Such a big manufacturing shift is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
The Trump administration thinks that Apple Inc. can and should move its global manufacturing infrastructure of the iPhone to the U.S. - but analysts are doubtful the company could consider such an undertaking in the near term.
Earlier on Tuesday, the White House confirmed that tariffs of 104% on goods imported from China will go into effect on Wednesday, fueling another stock-market spiral. Shares of Apple, which still makes a large number of iPhones in China, fell nearly 5%, and Wall Street analysts have been best-guessing in recent days just how much the price of iPhones could rise.
But some analysts do not think it is a good idea to try to force the company into a massive reset of its entire manufacturing strategy. Since the pandemic, when the global supply chain became a major problem, Apple has been gradually diversifying its manufacturing away from China and now makes some iPhones in India. It also makes some products in Vietnam.
But even with more diversification, nearly every part inside the iPhone is still made outside the U.S. Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst, said in a note earlier Tuesday that, under the administration's scheme of using astronomical tariffs to try to force companies to move manufacturing back to the U.S., an iPhone would likely cost about $3,500 if it were made in the U.S., versus $1,000 today.
"If U.S. tech companies are faced with this reality, it will negatively change the tech landscape for decades to come," Ives wrote.
"To change your manufacturing footprint and supply-chain setup is excruciatingly expensive and takes a long time," said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee, who covers Apple, though not specifically the supply chain. "It's not something you want to take action on unless you think it is absolutely the right thing to do."
Later Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on the administration's point of view when asked about whether the manufacturing of iPhones should move back to the U.S. under the administration's protectionist policies.
"Absolutely. [Trump] believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it," said Leavitt. "And as you know, Apple has invested $500 billion here in the United States. So if Apple didn't think the United States could do it, they probably wouldn't have put up that big chunk of change."
But it is a misnomer to state that Apple's widely touted commitment to invest $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years is all about manufacturing. Indeed, those funds include investing in one manufacturing plant to build AI-tuned servers in Texas. It is also going to double its "U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund" to $10 billion, create an academy in Michigan focused on next-generation manufacturing and ramp up its silicon engineering and production.
The rest of those funds, according to Apple's press release, will cover direct employment in the U.S., its ongoing spending on building out its own data centers and other infrastructure for AI, and spending on Apple TV+ productions in 20 states across the U.S.
Apple officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gil Luria, a D.A. Davidson analyst, believes that Apple could shift some manufacturing to the U.S., but that it would take between five to 10 years. "With a five- to 10-year time frame, it is very possible that Apple could make some of its products in the U.S., and do so at only incrementally more expensive price points," Luria said in an email. "The gap between the U.S. and China in manufacturing is now more of a skill gap than a cost gap."
Luria said if the U.S. builds more specific skill sets here and shifts more of its manufacturing to automation, it could replicate many of the capabilities that currently reside in China and Taiwan. "The advances in robotics in themselves promise significant gains over the next few years," he added.
For now, though, Apple has to deal with the ramifications of tariffs and look at ways to appease the Trump administration.
"If I were in their shoes, and I am not a supply-chain expert, but I would look at where I could do the least amount of harm to my business model and accommodate some sort of shift to the U.S., so they can say, 'Look at what we have done,'" Chatterjee said.
He added that the constant change in the administration's tariff policy is not providing any sense of stability for any chief executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"Tim Cook is likely thinking, 'Before this administration, for seven decades of government in the U.S., no matter what the political stripe ... no one has gone over-the-top protectionist like this. Why should I believe that this indeed will prevail?'"
Late last week, the news of Trump's tariffs sent U.S. markets into a massive tailspin. Again on Tuesday, news of the latest tariffs on China reversed market gains earlier in the day. In general, Apple is expected to be among the worst hit in the consumer-electronics industry, but PC makers are also expected to have to raise prices due to anticipated tariffs.
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