Turkey's president calls for boycott of Apple products
Amid rising trade tensions with the United States and local economic catastrophe, Turkey's president has named Apple specifically as a boycott target.
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced that the country will retaliate against U.S. tariffs with a national boycott of electronics products from U.S. companies, Apple included. The move is in retaliation for the U.S. move to raise tariffs on Turkish metal exports, as well as sanctions on a pair of Turkish ministers.
"We will impose a boycott on U.S. electronic products," Ergodan said. "If they have iPhones, there is Samsung on the other side, and we have our own Vestel here."
The move appears, at least for the time being, to have stabilized Turkey's currency, the lira, which has dropped 40 percent this year.
If Turkey follows through with the boycott, it would represent real-world consequences for the Trump Administration's confrontational trade policies, in a way that could serve to hurt an American company. While the administration has reportedly promised Apple that the iPhone itself will not be directly subject to tariffs, Turkey's move shows that Apple could suffer consequences regardless.
it isn't clear how much of Apple's business is in Turkey, nor what volume of sales are realized in the country.
The tension is a notable change from 2016, when Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, openly suggested that Apple should "move to Turkey," in order to escape the European Union and pay lower taxes.
Ergodan has used an iPhone, specifically FaceTime, to call into media outlets in the past.
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced that the country will retaliate against U.S. tariffs with a national boycott of electronics products from U.S. companies, Apple included. The move is in retaliation for the U.S. move to raise tariffs on Turkish metal exports, as well as sanctions on a pair of Turkish ministers.
"We will impose a boycott on U.S. electronic products," Ergodan said. "If they have iPhones, there is Samsung on the other side, and we have our own Vestel here."
The move appears, at least for the time being, to have stabilized Turkey's currency, the lira, which has dropped 40 percent this year.
If Turkey follows through with the boycott, it would represent real-world consequences for the Trump Administration's confrontational trade policies, in a way that could serve to hurt an American company. While the administration has reportedly promised Apple that the iPhone itself will not be directly subject to tariffs, Turkey's move shows that Apple could suffer consequences regardless.
Apple's Turkish presence
Apple has a pair of Apple Stores in Istanbul, and has in recent years made its products and services available in Turkey. CEO Tim Cook has annually marked the holiday of Turkish Children's Day, sharing an Apple Pencil-drawn portrait by a Turkish child on his Twitter account this past April.It's Children's Day in Turkey! Thanks to 13-year-old Ozgun Asya from Istanbul for this colorful self-portrait, created on iPad using Apple Pencil. pic.twitter.com/N5EzH11F1x
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
it isn't clear how much of Apple's business is in Turkey, nor what volume of sales are realized in the country.
The tension is a notable change from 2016, when Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, openly suggested that Apple should "move to Turkey," in order to escape the European Union and pay lower taxes.
Ergodan has used an iPhone, specifically FaceTime, to call into media outlets in the past.
Comments
The fact that schools are war zones is a responsibility of those who vote for local politicians and determine, what is done in those schools. In any free country there will be people on streets that suffer, if that was their choice. You CANT do anything about it for precisely that reason alone.
No, wages are not down, economy is not collapsing and the world is not ending. It is actually the opposite right now.
Stop watching/reading/listening to BS news that fed you that crap, and instead, look at the facts.
What the US is doing is good for the US, no doubt. Long term though, as it leverages the US dollar influence worldwide (sanctions etc.) there is a growing backlash that will shift power to the Yen, Ruble and possibly even the Euro to be the back-end currency in trade and financial transactions and thus have the control and influence. I can't see the real people in power letting that happen.
short sighted yes but from here not there.
More countries will follow suit and Apple as well as other countries who profit from international trade suffer from this. Who knows which country will be next to push back on these policies. Could India be next? Unpredictability is bad for any economy or business.
Turkeys not the only country within the "sphere of Russia's influence" I can think of one much closer, no, not Canada.
There are not many people on the streets of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway and those are free countries. Stop believing that to have freedom some must suffer. A country like the US generate a lot of money the only reason people suffer here is because free people have decided they don't care. Please remember your statement if disaster ever strikes you or your family, make sure to not accept assistance because freedom must include suffering.
But regarding Apple they became a symbol of American power and influence in the world when they reached that $1 Trillion mark. The world’s most valuable company has a giant target on its back now and will be used as a political bargaining chip whenever it suits the situation. Turkey, China, India are not stupid when it comes to using economic threats to remind the U.S. of its limitations. And Apple is a sitting duck right now.