You've probably heard a thing or two about the ongoing tariff situation. You might know the Trump administration has been imposing tariffs on countries around the world since February. What started as a 10% tariff on China, for example, has multiplied more than tenfold. Other countries have had tariffs threatened, imposed, then paused, all seemingly at random. It's chaotic, and it's having real-world implications on the stock market, businesses, and consumers.
Here's the thing: No one knows exactly what's going to happen here. No one even know which tariffs are here to stay, and which are up for discussion: As I was writing this piece, Trump announced a 90-day pause on nearly all the reciprocal tariffs he imposed across the globe—save for China, which he raised from 104% to 125%. That said, the blanket 10% tariffs are still in effect here.
While the drastic tariffs are off the table for most countries for now, most of the U.S.'s trading partners are still dealing with tariffs of some kind—including, of course, China. That means that companies may pass on the costs of these tariffs to consumers, whether it's because of a 10% tariff, or 125%.
Of course, that assumes a company like Apple passes along every cent of the tariff to consumers. This is where things continue to get messy: There's no predicting how companies will respond to these tariffs until they act. In fact, instead of raising prices, some companies are pausing sales in the U.S. altogether.
You probably don't need to buy something new
Reading the above, it might seem like now's the time to buy something brand new. It's always temping to buy the latest and greatest tech on the market—especially when that tech could skyrocket in price at any given moment. But in all likelihood, you don't actually have to buy a new device right now.
Even if your tech is on the older side, there are things you can do to boost its longevity. For example, if you've had your smartphone for a while, and it's slowing down while lasting fewer hours on a single charge, replace the battery. A fresh battery can obviously boost overall battery life, but it can also improve performance, since some smartphones slow down their processors to compensate for aging batteries. Win-win. Another quick tip? Mind your storage: Maxing out the internal storage of any device can cause issues, so make sure you're giving your device's internal drive some room to work with.
However, the other side of the coin here is when you really do need to buy something new. Maybe you smashed your smartphone, or your laptop kicked the bucket, and a new device is the best solution. Or, maybe you just want a new device, and you're trying to figure out the best way to buy it with the threat of price increases on the horizon. Before you go to the store and buy the newest device, however, I strongly encourage you to consider a new device that isn't so new.
Smartphones really are a good example of this new age of technology longevity. Companies like Samsung and Google used to support their smartphones for only a few years at a time. Now, both guarantee software updates for seven years. While Apple never offers any official guarantees for how long it will support any given iPhone, the company tends to support its devices for many years as well. The iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, for example, are over six years old, but still run the latest versions of iOS. That's not to say you should pick up an iPhone XR and expect the same experience as an iPhone 16; rather, these devices last a lot longer than they used to.
These devices are going to be cheaper than the new devices are now, but tariffs could affect their prices, too. If the latest tech skyrockets in price, the older or used models may become more valuable, and their prices could inflate. Still, a laptop from last year sitting in an Amazon warehouse has already passed through customs, and will not be directly affected by increased tariffs on any country.
Sometimes, new is best
New tech is also, well, new: You don't have to do the mental math to think about how long it might be supported based on its original release date, nor do you need to worry about compatibility issues. If you were considering buying secondhand, there are zero concerns about whether the previous owner wrecked something the reseller overlooked (or neglected to mention). It's the latest thing the company offers—bells, whistles, and all.
In fact, as great as Apple's M-series line is, I do recommend the latest M4 MacBook Air for most people. The $999 price tag for the latest hardware (and 16GB of RAM) makes it a fantastic value, enough so that I'd usually suggest it over an M2 or M3 Air. That said, Apple could easily raise the price of the MacBook Air due to tariffs. If so, poof! There's goes that great value.
Should you rush to buy something new? Probably not
That's how I think you should approach this current tariff situation. These devices may get more expensive—but you shouldn't spend money on things you don't need for the sake of beating that inflation. Buy it if you need it, wait if you don't. If the price jumps, consider an older model instead. You'll get a great deal, and you can upgrade your tech when you actually need to.
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