entropys

Not that I use messenger or Facebook when it comes to that, but no it isn’t a monopoly. Too many people abuse the meaning of that word.

Even a USD$2500 reduction won’t significantly expand the user base for this.  It’s an “on top of” device for someone on a well above average income or still living at their parents’ house,  after a phone and a laptop.  Even at USD$1k.  

Anyway, Apple margins are such there is a lot of room to absorb tariffs. Plus emphasis on subscriptions in recent times.
I don’t think the full cost of any tariff will be fully passed on to consumers.

this places Apple in a stronger position than other computer companies.

sigma902 said:

“My pet hypothesis is that Siri was Scott Forstall’s baby. He pushed for the acquisition of SRI or Siri and lead the integration of it into iOS. After Forstall was fired, nobody wanted it and Apple only did the minimum to keep it going as a feature in their products. There wasn’t anyone in leadership to push it forward.”
  I recall Forstall as being a proponent, as well. However, a year after Apple announced Siri, I attended a talk by the Entrepreneur in Residence at SRI for the project. He related that Steve Jobs called him personally to express interest in Apple acquiring the technology and doing a deal. 

Sure but I suspect Forstall would have been all in for Siri as a Jobs clone.  While the Maps issue was the blame, I reckon certain execs were getting rid of a threat.  

I think it fair to say that the USA has contributed far, far more to the ledger than Western Europe. There are tens of thousands of yank dead in European cemeteries that suggest otherwise. As a distant observer, I would suspect that Europe resents that, as it does resent all uppity former colonies that have done well. But the USA most of all.
my own country just has the general 10% tariff applied, so I reckon we won’t notice it. The risk for us is our massive trade surplus with China (that surplus means China has us by the short and curlies), the reverse situation for China with the USA (which will have China by the short and curlies). If China contracts and stops buying our minerals, well….