Overview
- Peter Navarro branded Apple’s six-year effort to move iPhone production out of China “the longest-running soap opera in Silicon Valley” and called it “inconceivable” that assembly remained offshore.
- The White House pushed back a threatened 25% tariff on non-U.S.-made iPhones to August 1, extending leverage over Apple’s manufacturing decisions.
- Apple has accelerated iPhone output in India as a hedge against potential U.S. tariffs and to diversify its supply chain.
- In February, Apple pledged $500 billion for U.S. investments, including AI server assembly, but large-scale iPhone factory development is not yet under way.
- Supply chain analysts warn that fully relocating iPhone assembly to the U.S. could take years and might triple per-unit costs, highlighting economic barriers to reshoring.