Technologies

Will the iPhone Really Cost More Than $3K After Trump’s Tariffs Start Tomorrow?

The White House says a 104% tariff on China will start Wednesday. But experts advise against panic-buying if it puts you in debt.

Amid an escalating trade war between President Trump and China, expect to pay more for your next iPhone or Apple product — a lot more, experts say.

«Trump is playing hardball with China, which is unsettling on many levels,» Patti Brennan, certified financial planner and CEO of Key Financial, said in an email. «As for Apple, expect the prices to double for their products.»

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Trump announced yesterday an additional 50% tariff on goods imported from China, which would raise the total tariff rate on that country to 104%. The tariffs will go into effect starting Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing today.

In addition to imposing tariffs on goods from nearly 200 countries, Trump announced last week that he was adding a 34% tariff to goods from China, where Apple produces most of its products. Trump has already increased tariff rates on China by 20% since February.

If the price of Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro Max went up 104%, it could increase from $1,599 to more than $3,200.

But it’s unclear exactly how much of an impact the tariffs will actually have on prices. If rising prices cause demand to plummet, experts noted that Apple and other producers could reduce their prices to stay competitive.

Others say Apple could absorb more costs early on to stay competitive with the rest of the tech market.

«The tariffs could increase Apple product prices by about 10% in the coming months, which could lead to price increases of $50 to $150 on higher-end products like the iPhone Pro Max models and MacBook Pros,» Stephan Shipe, a certified financial planner and CEO of Scholar Financial Advising, said in an email last week.

Best Buy and Target warned consumers last month to expect higher prices for everything, after the latest round of tariffs went into effect. February’s tariff hike had already prompted Acer to announce that it was raising prices on its laptops.

If you’re in the market for a new Apple device or an imported gaming system, like the Nintendo Switch 2 or PlayStation 5 Pro, here’s how tariffs could raise prices, and what you should do to prepare.

Read more: Apple Shoppers Are Reportedly Panic Buying iPhones Amid Looming Tariffs

What’s going on with tariffs?

Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports plus «reciprocal tariffs» on imports from more than 180 countries April 2, which he dubbed «Liberation Day.» He’s long touted tariffs as a way to even the trade deficit and raise revenue to offset tax cuts, although many economists say that tariffs could lead to higher prices and may end up hurting the US economy. Stock prices plummeted afterTrump’s announcement as markets reacted poorly to the sweeping tariffs.

Trump has taken an especially hard stance on China, which was already subject to tariffs that Trump ordered during his first term in office. The latest round of tariffs means prices for these goods could rise even higher. China has responded to each round of tariffs with its own set of tariffs on US products, including coal, crude oil and farm products such as chicken, beef, soybeans, wheat and pork.

Tariffs, in theory, are designed to financially impact other countries because their goods are being taxed. Tariffs are paid by the US company importing the product, and this upcharge is usually — but not always — passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices.

How much could iPhone and MacBook prices increase?

Tariffs levied on products from China — and everywhere else — will likely translate into higher prices for consumers. That means the tech you use every day, like imported smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs and kitchen appliances, could get even more expensive this year.

If the full cost of tariffs is passed on to shoppers, we’d see a 104% increase in prices on Apple products produced in China. Apple has moved some of its production to other countries, including India, Malaysia and Vietnam. But they were each hit with their own tariffs last week — Vietnam saw a 46% tariff hike. Apple also sources components for its products from a long list of countries, all now facing new tariffs.

If Apple did raise its prices in direct proportion to this year’s proposed Chinese tariff hikes, the basic iPhone 16e, which starts at $599, could jump up to $1,222. You can get a 15-inch MacBook Air starting at $1,199 on Amazon; a 104% hike would raise the base price to $2,446

However, a tariff on goods doesn’t necessarily mean prices will go up by the same amount. If companies want to stay competitive, they could absorb some of the costs to keep their prices lower.

Apple announced a $100 price cut on its new MacBook Air last month, a day after the last round of tariffs took effect. In what was widely viewed as an attempt to persuade Trump to «carve out» an exemption from the latest tariffs, Apple announced in February that it would spend more than $500 billion in the next four years to expand manufacturing operations in the US.

«They already committed $500 billion to US manufacturing, and there was no carve out for Apple,» Brennan said. «They will have to pass along most of these costs to consumers.»

Read more: Higher Tariffs Could Make Going Solar More Expensive

Should you buy tech now to avoid tariffs later?

If you were planning on buying a new iPhone, gaming console, MacBook or other tech, buying it now could save you money.

But if you don’t have the cash on hand and plan to use a credit card or buy now, pay later plan just to avoid tariffs, experts say to make sure you have the money to cover the costs before you start accruing interest. With credit cards’ average interest rates currently more than 20%, the cost of financing a big purchase could quickly wipe out any savings you’d get by buying before prices go up because of tariffs.

«If you finance this expense on a credit card and can’t pay it off in full in one to two months, you’ll likely end up paying way more than a tariff would cost you,» said Alaina Fingal, an accountant, founder of The Organized Money and a CNET Money Expert Review Board member. «I would recommend that you pause on any big purchases until the economy is more stable.»

One way to save on Apple products, even if prices go up, is to buy last year’s model instead of the newest release.

«If you aren’t planning to upgrade in the next year, there is no need to rush out to buy a new smartphone,» Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at IPC, a manufacturing trade association, said in an email. «Technology is naturally deflationary, meaning that over time performance goes up and prices generally go down for products of similar quality.»

Technologies

Roblox Rolls Out Age-Verification Requirement for Chat Amid Child Safety Criticism

The age-verification tool estimates a player’s age to put them into a specific group before they can chat online.

Roblox, the online gaming platform that has been under fire due to child safety concerns, has introduced age-verification software that uses facial scanning to estimate the age of players.

The system is currently voluntary, but by the first week of December it will be a requirement in Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand in order for players to chat with others online. By early January, players in all Roblox markets, including the US, will be required to use the software if they want to engage in chats with other players. Roblox said it has also launched a Safety Center hub with information for parents and parental control tools.

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Roblox says the age-verification system is being put in place to limit contact between adults and children, which has been a chief concern among child-safety advocates.

However, while some experts expressed optimism about Roblox’s changes, they disagreed on whether the new features go far enough for the platform and whether Roblox’s reputation can be repaired.

How it works

Roblox’s new age-verification feature takes a 3D scan of a player’s face, using a webcam or a mobile device’s camera, to estimate the person’s age. Based on that estimate, a player can use online chat with other players in their age group.

In a video about the software, Roblox says it immediately deletes captured images or video after the age check is complete.

The age check is performed by a vendor of Roblox called Persona.

Once they complete the check, players are grouped into the following age categories: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, or 21 and over. The company said that those under 9 won’t be allowed to chat without parental permission. The chats won’t be strictly limited to those age groups, necessarily. Roblox said players «can chat only with peers in their group or similar groups, as appropriate.»

A representative for Roblox said in an email to CNET that the technology should not be considered facial recognition because it’s not being used to identify a particularly person, only to estimate their age.

The company said it’s also taking measures such as restricting media sharing among players and using AI to monitor chats.

Ongoing controversy

One of the aims of the launch, which was first announced in the summer, was to address criticism that the platform has not adequately protected underage Roblox players. The criticism comes at a time when Roblox is more popular than ever, having broken its own records this year for the number of players on its platform at the same time. It’s estimated to have about 380 million active monthly users.

Roblox is currently facing dozens of lawsuits related to claims of sexual abuse and child exploitation from families of children who played Roblox. It is also the target of investigations or lawsuits from states including Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky.

Roblox was dealt a setback earlier this month when a California judge declined the company’s motion to move one of these suits into private resolution.

The company says its safety features are moving beyond what other game platforms offer to protect minors.

According to a corporate post about the safety features: «Roblox is the first online gaming or communication platform to require facial age checks to access chat, establishing what we believe will become a new industry standard.»

The online streaming platform Twitch is also introducing an age scan feature, but so far only in England.
In response to the Roblox and Twitch changes, Anna Lucas, online safety supervision director at the British regulatory agency Ofcom, said, «We’re pleased that children will be better protected from harmful material and predators on Twitch and Roblox. Under the UK’s online safety laws, platforms must now take steps to keep kids safe, and we’re ensuring they meet their responsibilities. There’s more to do, but change is happening.»

What’s next for Roblox?

Experts CNET spoke with in areas including child privacy and safety, online marketing and tech viewed the steps Roblox is taking as positive, But there’s wide disagreement on whether the company is going far enough with its protections.

«Roblox’s new age-verification tools are encouraging, but from a parenting standpoint, they’re just one part of the safety puzzle,» said Dr. Scott Kollins, a clinical psychologist and chief medical officer at Aura, an online safety app. «The real question for families is whether these features meaningfully improve kids’ day-to-day experience on the platform. Age verification is a step forward, but children still need guardrails and clear explanations about how online interactions work.»

Kollins said that active parenting needs to take place before kids log on to Roblox in addition to the company designing its product with safety in mind.

Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, called the age-verification «a hugely important step» in the direction of making Roblox a safer platform. He said he hoped other online platforms might follow Roblox.

«My only hope is that in the long term, Roblox’s age assurance methods become interoperable with other gaming and kid-focused sites and platforms, so parents and kids only have to go through the verification process once,» Balkam said.

Like Kollins, Balkam emphasized the importance of parental involvement, since no site is entirely safe.

«Set family rules, use parental controls and have regular conversations with your kids,» he said. «So, no, don’t ban Roblox, but use their industry-leading tools and keep the lines of communication open and your kids should be able to have a fun and creative time.»

Liability and trust

Some experts also view the changes as a way to mitigate the company’s reputational damage and address legal challenges.

The age verification is «not a silver bullet,» said Paromita Pain, associate professor of media studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.

«Even a very strong safety revamp doesn’t erase that record, but it does give Roblox a narrative: ‘We heard you, we’re now at or above industry standard, so future risk is sharply reduced,’ » Pain said.

The moves, Pain said, could rebuild trust, but many parents will see age checks as coming too late. Pain said that the company should adopt independent audits of child-safety practices, make its parental and teen controls stricter by default and commit to «safety by design» by making systemwide changes on private servers and environment designs.

The current changes won’t fix things for Roblox, she said. «Only sustained, independently-verifiable changes—and probably some large settlements—will do that.»

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 19, #422

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 19, No. 422.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a blue category that I think is a real stumper, unless you’re familiar with one certain phrase. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Splish-splash.

Green group hint: Hoopsters.

Blue group hint: Get in shape.

Purple group hint: Vroom-vroom.