As part of its strategy to reduce reliance on China for manufacturing, Foxconn, an Apple supplier, is commencing production of the iPhone 15 in India. The Sriperumbudur plant is gearing up to produce and deliver the new iPhones shortly after their initial shipments from Chinese factories.
With the U.S.-China relationship becoming more strained, Apple has been actively working to diversify its supply chain. Following a meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House this year, Cook emphasized the significant potential that India offers.
Amid bipartisan concerns within the U.S. regarding China’s government, the Biden administration has implemented various measures to limit the transfer of crucial technologies and U.S. investments to China. In a reciprocal move, China has also imposed restrictions on the sale of certain U.S. semiconductor products.
According to a previous report, Apple has recently intensified its iPhone production efforts in India, with the assembly of iPhones worth over $7 billion during the last fiscal year. The same source noted in April that approximately 7% of Apple’s iPhones are now manufactured in India. In the past, there was a notable time gap of six to nine months between iPhone assembly in India and China, as reported by Bloomberg. However, this gap has considerably diminished over time.
Traditionally, Apple unveils its fresh array of iPhones during its yearly September event. The forthcoming update for this year is anticipated to introduce significant enhancements to the cameras and an upgraded processor for the Pro models.
Following the report, both Pegatron and a Wistron facility, which is in the process of being acquired by the Tata Group, are gearing up to initiate the assembly of the iPhone 15 in India.