Usually, Apple starts producing the latest iPhone in China and it takes a few months before production of the phone begins in facilities outside the country. But now, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the Cupertino-based tech major will begin production of the iPhone 14 in India at the same time as it will in China.
My latest survey indicates Foxconn’s iPhone production site in India will ship the new 6.1″ iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China for the first time in 2H22 (India being one quarter or more behind in the past).
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) August 5, 2022
If Kuo’s prediction turns out to be true, it will mark the first time that Apple starts production of a new iPhone in another country at the same time as it does in China. Of course, in the short term, there will be a considerable gap in production numbers between India and China. But according to Kuo, this new step will mark a milestone for Apple, which has been trying to boost the production of its products outside China.
Apple had faced supply constraints this year as Covid-19 lockdowns in China slowed production. This highlighted how Apple was very dependent on production from just one country to meet the demand for its products across the globe. Kuo pointed this out in a tweet, “It implies that Apple is trying to reduce the geopolitical impacts on supply and sees the Indian market as the next key growth driver.”
9to5Mac had also reported on how Apple had warned suppliers about “Chinese revenge” for Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. During her visit, Pelosi visited many manufacturers, including Apple suppliers like TSMC and Pegatron. Since then, Sino-US trade tensions have escalated. Reuters reported that Apple told suppliers that China has begun enforcing a long-standing rule that Taiwanese-made parts and components must be labelled as made either in “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei.”
