iPhone 17 launch: Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17, its first major launch since Donald Trump’s return to the White House and renewed tariffs on overseas manufacturing. With iPhones still produced in China and India, analysts predict prices may rise by 50–100 per cent to offset 25 perc duties. Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Pic/File Pic
Apple on Tuesday is most likely to unveil the next line-up of iPhones amid a global trade war that has added a potential price increase to the usual intrigue surrounding the annual evolution of the company's marquee product.
As reported by news agency AP, the new iPhones will be the first to be released since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and unleashed a barrage of tariffs. While Donald Trump’s administration says it is an attempt to bring overseas manufacturing back to the US, it is probably a crusade that has thrust Apple CEO Tim Cook into the hot seat.
If Apple follows the same naming scheme since the product's 2007 debut, the new models will be called the iPhone 17.
However, to put a twist in the tale, the Cupertino, California-based company recently deviated from tradition with its naming formula for the iPhone operating system. When the next version of its iOS system was previewed at its developers' conference in June, Apple revealed the free update will be called iOS 26, in reference to the upcoming year — a marketing technique that automakers have embraced for decades.
Regardless of the global turmoil, these new iPhones are still expected to be made in Apple’s manufacturing hubs in China and India, much to the Trump administration’s consternation.
Considering the fact that both Donald Trump and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have repeatedly insisted that iPhones be made in the US instead of overseas, this seems to be a very unrealistic demand that analysts say would take years to pull off and would result in a doubling of costs.
While the iPhone’s current average price is about USD 1,000, Trump’s admiration towards the tech giants might make the iPhones a lot more costly in the coming years.
On the contrary, Apple CEO Tim Cook tried to placate Trump by initially pledging that Apple would invest USD 500 billion in the US over the next four years. He then upped the ante last month by adding another USD 100 billion to the commitment. To ensure that Apple’s good ties with Trump’s government stay intact, Tim Cook even gifted Donald Trump a statue featuring a 24-karat gold base.
The kind of diplomacy that the US tech giant has been doing seems to insulate Apple from Trump’s most severe tariffs.
However, the iPhones being brought into the US still face duties of about 25 per cent, stoking speculation that the company will reveal its first across-the-board price increase in five years in an effort to preserve its hefty profit margins, reported AP.
Keeping in mind that Apple has charged USD 800 for its basic iPhone and USD 1,200 for its top offering since 2020, analysts now believe that the company may raise prices by USD 50 to USD 100 on some of the new models.
If Apple does announce price increases, it will come just weeks after Google held steady on prices for its new Pixel smartphones.
(With inputs from AP)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
