Apple again asks for Apple Watch, Mac Pro tariff exemptions

AppleInsider

Apple has filed eight public requests for temporary waivers on tariffs affecting both the Apple Watch and specific Mac Pro components.

Apple Watch Series 7 with the Contour watch face

As well as joining 3,700 US firms in a lawsuit against Trump administration tariffs, Apple has now publicly filed eight separate requests for waivers.

First spotted by CNBC, the requests are listed on the US Trade Representative's website. The USTR has invited comments on "the possible reinstatement of previously extended exclusions," and Apple's responses are among 2,024 received so far.

Apple's filings include broad topics such as graphics processing modules, and Afterburner or PCI-E graphics. But it also specifies mouse, trackpad, and Apple Watch tariffs.

"This exclusion is needed for a U.S.-designed smartwatch that is widely used by consumers for mobile connectivity and health applications," says one of Apple's filings. "This exclusion covers a complex consumer electronics device that is manufactured to specification at individually-qualified facilities. It is not currently available from sources in the United States."

According to CNBC, USTR is considering reinstating exclusions to certain tariffs on a case-by-case basis. This could lead to the end of the 7.5% tariff currently applied to Apple Watch, and 25% tariffs on Mac components.

In 2019, Apple filed similar requests for exclusion, but was denied.

Read on AppleInsider

georgebmac

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

elijahg

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

georgebmac

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

elijahg

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

Except China isn't free market capitalism. It's manipulated and subsidised to maximise profit, influence and power of the CCP. The reason China is competitive is low wages, artificially manipulated Chinese yuan, little better than forced labour, zero health and safety and zero environmental concern. But of course you'll deny all this because you're a Chinese shill.

georgebmac

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

Except China isn't free market capitalism. It's manipulated and subsidised to maximise profit, influence and power of the CCP. The reason China is competitive is low wages, artificially manipulated Chinese yuan, little better than forced labour, zero health and safety and zero environmental concern. But of course you'll deny all this because you're a Chinese shill.

LOL.. No, I deny it because it's just ChinaHater propaganda.  Just more "alternative facts".

edited December 2021

elijahg

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

Except China isn't free market capitalism. It's manipulated and subsidised to maximise profit, influence and power of the CCP. The reason China is competitive is low wages, artificially manipulated Chinese yuan, little better than forced labour, zero health and safety and zero environmental concern. But of course you'll deny all this because you're a Chinese shill.

LOL.. No, I deny it because it's just ChinaHater propaganda.  Just more "alternative facts".

Your own facts are the alternative ones. Despite copious amounts of independent evidence you refuse to believe a single negative fact about the CCP. Not one.

waveparticle

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

Except China isn't free market capitalism. It's manipulated and subsidised to maximise profit, influence and power of the CCP. The reason China is competitive is low wages, artificially manipulated Chinese yuan, little better than forced labour, zero health and safety and zero environmental concern. But of course you'll deny all this because you're a Chinese shill.

LOL.. No, I deny it because it's just ChinaHater propaganda.  Just more "alternative facts".

Your own facts are the alternative ones. Despite copious amounts of independent evidence you refuse to believe a single negative fact about the CCP. Not one.

No, every time CCP makes announcement or action, you use alternative fact to distort it. 

georgebmac

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

elijahg said:

GeorgeBMac said:

If tariffs are used for anything more than to block dumping they are simply a tax on the American people and bound to result in one-up-manship and fail anyway. 

Just return to sanity instead of childish, playground bully tactics.

It's to force companies to consider manufacturing/sourcing at home, where pay/worker rights/work/life balance is much fairer than that in China. The problem is supply chains have been dismantled in the west in favour of China, and it needs a lot of incentive (i.e. tariffs) for them to be rebuilt.

We tried that back in the 80's as Japan was dismantling our electronics, steel and auto industries.   It failed.

And, it's failing this time too -- despite the regurgitation of old, left over excuses and chest thumping.

Globally we live in a free market capitalism world and industry will always gravitate to those who do it best.  The U.S. has made itself uncompetitive.  Rebuilding our decimated and out of date infrastructure will help restore us to competitiveness -- but that's just one of multiple pieces that need addressed.

Except China isn't free market capitalism. It's manipulated and subsidised to maximise profit, influence and power of the CCP. The reason China is competitive is low wages, artificially manipulated Chinese yuan, little better than forced labour, zero health and safety and zero environmental concern. But of course you'll deny all this because you're a Chinese shill.

LOL.. No, I deny it because it's just ChinaHater propaganda.  Just more "alternative facts".

Your own facts are the alternative ones. Despite copious amounts of independent evidence you refuse to believe a single negative fact about the CCP. Not one.

That's true.   I stick to reality.

Speaking of which, China claims that our democracy is badly broken and that the Chinese people have more of a say than do the American people:

"American democracy, as a representative of Western democracy, has shown serious inefficiency after more than 200 years of over-consumption. It cannot provide motivation for resolving even the most prominent problems in the US. It has almost become a hollow framework, habitually holding rounds of elections. Elections themselves have become the sole feature of its democracy, and winning the election has become the overwhelming goal of political parties and politicians. With US society is being torn apart, it is increasingly politically uneconomical to work on solving problems. It is proven to be a "smarter" way to pretend to solve the problem and then blame political opponents for being unable to resolve issues, and to defraud the trust of voters.

The American people will be valued by politicians as the object of persuasion, only when they are "voters." But after each election, they cannot continuously supervise the winning side. Generally, the US and West are relatively "small governments," and governments do not bear unlimited moral responsibility for people's livelihood. Even if the COVID-19 pandemic led to more than 700,000 deaths in the US, the federal government does not need to take the responsibility. Instead, the president can shirk responsibility onto ordinary people who do not get vaccinated or refuse to wear masks.

In the US, there is a very strong intermediary force between the government and the people: capital. Capital can not only strongly influence government's decision-making, but is also the dominant force in guiding social relations. It is the real immutable force in the US' democratic power distribution.

In the beginning, US-style democracy was democracy for slave owners and a minority of societal elites, then, it gradually expanded to "one person, one vote." However, as the social interest pattern has been divided up and polarized, ordinary people are unable to convert their votes into a means to protect their actual interests. The government for them is an abstract concept in real life. Congressmen and senators are obsessed with quarreling and garnering attention."

But, they do not entirely dismiss our claims to having the best form of government:
"We don't think the Western-style democratic system is without merit . For example, the rule of law holds high authority in many Western countries and the societies have been firmly accustomed to solving specific disputes through judicial channels."

(But, on the other hand, I wonder if they have noticed our Supreme Court that's been politically stacked to do the bidding of the American Taliban.)

I have to wonder how much of the "We hate China" mantra is simply a means of distracting the American people from our own failings.  In any case, I think we should be focusing on fixing the many problems we have here rather than fixing those perceived problems of other countries.  

...  We might start by figuring out how kids can go to school without being either infected or shot.

At the same time, China touts its own version of democracy:

edited December 2021