In a swift move to beat the impact of newly imposed US tariffs, Apple shipped five planeloads of iPhones and other products from India to the United States over a span of just three days in the final week of March, senior Indian officials told The Times of India.
The last-minute shipments came ahead of a 10% reciprocal tariff by the Trump administration that took effect on April 5. Apple, aiming to cushion the impact of this new duty, expedited inventory from its manufacturing bases in India and China—even during what is typically a lean season for shipments.
“Factories in India and China and other key locations had been shipping products to the US in anticipation of the higher tariffs coming into play,” a source said.
Despite the additional costs, Apple reportedly has no immediate plans to raise retail prices in India or globally. The pre-tariff stockpiling has enabled the company to maintain steady pricing for now, with US warehouses said to be well-stocked for the next few months.
“This reserve that arrived at lower duty will temporarily insulate the company from the higher prices that it will need to pay for the new shipments under the revised tax rates,” the source added.
According to another report by TOI, Apple is still assessing the long-term impact of the new tariffs on its global supply chain. A price revision—if any—would likely be implemented globally and not restricted to just the US market.
With the US continuing to be a critical market for Apple, the tech giant is reportedly exploring options to absorb the cost hikes internally, rather than passing them on to consumers—at least for now.