Tim Cook initially held multiple talks with the president in an effort to have Apple exempted from these tariffs. The company also flew in iPhone inventory Stateside so that it could delay the impacts of tariffs for as long as possible. Lastly Apple is moving production from China entirely for any products that have to be imported into the U.S.
But all of this hasn’t quelled investors’ fears about the future, as evidenced by the fluctuating stock market, and Cook is in for a stressful earnings call.
Tim Cook will have to repeatedly answer questions about the impacts of tariffs on the company’s business and also have to reassure investors that Apple has everything under control. Concerns about the supply chain will also be raised and for good reason: Tim Cook is anxious as iPhone 17 inventory is running into problems.
Supply chain shortages are impacting the iPhone 17. Apple wants to move all iPhone 17 models to 12 GB of RAM this year but the aforementioned shortages may force the company to keep the base model iPhone 17 at 8 GB of RAM. It doesn’t help that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models are going for a redesign as the company works on a new model called the iPhone 17 Air.
It’s been a stressful few months for Cook and this earnings call will likely only elevate that stress. Hopefully all of these problems can be put to rest soon and there will be a fixed tariff agreement.
