Apple flew "five planeloads" of iPhones from India to to beat US Tariff Deadline: Report

In a swift move to mitigate the impact of newly imposed US tariffs, Apple shipped five planeloads of iPhones and other products from India to the United States over just three days in the final week of March, senior Indian officials confirmed to The Times of India. The expedited shipments were made ahead of a 10% reciprocal tariff introduced by the Trump administration, which took effect on 5 April.

According to TOI, Apple sought to cushion the financial blow of the new duties by rapidly moving inventory from its manufacturing hubs in India and China, despite this typically being a lean season for product movement. "Factories in India and China and other key locations had been shipping products to the US in anticipation of the higher tariffs coming into play," a source told the publication.

The pre-tariff stockpiling has enabled Apple to keep retail prices stable for now. "The reserves that arrived at lower duty will temporarily insulate the company from the higher prices that it will need to pay for the new shipments under the revised tax rates," the source added. US warehouses are said to be well-stocked for the next few months.

Despite the cost pressures, Apple reportedly has no immediate plans to raise retail prices either in India or globally. However, the company is still assessing the long-term implications of the tariffs on its global supply chain. However, people in USA have already started stockpiling iPhones, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported. He noted that Apple Store employees have been "slammed" as people are "panic-buying" iPhones ahead of an anticipated price hike.

The United States remains a vital market for Apple, particularly for iPhones, and the company is reportedly considering internal cost absorption rather than passing the increase on to consumers, at least for now. The evolving tariff structure may also prompt Apple to re-evaluate its manufacturing footprint. India, which currently faces a 26% reciprocal tariff compared to up to 54% on Chinese goods, could play a larger role in Apple's production strategy. Apple already represents the lion’s share of India’s nearly $9 billion in smartphone exports to the US.