In the latest round of Trump tariffs with economists on the edge of seats around the world, the US released updated guidelines on Friday, waiving laptops, smartphones and certain technical devices needed to manufacture semiconductors from mutual tariffs imposed by the US.
The new tariff guidelines exclude a variety of electronic devices, including laptops, semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel displays, flash drives, memory cards, and solid state drives. However, these products are currently exempt, but future obligations remain possible.
China's Commerce Department called the exemption “a small step by the US to correct the false approach of unilateral “mutual tariffs”,” adding that Beijing is still considering its impact.
The department has had the opportunity to repeat the fierce criticism of US tariffs, claiming Washington is “significantly disrupting the international economic and trade order.” It also called on the US to:
“Take an important step towards rectification, completely abandoning false “mutual tariffs,” return to the right path of mutual respect, and resolve differences through equal dialogue. ”
The 145% tariff is particularly violently hitting high-tech companies like Apple
This exemption provides temporary relief to businesses like Apple, who manufacture more than 90% of Chinese products, including iPads and Mac computers. Without the exemption, Apple may have had to raise the price of its US iPhones sold by up to 85% to maintain profit margins.
The company had already taken emergency measures by chartering flights to ship millions of iPhones from India to the US, aiming to mitigate the impact of potential tariffs. The Indian Economic Times wrote:
“The relationship with China, which accounts for nine of the 10 IPHONEs with Apple, has transformed Donald Trump's so-called “liberation day” into a six-day hell for a high-tech company. ”
Despite the rally, Apple faces uphill climbing
Despite efforts to diversify manufacturing in countries such as India and Vietnam, Apple's dependence on China's established ecosystems remains. Restructuring complex supply chains elsewhere can take decades, and fully manufacturing iPhones in the US is not practical due to labor shortages and costs.
The memes circulating on social media are funny, but they speak volumes about the reality that reindustrialization in America doesn't happen overnight.
Trump's critics remain unprotected in their commentary, including Ed Krassenstein, the political commentator and creator of Krassencast.
“It's almost comical at this point. Trump said he literally said he “will not be exempt” from his mutual tariffs, and Maga cheered.
Posted by political commentator Keith Orberman:
“Trump: tariffs are perfect, beautiful, essential, I will not step back. Also, Trump: Here's a 37,498 tariff exemption for businesses that greated me.”
Meanwhile, Crypto Markets responded positively to the news, with Bitcoin reaching $86,000 for the first time since “liberation date” on April 2nd. It may be worth preparing popcorn for the new week. The next round of customs action is about to take off.
When reporting 9:20pm, UTC on April 13, 2025Bitcoin ranks number one in terms of market capitalization, and prices have fallen. 1.04% Over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin's market capitalization is $1.67 trillion, with a 24-hour trading volume of $284.4 billion. Learn more about Bitcoin›
When reporting 9:20pm, UTC on April 13, 2025the Crypto market totals $2.67 trillion, with a 24-hour volume of $74.2 billion. Bitcoin's advantage is currently 62.68%. Crypto Market Details›
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