Lilbits: Amazon’s Alexa AI event, Windows 11 MIDI improvements, and Goodbye cheap, fast Chinese delivery?

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This week the Trump Administration issued an executive order that imposes a 10 percent tariff on Chinese products shipped to the United States. The order also basically scraps the "de minimis" exemption that allowed Chinese products valued at less than $800 to be shipped to the US duty-free and with minimal inspections.

That exemption is a large part of the reason companies like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress are able to ship dirt cheap products to customers in the US. It's also been instrumental for many US-based companies that rely on Chinese suppliers to quickly manufacture small batches of samples or prototypes. So if the executive order stands it could have a major impact on consumers and businesses in the US.

In 2017 I paid less than $10 for all four of these tiny MP3 players from China.

That may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective – ultimately it's likely to drive up the cost of goods from China as Chinese suppliers will either need to factor duty and tariff fees into the costs of their products or consumers will have to pay duties upon receipt. And it's likely to lead to longer shipping times since US customs and border protection will likely need to ramp up inspection of incoming packages from China.

But there's been bipartisan support for restricting or ending the de minimis exemption for some time. The move could theoretically be good for American manufacturing and/or retail businesses, and the Biden administration proposed restrictions in 2024, but Biden left office before they could be put in place.

What is a little shocking is the speed with which the new rules have taken effect, giving retailers, shipping companies, and even government agencies little time to respond. Tuesday evening the US Postal Service announced it would temporarily stop accepting packages from mainland China and Hong Kong. By Wednesday morning the USPS had reversed course and said it would accept packages from those regions.

Meanwhile if you ordered something from Shein, Temu, AliExpress, or another Chinese company last week and it hasn't arrived yet, it's anyone's guess what will happen when it hits the US – since duties most likely haven't already been paid, your package could be held by customs enforcement until you pay a fee you were unaware of when you placed your order.

Update: It looks like customers are already receiving requests to pay additional fees before their orders can be delivered.

AliExpress offers millions of products (including mini PCs) for dirt cheap prices

Here's a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Your packages are about to get slower and more expensive [The Verge]

Many items shipped from China or Hong Kong are likely to get more expensive and take longer to arrive now that an exemption that allowed items under $800 to arrive duty-free and with minimal inspections has been removed. This could hit Shein, Temu, and AliExpress hard.

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 2:56 PM

Amazon's AI revamp of Alexa assistant nears unveiling [Reuters]

Amazon is holding a press event Feb 26 where the company is expected to introduce a new version of its Alexa voice assistant that uses generative AI for more natural and complex interactions with users.[image or embed]

— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 3:36 PM

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27788 (Canary Channel) [Windows Insider Blog]

Microsoft is rolling out a preview of its new Windows MIDI Services to Windows Insiders. It brings support for MIDI 2.0, faster transport, and the ability for multiple apps to use connected musical instruments simultaneously.

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 4:20 PM

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