Swift Go 16 AI
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
Acer has become the first laptop manufacturer to announce that it is increasing laptop prices in the United States due to President Donald Trump’s economic tariffs. Company CEO and chairman Jason Chen told The Telegraph that costs could go up by 10%.
Also: The best laptops under $1,000 you can buy
If you’re unfamiliar with the situation, President Trump imposed multiple tariffs on various countries in early February, including a 10% tariff on all imports from China. Electronic products and machinery make up half of China’s exports to the US, totaling around $207 billion. In fact, 80% of all laptops imported into the nation are made in China, according to the Telegraph.
The price hike will not happen immediately, nor will it apply to Acer laptops that arrived in the United States last month. Instead, the increase will begin taking effect in March once a new wave of products hits retail channels.
Let’s look at the company’s catalog to put this into perspective. Acer’s Swift 14 AI<!–> currently sells for about $1,300, though it’s currently on sale. If a new model with a similar price point is released, that laptop will cost roughly $1,430 with the tariff increase. Acer could possibly charge nearly $3,500 for a gaming laptop.
Jason Chen has said he is considering “shifting manufacturing out of China,” possibly to the United States, to avoid charging more. That could align with President Trump’s goal of moving electronic manufacturing to the US and bolstering the nation’s economy by bringing in new jobs. However, nothing is set in stone at the moment. And even if it is, moving an entire production line to another country is no walk in the park. It’ll take a long time, and consumers are stuck with the bill.
Other laptop companies may follow suit. Asus and Dell could take a page from Acer’s playbook and begin charging more, but this remains unknown. It’s important to mention that when Donald Trump was elected last November, Microsoft, HP, and Dell ordered suppliers to speed up production ahead of the tariffs.
Also: This 16-inch Dell Inspiron is one of the most versatile laptops I’ve tested (and it’s still $400 off)
According to a report from Wccftech, the three tech giants started “stockpiling components to prevent paying additional costs”. Microsoft apparently told suppliers to “move out of nations that will receive the tariff imposition.” If they managed to store enough resources, other laptop brands may be able to stave off price increases while supplies last.
I contacted Lenovo, Asus, Dell, and HP to ask if they plan to implement their own price hikes. I also reached out to Acer requesting more infomation and to ask if the increase will apply to non-laptop products like monitors. I haven’t heard back at the time of this writing, but I will update this story if they respond.
Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
