Can iPhones be manufactured in the US? Trump’s suggestion and reality
US President Donald Trump firmly believes that the United States has the labour and resources necessary to manufacture Apple products such as iPhones domestically. This belief stems in part from Apple’s recent $500 billion investment in chip fabrication and data centres.
Trump, who plans to impose significant tariffs on China and other countries starting 9 April has suggested that companies like Apple could circumvent these tariffs by moving their manufacturing operations to the United States.
However, experts argue that moving Apple’s complex global supply chain to the US is highly impractical. The enormous costs involved, combined with the difficulty of finding sufficient skilled labour in the US, present insurmountable obstacles.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously explained that iPhones are assembled in China because of the country’s advanced manufacturing expertise, particularly in specialised tooling and precision engineering. While some may think that low labor costs drive companies to China, Cook emphasises the abundance of highly skilled skilled trade talent available there.
Despite these realities, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick aligned himself with Trump’s sentiment by suggesting that the assembly of iPhones could easily be moved to America. This position ignores the complex nature of Apple’s global supply chain, which relies on parts from more than 50 countries, according to a publicly available list of suppliers.
In the meantime Apple has been managing its iPhone inventory. According to a report from the Times of India Apple flew in five cargo planes of smartphones earlier this week.
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