Apple airlifted 600 tons of iPhones from India to America ahead of President Trump’s tariff deadline
Apple arranged chartered cargo flights to transport 600 tons of iPhones — equivalent to up to 1.5 million devices — from India to America, escalating production in India to circumvent President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to sources cited by Reuters. This move sheds light on the U.S. smartphone giant’s discreet efforts to adapt to the tariff landscape while ensuring a robust stockpile of its sought-after iPhones in the United States, a key market for the company.
Reuters:
Apple “wanted to beat the tariff,” said one of the sources familiar with the planning.
The company lobbied Indian airport authorities to cut to six hours the time needed to clear customs at the Chennai airport in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, down from 30 hours, the source added.
The so-called “green corridor” arrangement at the airport in the Indian manufacturing hub emulated a model Apple uses at some airports in China, the source said.
About six cargo jets with a capacity of 100 tons each have flown out since March, one of them this week just as new tariffs kicked in, the source and an Indian government official said.
The packaged weight of an iPhone 14 and its charging cable come to about 350 grams (12.35 oz), Reuters measurements show, implying the total cargo of 600 tons comprised about 1.5 million iPhones, after accounting for some packaging weight.
MacDailyNews Take: As we reported on Tuesday, “Apple has reportedly been stocking up on inventory ahead of tariff increases and has enough product already imported into America to weather the tariff negotiations with myriad countries, keeping iPhone prices unchanged for several months.”
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