Apple starts manufacturing iPhone 14 in India

Apple has started manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India within weeks of its global launch. The iPhone 14 series was unveiled on September 7 and was available in India from September 16. “The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities. We are excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India,” Apple said in a statement. 

The early manufacturing of a new iPhone model is part of Apple’s long-term strategy to reduce dependence on China due to the deteriorating relations between the Xi Jinping government and the US and to avoid another covid-19 like supply chain disruption. Last week, analysts at JP Morgan said that Apple may shift 5% of iPhone 14’s production to India in late 2022 and make one out of five iPhones in India by 2025, Reuters reported. 

Bloomberg also reported last month that Apple will start manufacturing the new iPhones two months in advance after its release in China.

The production of last year’s iPhone 13 model started in India in April, which was more than six months after its unveiling in September 2021. It is currently being manufactured along with iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 at Foxconn’s Tamil Nadu plant in Sriperumbudur. The iPhone SE is manufactured in India by Wistron, another contract manufacturer. 

The early manufacturing of iPhone 14 can also be attributed to the fact that the new iPhone 14 offers monitor hardware updates and has the same design language as the iPhone 13, which means the manufacturer can use the same assembly line for it. 

India has emerged as one of the leading manufacturing destinations for several companies in the consumer electronics segment. All major smartphone makers including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Samsung are already making smartphones in India. Smartphone exports from India have also grown. India’s electronics exports surpassed $16 billion in FY 2021-22, according to a report by industry body ICEA and ICRIER, published on August 29. Electronics was India’s sixth largest export with mobile phones accounting for the largest share of electronics exports from India. The report projected that smartphones will account for 50% of all electronics exports by next year.

India is also a key market for Apple. The company doubled its revenue in India in the June fiscal quarter, CEO Tim Cook said during the quarterly earnings call last month. Apple sold over 1.2 million iPhones in India in the June quarter, according to market researcher Counterpoint.