Dell, HP, Microsoft & Intel oppose proposed tariffs on laptops, tablets

Dell Technologies Inc, HP Inc, Microsoft Corp and Intel Corp on Wednesday opposed US President Donald Trump’s proposal to include laptop computers and tablets among the Chinese goods targeted for tariffs.

Dell, HP and Microsoft, which together account for 52 per cent of the notebooks and detachable tablets sold in the United States, said the proposed tariffs would increase the cost of laptops in the country.

The move would hurt consumers and the industry, and would not address the Chinese trade practices that the Trump administration’s office of US Trade Representative (USTR) seeks to remedy, the four companies said in a joint statement posted online.