Apple just pulled off a last-minute move that sounds more like a spy mission than a shipping strategy. In the final week of March, the company flew five full cargo planes loaded with iPhones and other products from India and China to the US in just three days. Why the rush? A new 10% import tariff was set to kick in on April 5, 2025, and that’s because of a policy from the Trump administration. Apple moved fast to dodge the added costs and succeeded. Beating the deadline According to senior Indian officials quoted in ‘The Times of India,’ the shipments were part of a smart workaround. By sending over inventory before the tariff took effect, Apple could avoid paying more to bring its products into the US.
A source told TOI: 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. No price hikes for now Because of this pre-tariff stockpiling, Apple won’t need to raise prices immediately in the US. Their warehouses are now well-stocked with products that were imported at the older, lower tax rate. “The reserves that arrived at lower duty will temporarily insulate the company from the higher prices that it will need to pay for the new shipments,” the source added. This gives Apple some breathing room, at least for the next few months. India’s rising role in Apple’s supply chain India is becoming a big player in Apple’s global plans. Right now, the country manufactures a growing share of iPhones and AirPods—and it’s doing so at a lower cost compared to China. With the new US rules, products from India will face a 26% tariff starting April 9, while those from China will be hit with a much steeper 54%. That’s a 28% difference—one big enough to push Apple to shift even more of its manufacturing to India. Currently, Apple is behind most of India’s $9 billion (Rs 77,319 crore) smartphone exports to the US. What’s next Even though Apple avoided the first hit, the future is still uncertain. The company is now keeping a close eye on tariff changes across the world, trying to protect its supply chain and its customers from sudden price shocks. One thing is clear that Apple is getting creative to stay ahead of global trade rules. And sometimes, that means loading up jumbo jets with iPhones and beating the clock.
