No local production, but a radical change. Apple will produce the iPhone 14, its new flagship smartphone, in India, the American company announced on Monday, as it seeks to diversify its production and not be dependent on China.
This announcement comes a few weeks after Apple launched new smartphones. The tech giant will start production of the iPhone 14 in India much sooner than it did for previous models, said Sanyam Chaurasia, an analyst at tech market firm Canalys.
Production in China complicated by Covid-19 and political tensions
For now, the iPhone production line is mainly based in China but the country’s so-called “zero Covid” policy and tensions with the United States have hampered production, analysts said.
The Californian company already manufactures older iPhone models in India via Taiwanese producers like Foxconn, which has a factory in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Nearly 7.5 million iPhones – around 3% of Apple’s overall production – were made in India last year. “We expect local iPhone production to reach over 11 million devices this year,” said Sanyam Chaurasia.
Apple’s move will come in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Made in India” strategy, which has urged foreign companies to manufacture goods in his country.