Apple will start the production of the iPhone 14 series in India sooner than expected

In August, reports surfaced that Apple is looking to move its production facilities for iPhones outside China and will be moving them to India. The idea was to start the production of the upcoming iPhone 14 series, two months after they were launched globally, and reduce their dependency on China.  

Now, new reports suggest that Apple is looking to move up its timeline, and will start producing its iPhone 14 in India, at least two weeks earlier than they had planned.

One of the main reasons why they are moving up their production plans in India, is due to the ongoing tensions between China and Taiwan, and how China has started to crack down on shipments from Taiwan, making logistics more expensive and cumbersome than it was. China’s arbitrary and brutal COVID lockdowns is another reason.

By late October or early November, factories owned and managed by Foxconn and Wistron in India will start making the iPhone 14 series. Reports suggest that initially, the Indian factories will be focusing mainly on the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Max since Apple expects these two devices to be more in demand than its Pro models.

Apple will be relying on China for future iPhones though, namely the iPhone 15 series. It is being reported that although it wants to move its production facilities completely outside China, the Cupertino-based giant knows that it will not be possible. There is a huge supply chain network in China, which doesn’t exist in India. Also, Apple was concerned that there was a greater risk of secrecy being compromised in India.

A Bloomberg report states that Apple’s local executives in India examined entirely cornering off a section of one of Foxconn’s multiple assembly lines, sequestering workers, and scrutinizing all possible ways in which the security around the device could be compromised, according to two of the people. Thus far, the drastic security controls and stringent seclusion of its China facilities would be challenging to replicate.

The report also claims that Apple has also been concerned about Indian customs officials, who typically open up packages to check whether imported materials match their declarations, another potential vulnerability for product secrecy.

What Apple plans to do going forward with its future devices, namely the iPhone 15, is start the development of production cycles and methods in China first, and then India. Following this, the production of the devices in India and China, will start almost simultaneously.