Apple will shift AirPods and Beats Headphone production to India. Apple reportedly directed its suppliers to relocate manufacture of AirPods and Beat headphones to India. Apple’s AirPods will be manufactured in India soon. Apple’s AirPods will be manufactured in India, according to Reuters, citing the ministry of electronics and information technology.
This comes only days after the Cupertino-based technology giant requested that manufacture of AirPods and Beat headphones be shifted to India, according to the Japanese publication Nikkei. Apple is allegedly planning to manufacture AirPods and Beats headphones in India, as the tech giant ramps up production of new iPhones in the nation.
According to Nikkei Asia, Apple has directed its suppliers to shift some AirPods and Beats headphone production to India for the first time. According to the source, iPhone assembler Foxconn is prepared to manufacture Beats headphones in the nation, as well as AirPods.
“The decision is part of Apple’s steady diversification away from China, as it seeks to reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions caused by the country’s tough zero-Covid policy and tensions with the US,” it said.
Apple’s AirPods are second to the iPhone in terms of shipping volume. AirPods are now manufactured in Vietnam and China, with Vietnam producing the vast majority of Beats headphones. The’made in India’ iPhone 14 will also be available in Europe.
Apple has begun manufacture of the new iPhone 14 in India, a first for the tech giant as it reduces the manufacturing duration of new iPhones in India in comparison to China, which is its primary global manufacturing base.
The locally made iPhone 14 will be available in the nation in the fourth quarter, as the business invests billions of dollars in local production and assembly. At this rate, industry observers believe that Apple will produce the iPhone 15 in India and China at the same time next year. As India ramps up local manufacture of technological items, Apple is expected to shift 5% of its new iPhone 14 production to India by the end of the year and 25% by the end of 2025.
Moving out of China, where Apple has developed a deep supply chain for over two decades, will be difficult. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, it would take around eight years to relocate only 10% of Apple’s production capacity out of China, where roughly 98% of the company’s iPhones are manufactured.
According to Bloomberg, iPhone shipments from India have already surpassed $1 billion in the last five months and are expected to reach $2.5 billion in the next year. With the ease of doing business and favourable local manufacturing rules, Apple’s ‘Make in India’ iPhones might account for close to 85 percent of the country’s total iPhone output this year.
