The much anticipated iPhone 14 might soon be manufactured in India as Apple plans to diversify its smartphone production from China. The tech giant aims to do so about two months after the product’s initial release outside of China in order to narrow the gap between the two countries but not close it completely as some had anticipated, according to a new Bloomberg report.
According to the reports, Apple is planning to ramp up production with contract manufacturer Foxconn at its assembly plant near Chennai. The first batch of iPhone 14 models made in India will likely be ready around late October or early November. The move will also shorten the lag in manufacturing new iPhones from the typical six to nine months for previous launches.
The US phone maker has been gradually ramping up production of iPhones in India because of geo-political reasons and is seeking alternatives as Xi Jinping’s administration clashes with the US government, in addition to imposition lockdowns across the country that have disrupted economic activity. At present, Apple devices are manufactured in India by three contract manufacturers, including Foxconn (Hon Hai), Wistron, and Pegatron.
All three Apple partners are part of the Indian government’s production-linked incentive scheme for mobile manufacturing. They need to make products worth a minimum of Rs 8,000 crore each this year to get the incentives. Reportedly, Foxconn Technology studied the process of shipping components from China and assembling the iPhone 14 device at its plant outside Chennai.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 14 way earlier than expected. The company has yet to reveal the official launch date, but a report from Bloomberg claims that the iPhone 14 event will be held on September 6.
