【Dear Utol: Catfish Episode 46】

President Donald Trump's tariff policies are Dear Utol: Catfish Episode 46going into effect, and people who like buying affordable technology are starting to feel it.

Just a few days into the Trump tariff policy, in which some of the hardest-hit countries are manufacturing centers like China and Vietnam, we're already seeing reactions from both tech companies and consumers. Some people are panic-buying new phones to get ahead of possible price hikes, while certain hotly anticipated gaming consoles have had pre-orders delayed indefinitely in the United States.

Here is a list of just some of the biggest names in tech that have been affected by tariffs so far.

Framework stops selling some laptops due to tariffs

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Framework may not be quite as big of a name as some of the other companies on this list, but for laptop enthusiasts, this one might hurt the most.

The company, which specializes in selling highly repairable laptops with modular parts that can be easily replaced even by casual users, announced on X that certain base Framework laptops are no longer on sale in the U.S. These include the Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U models. It's not clear at this point when (or even if) they will go on sale stateside again.

Framework also provided some clarification in a separate post on X, stating that this is due to tariffs on Taiwan specifically. Interestingly, Framework said other unspecified companies are also doing this, but haven't been open about it.

People are buying iPhones ahead of price hikes

Interestingly, Apple has yet to announce any alterations to iPhone prices or availability due to tariffs, but that hasn't stopped people from apparently flooding Apple Stores over the weekend, trying to get a new phone before price hikes go into effect.

Bloomberg reported that there was a rush on iPhones over the weekend from people who are afraid of prices going up imminently. Trump placed a staggering 54 percent tariff on goods from China, where iPhones are manufactured. According to some very rough calculations courtesy of Reuters, iPhone prices could rise to as high as $2,300 due to these tariffs. However, it should be noted that this may not be likely, as Trump could strike a deal with China in the near future, or Apple could choose not to pass allof the increased costs onto consumers.

Nintendo has delayed Switch 2 pre-orders

Last week was supposed to be the biggest week in years for Nintendo, as it fully unveiled the highly anticipated Switch 2 console with a $450 price tag and an April 9 date for pre-orders in the U.S. Now, both of those things may be off the table.

Nintendo announced in a news blast to media on Friday morning that pre-orders in the U.S. have been delayed indefinitely, explicitly due to tariffs. The global launch date of June 5 is still apparently in effect, but we have no idea when Switch 2 will be available for pre-order in the States, or how much it will cost to get one. To be clear, Nintendo has said nothing about increasing the price of the console yet, but it's hard to imagine there's any reason to delay pre-orders other than to possibly increase the price of the unit.

Much of Nintendo's console manufacturing occurs in Vietnam, which was hit with a huge 46 percent tariff by Trump. Again, due to the possibility (however slight) of a deal between Trump and Vietnam, and the fact that Nintendo might just eat some of the increased cost of the console, it's impossible to say whether or not Nintendo will increase the Switch 2 price, or by how much right now. But if that happens, it will likely be the first big new tech product to explicitly see a price hike due to tariffs before it even launches.