What Apple could buy, instead of spending $3.4 billion on tariffs in 2025

Apple says it’s likely to spend a whopping $3.4 billion footing the bill for iPhone-related and similar tariffs through the end of 2025. That money could be better — or more frivolously — spent.

It’s no secret that designing, prototyping, and then building devices like the Apple Vision Pro is a costly business. It’s also no secret that Apple has more money than most, too.

That’s likely how Apple was able to deal with the tariffs itself, rather than passing the cost on to its customers. You only have to look at how Microsoft has dramatically raised prices almost across its entire product line or go to the grocery store to see how different it could have been.

But there is also no denying that Apple’s $3.4 billion tariff bill could have been better spent elsewhere. I figured there must be plenty of things that Apple could have spent the cash on instead.

As it turns out, there are some interesting ways to better spend Apple’s money. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are good ways to do it.

Here, I’m going to look at ways Apple could have spent its money instead of covering tariff costs. But really, I’m just glad it didn’t choose to save all that cash and make the iPhone 17 more expensive instead.

Most companies have taken the opposite route, increasing prices to avoid eating the cost of tariffs themselves. Apple went another route. It’s just a shame that the money could have been put to better use, no matter whose pockets it came from.

With that said, let’s look at how Apple could have spent its tariff money if it hadn’t handed it over to the U.S. government.

Jamf — $2.2 billion

Apple could actually have bought Jamf twice, if it really wanted to, when it was valued at around $1.7 billion. Instead, the company went private in October 2025 for a cool $2.2 billion instead.

Jamf is a company that specializes in Apple device management for Macs, iPhones, and more. Its best known for making software that makes it easier for businesses to manage the Apple hardware that its employees use.

Device management is a big deal for companies, and it’s historically been something that Microsoft has excelled at. Buying Jamf could give Apple’s business-to-business sales a boost.

Nikkon — $3.78 billion

Yes, I know that’s a a few hundred million dollars outside Apple’s budget. But these things can be negotiated, right?

Nikkon is a Japanese optics and photography manufacturer, so it knows a thing or two about cameras. It already makes camera lenses, not to mention actual cameras. And it’s pretty good at it.

All of Apple’s major hardware devices come with at least one camera built in. Bringing Nikkon’s expertise and long history of working in the imaging business to Apple wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

WeRide — $3.23 billion

We all know about Apple’s problematic history with putting an electric vehicle on the road. Project Titan is dead and burried, but that doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way.

WeRide is a leading autonomous driving company that was founded in 2017. It’s already capable of technology that offers anything from Level 2 to Level 4 autonomy.

Level 4 is classed as “high automation,” meaning a vehicle can handle all driving tasks on its own. Albeit within a specific area and in certain conditions.

If Apple was to take another crack at Project Titan, picking up WeRide could be one way to do it. It wouldn’t fix the problem of finding a company willing to actually build the vehicles, though.

BlackBerry — $2.8 billion

Apple doesn’t need to buy BlackBerry. But it would certainly be a wonderful completion of a circle that began back in 2007.

BlackBerry went from hero to zero thanks to the iPhone

When Apple’s first iPhone launched, co-CEO Jim Balsillie claimed that it was “one more entrant into an already very busy space.” He went on to say that the iPhone didn’t represent a “sea change” for BlackBerry owner, RIM.

Ultimately, the iPhone became the hit we know today, and Google’s Android also came to the fore. RIM and BlackBerry effectively disappeared, and has only now started to capture headlines once again.

Apple buying BlackBerry just to shut it down would be ironic and iconic. And if Apple has to throw away cash on tariffs, I’d rather it spend it on being funny instead.

Buy a Bentley for every Apple Park employee — $3.4 billion

Apple Park houses around 12,000 employees, give or take. And I have to imagine they all work pretty hard. Designing a new iPhone every year can’t be easy, after all.

With that in mind, they probably deserve a bonus. And cash is boring, so why not treat 12,000 of Apple Park‘s finest to a brand new Bentley Bentayga?

The new 2026 model retails for around $280,000. That’s the base model, sure, but it’s still a pretty nice place to be.

Give every U.S. citizen $10 — $3.4 billion

At current count, there are around 340 million people living in the United States. You don’t need a calculator to do the math, so giving a crisp $10 to each one of them wouldn’t be the worst idea Tim Cook ever had.