CNN
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Tariffs could add $900 million to Apple’s costs this quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Thursday, as he revealed the tech giant was shifting production of iPhones sold in the United States from China to India.
“Assuming the current global tariff rates, policies, and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add $900 million to our costs,” he told a quarterly earnings call.
With some iPhone production having already moved to India in the past few years, Cook said he expected “the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin.”
The announcement that Apple is diversifying its global supply chain beyond China in such a major way underscores the impact of US President Donald Trump’s astronomical 145% tariffs on the country.
About 90% of Apple’s production of the iPhone, its most profitable product, has remained in China, despite efforts to increase manufacturing elsewhere, according to financial services firm Wedbush Securities.
While the administration’s exemption of smartphones and other electronics containing semiconductors from “reciprocal” tariffs on China has spared iPhones from the harshest levies, products made in China still face a minimum 20% levy, according to Cook.
Apple’s stock fell nearly 4% in after-hours trading following the earnings call, reflecting investor concerns about the uncertain outlook posed by tariffs and supply chain instability.
“We have a complex supply chain. There’s always risk in the supply chain,” Cook said. “What we learned some time ago was that having everything in one location had too much risk with it.”
Cook said most Apple products for non-US markets will continue to be made in China. Vietnam will become the source for almost all iPads, Macs, Apple Watches and AirPods sold in the US, he added.
Despite the tariff headwinds, Apple reported solid finances in the January to March quarter. Revenue rose 5% in the first three months of the year to $95.4 billion, compared to the same period in 2024, beating analysts’ expectations. Revenue for iPhones climbed 2% to $46.8 billion.
“For the March quarter, we had a limited impact from tariffs as we were able to optimize our supply chain and inventory,” Cook said.
But its sales in the Greater China region, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, fell slightly to $16 billion, about a 2% decline from the previous year. The dip comes as Apple faces rising competition from homegrown smartphone makers in China, it’s second-largest market.
The Trump administration is eager to get Apple to bring iPhone production to the US – an ambition that analysts have said is nearly impossible to achieve.
Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities, said previously that the price of an iPhone could more than triple to around $3,500 if they were made in the US.
Trump has frequently touted Apple’s $500 billion investment, announced by the tech giant in February, as a victory. The spending, planned over the next four years, is part of its effort to expand production outside China and sidestep Trump’s tariffs on the country.
But that commitment is geared toward building server facilities to support Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence service, and an academy to train businesses on manufacturing techniques, instead of iPhone production.
