raise the tariff rate on imports from China to 54% and imports from India to 27%.By stockpiling as much inventory as possible in the United States, Apple can delay the impact of the tariffs. Its unclear just how much inventory Apple has on hand in the US right now, but if theres one thing I know, its to never doubt Tim Cooks supply chain prowess.If Apple is able to stockpile enough iPhone inventory in the US for the foreseeable future, it could stave off having to increase iPhone prices until the iPhone 17 launch this fall. Its other products, however, might not be so lucky. For example, most build-to-order configurations of the Mac ship straight from Apples factories in China to consumers in the United States.AAPL stock is down nearly 5% today and down 18% in the last five days on the impact of Trumps tariffs.and while I was writing this story, Trump took to social media to threaten an additional 50% tariff starting Wednesday on imports from China unless the country walks back its 34% retaliatory tariff. That would bring the total tariff on imports from China to a whopping 104%. You cant make this up.I will once again reiterate my advice from last week: if you need an Apple product, or think you might need one soon, buy it now.My favorite iPhone accessories:Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel