Summary

  • Supply chain disruptions, brought on by Donald Trump’s trade wars, have led to an increase in the price of consumer electronics such as mobile phones and computers.
  • Tariffs on imported Chinese goods, including laptops and iPhones, range between 10% and 25%, and with many companies now having to fork out for additional shipping costs due to delays, prices are being forced up.
  • Just-in-time manufacturing, used by companies such as Apple for its products, leaves no room for delay or error in the supply chain, meaning that even small disruptions can wreak havoc.
  • Shortages of products, especially CPU chips, are now beginning to appear as a result of these problems, with Apple’s new iPhone 13 shipments to carriers in the US now being delayed by approximately one month.
  • Consumers are being urged to fix broken phones and other devices where possible, rather than shelling out for a new one.

By Elizabeth Lopatto

Original Article