[News] Top 5 Notebook Giants Halt Shipments Amid Tariff Impact on Consumer Electronics

According to a report from Commercial Times, Trump’s reciprocal tariffs took effect at midnight on April 9th Eastern Time, imposing a sharp 32% tariff on goods from Taiwan. In response, major PC brands—including HP, Dell, Acer, ASUS, and Lenovo—have notified their supply chains to halt all shipments of products bound for the U.S., regardless of production origin. The suspension, which affects notebooks (NB) and a broad range of consumer electronic components, is expected to last for two weeks, as the report indicates.

Industry sources indicate that the U.S. customs system has not yet gone live. As a result, companies are adopting a wait-and-see approach, with a more cautious outlook for the remainder of the year, as the report notes.

As highlighted by TrendForce, stronger-than-expected shipments of servers, smartphones, and notebooks in 1Q25 were largely driven by brands advancing shipments to the U.S. ahead of the new tariff implementation. TrendForce notes that supply chain players are still evaluating how to absorb increased production costs. Whether U.S. value will be assessed based on brand nationality or manufacturing origin remains a key point of concern for the industry.

Taiwanese Manufacturers Face Order Pauses

Meanwhile, according to the report, computer peripheral companies such as Chicony, Primax, and video surveillance firm GeoVision have received notices from customers to temporarily suspend shipments.

GeoVision’s main products include network cameras, surveillance systems, and access control systems, with North America as its primary supply region—accounting for 65% of total shipments, and the U.S. market alone exceeding 50%, as the report highlights.

Keyboard manufacturer Chicony stated that U.S.-based customers are largely adopting a wait-and-see approach, relying on existing inventory to meet sales demand. The report notes that most of Chicony’s products are components primarily supplied to ODMs, and thus are not directly affected by the tariffs. The company states that it will closely monitor the impact of additional tariffs and remain flexible to meet customer needs

Primax indicated that most U.S. customers continue to place orders as usual, with only one client delaying procurement, as the report notes.

Optical and Passive Components: Continue to Ship Products

Optical and passive component manufacturers are continuing to ship products as usual. As highlighted in the report, optical manufacturers CALIN, BEST, and JMO stated on April 8th that, given the optical industry’s upstream position in the supply chain, they have not yet seen any order cancellations, and shipments remain unaffected.

Manufacturers of passive components noted that customer demand remains stable, with no discussions so far regarding the sharing of tariff-related costs, as mentioned by the report. Since passive components are also positioned upstream in the supply chain—and it is typically customers who handle shipments to the U.S.—associated tariffs are negotiated and absorbed by the customer.

As the report points out, few passive component makers ship directly to the U.S. market; however, many suppliers remain concerned that the new tariffs could potentially trigger a broader economic slowdown or even a recession.

Server rail manufacturers said they are closely monitoring the tariff impact, with discussions still underway. However, as the report notes, the tariff burden will likely be shared among end customers, system manufacturers, and suppliers.

Read more

• [News] Taiwan’s Chipmakers Brace for Worst-Case Scenario as Trump’s Tariffs Dim 2H25 Hopes
• U.S. Tariffs to Curb Investment and Consumption Momentum; 2025 Global End-Market Outlook Downgraded, Says TrendForce
• [News] Tariff Shake-up: Taiwanese Goods Face 32% Tariff, with Semiconductors Spared for Now

(Photo credit: Asus)