The Trump Administration announced last week that it would be placing a 10% tariff on imports from China. Tech companies that have business in China are likely to pass on the tax to their customer.

The news discusses how companies like Apple are going to be hit by the tariffs. But it is disingenuous to think that Windows’ products and other electronics won’t be affected too! Get ready for your phones, printers, scanners, and computers to start costing more soon!

The U.S. tech manufacture industries have their production pretty much based overseas. Granted, they are all not based solely in China. But there is a good chunk of production there. Even if the U.S.-based companies have some production here, it would not be surprising if some of their components are made overseas - that includes China.

The U.S. tech companies that have contracts with Chinese-based companies won’t be able to break a contract and start production in another country. Not only are there legal issues, but there are also technical requirements that a manufacturer has to meet in order to “produce” the product. The latter, let alone the former, can’t and won’t happen overnight.

Now maybe the right time to make those necessary electronic purchases before the tariff price hikes take effect?! What do you think?