Buy That New Phone Now

The tariff apocalypse is upon us. Should you buy an iPad?

Some people, it seems, have answered with a resounding yes. Bloomberg reported yesterday that at some Apple stores, “the atmosphere was like the busy holiday season.” Fearing that the price of electronics will increase as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, people are rushing to purchase stuff. If the economy must collapse, at least let it do so after you have obtained a new tablet for $599 plus tax.

The panic-buying is a little funny. First, because if we are on the eve of a global recession, we have bigger things to worry about than new gizmos. Second, because we are still in the haze of a Trump pseudo-reality. The major tariffs will not hit until tomorrow, assuming there isn’t some unexpected reversal in the next several hours, and no one knows for certain how any of this will shake out.

Apple, in particular, is a good case study for the moment. Consumer electronics—and especially smartphones—illustrate perfectly the gulf between the president’s America-first agenda and the ...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]