The plan of Apple to cut the dependence on China for the production of its devices adds new branches. As reported by GLM, those in Cupertino asked their suppliers to move some manufacturing of AirPods and Beats headphones to India.
The intention of Californians would be for the measure to become effective starting next year. If confirmed, it will be the first time that some AirPods models are manufactured in Indian territory, considering that, until now, Apple’s wireless headphones are produced in China and Vietnam.
The report indicates that Foxconn is already preparing to address this new strategy. However, it clarifies that it will initially focus on manufacturing Beats-branded products in India.
Luxshare, meanwhile, will move some of the AirPods production to its factories in that country, but it won’t be at the top of its list of priorities. It is that, first, the company intends to continue strengthening the production line of Apple headphones in Vietnamese lands.
For now, there are no details on which AirPods would begin to be manufactured in India from 2023. In the case of Vietnam, Apple headphones began to be produced there in 2019, in one of the first attempts by those led by Tim Cook to leave China.
Currently, part of the third-generation AirPods and original AirPods Pro come out of Vietnamese factories.
With the AirPods, Apple takes a new step to get out of China and gain a presence in India
What is happening with Apple has two readings. On the one hand, what has already become evident in recent times: the desire to free the shackles of the Chinese production line. Something that is easier said than done. After all, more than 90% of apple devices currently come from the Asian giant.
And the concentration is even greater in specific cases such as the iPhone, considering that 98% of those manufactured in 2021 came from China. The remaining 2% was split between India and Brazil.
The negative effect of the strict blockades due to the outbreaks of COVID-19 on the assembly of its products, added to the pressure due to the growing political tension between the United States and China, would be the perfect combo for Apple to bet on seeking new horizons.
The other reading is related to the intention of gain more presence in a territory of growing interest such as India. If, finally, the AirPods begin to be manufactured there, they will be added to products such as the iPhone SE, 13 and 14, and it is not a minor detail.
It is that, although those led by Tim Cook would have initially taken their Indian expansion as a decision to favor the domestic market, today they would be considering it an important platform to export to other countries.
Cutting dependency on China will be a slog for Apple. But Californians seem ready to face it, and AirPods also play their key part in this story.