US President Donald Trump is once again playing with the customs hammer – and this time targeting German car manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. Trump has now made his threat come true and imposed a 25 percent punitive tariff. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already switched with an unconventional proposal after the first threats – does a fee for iPhone updates really come?
Last week, the politician said at a European conference in Berlin: “If others, like this day, put 25 percent in the room, then we can put our entire toolbox in the room.” It continues: “How often do we update our iPhone? So, ten cents on it – that would bring a lot of money for Europe, perhaps not so much like others.”
Implementation thanks to the EU
She pointed out that EU laws could provide opportunities for such measures: “We have the Digital Services Act (DSA), and that is powerful.” These are “actually a reaction to another big world power,” but they could just as well be applied to the digital offerings of the US.
Whether this proposal is serious about remains questionable – there is much suggest that this is a rhetorical signal. An update fee would bring significant challenges. Apple may be going to shift the costs to EU citizens. Moreover, it remains unclear whether such a regulation would apply to Android – because Google is also a US company.
Further episodes
With such a fee, consequences would also be conceivable for European consumers: manufacturers would possibly release updates less often, and important security patches could be delayed. Such a measure would also raise many legal and technical issues and would be difficult to implement in practice, not to mention the diplomatic effects. Maybe the idea of spending on iPhone updates will never become a reality.
Many are already looking for European alternatives to American products – we have put together a list of 100 suitable options for you.
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