Apple starts manufacturing iPhone 14 in India

The iPhone giant has begun the manufacturing of its upcoming model in the country, according to the latest development in Apple's Make in India story. According to a well-known Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, the Foxconn site in India will ship the upcoming 6.1 inch iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China later this year. Foxconn is currently producing iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 in India.

Chi-Kuo wrote in a series of tweets that Foxconn's iPhone production site in India will ship the new 6.1 iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China for the first time in 2 H 22 India still has a significant gap with China, but it's an important milestone for Apple to build a non-Chinese iPhone production site. It implies that Apple is trying to reduce the geopolitical impacts on supply and sees the Indian market as the next growth driver. The recent chain of events, including lockdowns in China due to COVID 19 and reducing dependence on just one country the plus one strategy that every company is seriously working on, could have been the reason for Apple to expand its supply chain beyond China. Sources at Apple and Foxconn haven't confirmed any such development.

There is a gap of around four to five months after the global launch of the new iPhones begins in India. The iPhone 13 production at the Foxconn plant started in April of this year and the iPhone 12 in April 2021. As factory lines mature and their overall operations become efficient, the timeline for manufacturing new models should be reduced. The simultaneous production of the iPhone 14 in India will be a big leap for the country.

Apple is already producing its latest flagship iPhones in India. The share of Made in India iPhones has hovered around 85% in the past few times. The iPhone 13 series has been a good fit with the iPhone 12 series' contribution to Apple's momentum in India. Apple s move to produce iPhone 14 in India alongside China will be considered an incredible milestone for Make In India and will boost India's overall competitiveness as a manufacturing hub. According to CMR, close to 1 million iPhones shipped in India in Q 2 to 2022 will be made by further integration and enhancement of upstream supply chains in India. In line with the recent market momentum, Foxconn plans to double down on iPhone production in India.