"EXPECT PAIN AT THE CASH REGISTER." PC INSIDERS WEIGH IN ON TARIFES

IT'S COMPLICATED.

- ALAINA YEE

If you haven't been paying attention to the news, heads up-prices for tech gear are shooting up. Tariffs are now in effect for goods imported from China, and they've doubled since their original announcement. The U.S. government is now imposing an additional 20 percent tax instead of 10 percent.

Name any kind of tech device and it's affected: laptops, desktop computers, PC components, monitors, smartphones, e-readers, and much more. An overwhelming majority of electronics are produced in China.

Big retailers have already warned about imminent price hikes, with the CEOs of both Best Buy and Target (fave.co/3F09AU6) commenting on the breadth and immediacy of the tariff effects. Here at PCWorld, I've been wondering specifically about the impact on computers (surprise!)-laptops and desktop PCs are both major interests of our readers.

To answer my own questions-as well as those of readers, friends, and family-l reached out to industry contacts to better understand what these tariffs mean for the cost of PCs...and what to expect in the coming days. Those who responded manufacture laptops, prebuilt desktop machines, and PC components. Much of this information is generally applicable to electronics overall.

The short answer: Expect pain at the cash register. Businesses won't be able to shield customers from these increases. As Falcon Northwest CEO Kelt Reeves said to me, "[The] PC industry is infamously low margin, so no one can afford to 'cushion' 20 percent. Prices already went up incredibly fast on almost every component we buy to build a PC. Stock that was already here vanished, as anything new will be minimum 20% more." Ouch.

For a fuller grasp of the situation, read on. I've broken things down into a series of questions and answers, so you can more quickly find the info you most want to know.