Thought Leadership
The Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer is the first major laptop producer to announce concrete price increases for the US market. The reason for this is the import tariffs imposed by the US government on Chinese goods. In an interview with The Telegraph, CEO Jason Chen announced an across-the-board price increase of 10 percent.
“We think 10% probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax.,” said Chen, explaining the decision taken by the company last week. The new prices are to come into effect as early as next month.
Desktop PCs are spared
Interestingly, desktop computers are excluded from the price increase. Chen explained that Acer had already moved the production of these devices out of China during Trump’s first term in office. The company is now considering similar steps for laptop production. Relocating production to the USA is “one of the options”.
Industry reaction still unclear
How other manufacturers will react to the situation remains to be seen. Inquiries from The Verge to Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo initially remained unanswered. Modular laptop manufacturer Framework, on the other hand, has already given the all-clear for its main products: As the laptops and mainboards are manufactured in Taiwan, they are not directly affected by the new tariffs. Only individual modules that are still produced in China could become more expensive.
Market observers assume that other manufacturers will follow Acer’s example. In this context, Chen warned of possible excessive price increases by competitors who could take advantage of the situation.
The development could have far-reaching consequences for the US computer market and possibly lead to an accelerated relocation of production from China.
