Apple might shift iPhones, iPads, Macs production to India and Vietnam: Report

Apple plans on shifting production of its iPhones, iPads and MacBooks to India and Vietnam. This means that the iPhone 12 series could be next in line to sport a Made in India tag. The report was listed on the Asia Nikkei website. According to the sources, Apple is likely to start iPad production in Vietnam as early as 2021 and will commence production of its first iPhone 12 series 5G smartphones in India, within this quarter. [caption id=“attachment_8892701” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Apple iPhone SE. Image: tech2/Nandini Yadav[/caption] Other Apple products that could see a shift in production out of China includes Apple computers, earphones and smart speakers, which would be the part of the diversification strategy. Apple so far hasn’t responded to queries. Reports suggest that Apple could shift the production capacity of its voice-activated smart HomePod mini speakers to Vietnam, while the local production of other audio devices and AirPods have already been increased in the Southeast Asian region. Apart from this, Apple could shift MacBooks part production to Vietnam this year. According to sources, Apple could shift the production of the Mac mini to Malaysia. A supply chain manager told Nikkei Asia that not just Apple, but other major tech companies would also look for an out-of-China production route, even for their core products, something that wasn’t possible two years back. The report further added that Apple suppliers would also be shifting to Vietnam. Foxconn went on to invest $270 million for a subsidiary in the region, whereas Luxshare Precision Industry would also be looking to pace up the production of AirPods and HomePod mini in the country. Apple started the shift in 2020 and is likely to do so in 2021 as well, despite the hopes of ease in trade tension between the two countries. With the shift in production of significant Apple devices outside China, India remains the company’s second-largest production base.