Apple’s Tim Cook cautions Donald Trump over China tariffs
US president Donald Trump said that he has spoken with Apple chief executive Tim Cook about the impact of US tariffs on Chinese imports and that Cook “made a good case” that tariffs could hurt Apple.
According to Trump, the pair spoke about competition between Apple and South Korean rival Samsung, with Cook arguing that tariffs would be detrimental to his company as Samsung products would not face the same levies.
“I thought he made a very compelling argument, so I’m thinking about it,” Trump told reporters.
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Tariffs on $300bn (£247bn) of Chinese goods, including consumer electronics, are set to be implemented in two stages on 1 September and 15 December. The US and South Korea struck a trade deal in September.
Apple products including Airpods, Apple Watches, and Homepods will be subject to tariffs from 1 September, while its Macbooks and iPhones will face the levies from 15 December.
City PM has contacted Apple for comment.