Donald Trump’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination rumbles on, and he has made an announcement that could impact the price of the Apple iPhone 8.
The outlandish Trump is currently the frontrunner, which defies belief when you analyze some of his public pronouncements and policies. It must be said that there have been unconventional candidates before, but they have tended to fall away before we reach this stage of the race, reports CNET.
Trump promises to make Apple manufacture its products in the U.S.
Among the strangest things about Trump is that he cannot be accused of being insane, or even stupid. You don’t usually expect to hear such unrealistic ideas being trumpeted by an intelligent man.
One example here is Trump’s claim that he would make Apple return its manufacturing to the United States. Or, as the man himself so delicately put it, build its “damn computers and things in this country.”
What would happen to the price of the iPhone 8 if Trump did implement such a policy upon his election?
U.S.-made iPhone 8 would cost more than double current list price
If the iPhone 8 is released according to Apple’s usual schedule, it will launch late summer or early fall 2018. The iPhone 7 will have been released before a potential Trump presidency, so he will have to make sure Apple has the necessary facilities in place for the iPhone 8.
Even getting these manufacturing facilities online will have created tens of thousands jobs, so Trump will have partially accomplished one of his goals. Now how much would it cost to build the iPhone 8 in these facilities?
According to sources cited by CNET, who performed some very loose calculations, a U.S.-made iPhone 8 would cost consumers around $1,300. That is double what U.S. consumers pay today.
However that estimate is distinctly conservative, and is based on factory laborers putting in eight hour shifts, five days a week for minimum wage. There is also no consideration for the extra costs associated with running manufacturing facilities in the U.S. compared to China.
Another consideration is the fact that Apple’s Chinese workers put in shifts of longer than 8 hours. And the fact that materials would have to be shipped to the U.S. rather than China or Brazil, in addition to plenty of other factors.
The conclusion is that Trump’s U.S.-made iPhone 8 would be priced beyond the reach of the majority of consumers. If we were to start doing similar calculations for the iMac and the MacBook, prices would reach astronomical levels.
Tech fans must be hoping that Trump doesn’t become the next president of the United States.
