Apple's Q3 Sales Boosted by Consumers Scrambling to Beat Tariff Price Hikes

Apple customers afraid of massive price hikes because of tariffs helped Apple's device sales during the fiscal third quarter of 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook said today.

iphone 16 apple intelligence
Speaking to Reuters, Cook said that approximately one percentage point of Apple's 10 percent sales growth in Q3 2025 can be attributed to customers buying more products to get ahead of tariffs.

"We saw evidence in the early part of the quarter, specifically, of some pull-ahead related to the tariff announcements," Cook said.

When U.S. President Donald Trump first announced tariffs in April, there were reports suggesting that iPhone prices could increase significantly as a result, going as high as $2,300. Customers who were worried about higher prices opted to make a purchase before the tariffs went into effect.

Cook said that Apple incurred $800 million in tariff related costs in the June quarter, and it expects $1.1 billion in tariff costs in the September quarter if the current tariffs do not change and if no new tariffs are added.

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
LG UltraFine 6K Display TB5

LG UltraFine 6K (32U990A) TB5 Display: Pre-Orders Open September 30

Monday September 29, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Pre-orders for LG's new UltraFine evo 6K display (model 32U990A) with Thunderbolt 5 support will begin on September 30, according to a major U.S. retailer listing. LG first revealed the 32-inch display at CES 2025 in January, teasing its status as the first monitor to support Thunderbolt 5. At the time, LG only provided high-level specs, but left pricing, availability, and full technical...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent 1

Samsung Confirms Plan to Make Foldable Displays for Major American Company

Monday September 29, 2025 6:54 am PDT by
Samsung Display president Lee Cheong has confirmed plans to make foldable smartphone displays for a major American company, which is widely believed to be Apple. As reported in Chosun Biz, Cheong last week told journalists in Seoul that the company is accelerating preparations for mass production of OLED displays designed for foldable smartphones to be supplied to a "North American client."...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 Rumors: Everything We Know So Far

Monday September 29, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is likely to arrive next year, so here's what to expect. The current iPad mini came out in 2024, with the main upgrade over the previous version being the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence support. The previous generation introduced a complete redesign and the A15 Bionic chip. In August, Apple mistakenly shared code that revealed key information about ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...

Top Rated Comments

Justin Cymbal Avatar
9 weeks ago
And Apple ? planned accordingly as well:

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/09/apple-airlifted-premium-devices-to-us/
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
9 weeks ago
Expected this to happen. Due to the fear of tariffs, many would have decided to upgrade their devices earlier than usual. Whatever the reasons, it was a very good quarter for Apple.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spicynujac Avatar
8 weeks ago

Misleading title. Since growth was 10% and this accounted for 1 point, it means 90% of the increase was NOT consumers “scrambling to beat tariffs.”
10% of Apple's increase in sales was due to external government factors. What is misleading about that? Apple's sales *were* boosted (albeit temporarily) by buyers worried about future price increases. The flip side to this is that sales will likely be slightly lower in future quarters than they would have otherwise been, as consumers accelerated their purchases, much as an aggressive end of month sale at the mall can generate large sales volume at the expense of sales the following weeks.

This isn't just happening with phones, by the way, it's happening across the board with electronics, clothing, and even household goods (think anything sold in a Dollar Tree). TV sales have increased rapidly. If you are considering buying a TV, phone, or appliance, why not lock in the current price today instead of paying 20% more for it in 6 months?


This seems like low information speculation about politics.
Do you have some reason to believe tariffs affected sales by more than, or less than 10%? Tim Cook is the one directly quoted in the article. If you know more than he does about what caused a change in Apple's sales, please provide the evidence, otherwise it is unbased speculation.


Seems like a political article with a sales number attached to it.
Governmental and regulatory concerns are part of corporate operations, and firms as large as Apple have entire divisions allocated to this area.

Are you suggesting Apple should ignore government policy? Or are you saying consumers are wrong for accelerating their purchases because of the uncertainty of future tariffs on prices? Either way, regardless of what you "wish" for, consumers accelerated some purchases to avoid tariffs, and Apple took steps to avoid them as well, as posted above by @Justin Cymbal . Looks like smart economic practice on both parts.

I'm curious what people who are critical of this think consumers should do, when faced with the possibility of a new tax of up to 25% on imports? Wait and pay hundreds more once the tariffs kick in? Saving money is now bad somehow? Really scratching my head on this one.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)