New iPhone Starts Production Outside China Prior to Announcement for First Time
Apple supplier Foxconn is starting production of the iPhone 15 in India, the first time that a new iPhone has been made outside China prior to its announcement, Bloomberg reports.
The devices are to be manufactured at a Foxconn plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The facility is preparing to deliver devices just weeks after they begin shipping from factories in China, narrowing the gap between manufacturing operations in India and China even further. Prior to the release of the iPhone 14, iPhones made in India lagged operations in China by around six to nine months.
This is the first time that a new iPhone model has started mass production in India before it has been announced by Apple. Last year’s iPhone 14 models started production in India in late September.
The scale of iPhone 15 production in India apparently depends on the availability of imported components and and the ramp-up of production lines. Pegatron and Wistron factories are also due to soon come on stream to assemble the iPhone 15.
In addition, DigiTimes today reports that Foxconn plans to manufacture AirPods in India by the end of 2024 at its facility near Hyderabad, Telangana.
Manufacturing in India is a key part of Apple’s plan to diversify its supply chain away from concentration in China. Apple reportedly plans to produce 25% of all iPhones in India by 2025, with other products such as the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods set to follow.
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