Apple’s fastest-growing division, which includes Apple Watch, AirPods earphones and HomePod speaker, is at risk of being caught up in US President Donald Trump’s latest proposals to slap a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese imports.
Despite the tech group’s iPhones and Mac computers so far being exempt from US tariffs, the devices that make up the bulk of Apple’s multibillion-dollar “other products” unit are exposed to Mr Trump’s looming trade war.
Apple could be forced to raise US prices to compensate for higher duties on the Chinese-made products or take a hit to profit margins.
In a research note last week, analysts at Morgan Stanley pointed to “increasingly heated trade rhetoric between the US and China” as among the “greatest risks” to Apple’s share price in the months leading up to September’s next iPhone.
The potential tariffs form part of the Trump administration’s latest $200bn list of affected product categories. Smart speakers from Apple’s rivals, such as Amazon’s Echo, Google Home and Sonos, could also be hit, as well as Fitbit’s smartwatches.
