New iPhone Starts Production Outside China Prior to Announcement for First Time

Wednesday August 16, 2023 4:32 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple supplier Foxconn is starting production of the iPhone 15 in India, the first time that a new iPhone has been made outside China prior to its announcement, Bloomberg reports.

iPhone 15 Cyan and Magenta Frosted Back Feature
The devices are to be manufactured at a Foxconn plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The facility is preparing to deliver devices just weeks after they begin shipping from factories in China, narrowing the gap between manufacturing operations in India and China even further. Prior to the release of the iPhone 14, iPhones made in India lagged operations in China by around six to nine months.

This is the first time that a new iPhone model has started mass production in India before it has been announced by Apple. Last year's iPhone 14 models started production in India in late September.

The scale of iPhone 15 production in India apparently depends on the availability of imported components and and the ramp-up of production lines. Pegatron and Wistron factories are also due to soon come on stream to assemble the iPhone 15.

In addition, DigiTimes today reports that Foxconn plans to manufacture AirPods in India by the end of 2024 at its facility near Hyderabad, Telangana.

Manufacturing in India is a key part of Apple's plan to diversify its supply chain away from concentration in China. Apple reportedly plans to produce 25% of all iPhones in India by 2025, with other products such as the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods set to follow.

Tags: Bloomberg, Foxconn, India

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Top Rated Comments

Mr. Dee

42 months ago

What about North America and Europe? No plan(t)s there?

We all know what would happen:

Cindy in America: I broke a nail assembling this iPhone, I have to go on PTO and file a lawsuit for work place safety and inhumane treatment.

Pierre in France: Works from 10 am to 11 am and goes to cafe for the rest of day. L'assemblage de l'iPhone soit damné!

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

3530025

42 months ago

Great news!

Excited for iPhone 15 from outside of China.

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jimmy_uk

42 months ago

“Roll up, roll up. Not only do we offer the screen lottery, now we have made in Indian or China. Get your ticket to play soon”

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

USB-Adapter

42 months ago

What about North America and Europe? No plan(t)s there?

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

GuruZac

42 months ago

Production outside of China is great. I also never understand the arguments that producing phones where people are paid well, have decent benefits, at the literal cost of increased purchase price is a bad thing. I'd happily pay $2K for a phone in light of all that it does for me, at a 2-3 year interval (some would still upgrade annually) if that meant whoever was producing my phone was well paid, had benefits. I know it's a very unpopular opinion around here, but the annual iPhone release should go away. The changes YoY are so incrementally small now, that a 2 year cycle would be both more exciting and provide more meaningful changes. Focus on software YoY since that is where the user really notices differences in experience day to day.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Elohim369

42 months ago

Production outside of China is great. I also never understand the arguments that producing phones where people are paid well, have decent benefits, at the literal cost of increased purchase price is a bad thing. I'd happily pay $2K for a phone in light of all that it does for me, at a 2-3 year interval (some would still upgrade annually) if that meant whoever was producing my phone was well paid, had benefits. I know it's a very unpopular opinion around here, but the annual iPhone release should go away. The changes YoY are so incrementally small now, that a 2 year cycle would be both more exciting and provide more meaningful changes. Focus on software YoY since that is where the user really notices differences in experience day to day.

That may have been true 20, 30 years ago.

These days the reason everyone is producing in China is because all production is there, not because of low wages.

If you imagine poor chinese peasants who have no other options slaving away at Foxconn you should go to China someday - you'll find the place is nicer than the USA for the most part...

Not sure it was Tim Cook or someone else but they explained manufacturing in China like that: In China, there's endless factories and shops right next to each other.

If you need a weird screw you go next door and they manufacture it tomorrow.

In the USA, you can't get that item, you have to import it from China, and it delays production by weeks or months - and this is the case throughout all the supply chain. Everything is made and readily available in China, but not in other places.

Also if you need to hire 3,000 CS graduates by end of week, China is the only country in the world where that's possible. 1M people work at Foxconn. The scale is unimaginable.

This stuff isn't possible in the US (or most places)

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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New iPhone Starts Production Outside China Prior to Announcement for First Time

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