Barely a month after Apple unveiled its iPhone 14 model lineup, the tech giant has decided to move the production of its latest flagship to India.
According to Reuters, Apple announced on Monday that it has started assembling the iPhone 14 models in India. This is part of Apple decision to move some of its production away from China.
Apple is Looking Forward to Manufacture iPhone 14 in India
Apple confirmed that the iPhone 14 would be made in India at a contract manufacturer Foxconn's factory at Sriperumbudur facility, Tamil Nadu.
According to TechCrunch, the India-made iPhone will go on sale in the country later this year.
Meanwhile, Apple spokesperson said that the company is excited to manufacture iPhone 14 in India.
"The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces ground-breaking technology and important safety capabilities. We are excited to manufacturing the device in India," said Apple's spokesperson.
According to sources, locally manufactured device will not only be sold in the country, but will be exported to global markets as well.
However, even if the device is locally manufactured in the country, it doesn't mean it will be sold with lower prices in India.
Currently, Apple has three global manufacturing partners in India. These are Wistron, Foxconn and Pegatron.
In 2017, the tech company began locally producing smartphones in India. However, until recent, the factories in the country has been assembling older generation of iPhones.
Just recently, analysts at JP Morgan predicted that Apple will turn India into a global iPhone manufacturing hub by 2025.
The company has been slowly cutting its dependence on China. For over a decade, Apple has been manufacturing majority of its devices in China.
Read Also: Apple's MacBook Pro With M2 and M2 Max Chips Is Now Under Production
JP Morgan Analysts Predict that Apple Will Move 25% of iPhone Production in India
A report by Reuters earlier this month stated that according to JP Morgan analysts, Apple is planning to move 5% of global iPhone 14 production to India by late 2022.
By 2025, the Cupertino-based company will expand its manufacturing capacity in the country to produce 25% of all iPhones.
The growing interest of the company to move its iPhone 14 production in India comes at a time when Apple is looking for a country outside China where it would put its manufacturing operations.
According to iTechPost, the growing geopolitical tension in the country together with the strict restrictions due to COVID-19 are some of the factors why the tech company decided to move its production to India.
Sources stated that the Indian government have asked Apple to generate an annual production output worth $50 billion within India in five to six years.
There is also a request from the government to expand the locally made products to other Apple devices such as Macs, iPads, Air Pods and wearables.
In recent years, India has attracted investments from Apple manufacturing partners Foxconn and Wistron.
According to TechCrunch, the presence of foreign production giants, together with "ample labor resources and competitive labor costs," make India an ideal location to put up a business.
Meanwhile, many people hope that as the tech company expands its local manufacturing capacity in India, the handsets will also become more affordable in the country.
Related Article: Apple Could Possibly Move 25% of iPhone Production to India by 2025, Analysts Say
