The Apple logo is visible in this illustration taken on August 22, 2022. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration
Aug 23 (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) plans to launch iPhone 14 production in India as the US tech giant seeks alternatives to China after the Xi administration’s clashes with Washington and blockades across the country halted production, Bloomberg News reported.
The company has been working with suppliers to increase production in India and reduce the delay in manufacturing new iPhones from the typical six to nine months for previous launches, the report said Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. (https://bloom.bg/3PKqMcB)
According to the report, Taiwan-based Apple supplier Foxconn (2317.TW) investigated the process of shipping items from China and assembling the iPhone 14 at its factory outside the southern Indian city of Chennai.
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Production of the first iPhone 14 from India is likely to be completed in late October or November, the report adds.
Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The company has moved some areas of iPhone manufacturing from China to other markets, including India, the second largest smartphone market in the world, and is also planning to assemble iPad tablets there. Read more
India and countries like Mexico and Vietnam are becoming increasingly important for contract manufacturers supplying American brands as they seek to diversify production away from China.
Last week, Nikkei reported that the tech giant’s suppliers are in talks to produce the Apple Watch and MacBook in Vietnam for the first time. Read more
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Reporting of Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips
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