Apple wants to manufacture AirPods in India and expand its plan to exit China

Plan Mansana To reduce dependence on China in the production of its devices, it adds new industries. As reported asian nikkeiin Cupertino asked their suppliers move part of the production of AirPods and Beats headphones to India.

The intention of Californians is for the measure to go into effect. starting next year. If confirmed, this would be the first time that some AirPods models have been manufactured in India, given that so far Apple’s wireless earbuds have been made in China and Vietnam.

The report indicates that Foxconn is already preparing to implement this new strategy. However, it is specified that he will initially focus on manufacturing Beats-branded products in India. In the meantime, Luxshare will move some AirPods production to its factories in that country, but that won’t be on its priority list. The fact that, firstly, the company intends to further strengthen the production line of Apple headphones in Vietnamese lands.

At the moment, There are no details yet on which AirPods will be produced in India from 2023.. In the case of Vietnam, Apple headphones started being made there in 2019, one of the first attempts by those led by Tim Cook to leave China. Currently, part of the third generation AirPods and the original AirPods Pro are coming out of Vietnamese factories.

With AirPods, Apple is taking a new step to get out of China and gain a foothold in India.

What’s going on with Apple has two readings. On the one hand, something that has already become apparent in recent times: the desire to break free from the shackles of the Chinese production line. Something easier said than done. After all, over 90% of Apple devices are currently manufactured by the Asian giant. And the concentration is even greater in specific cases such as the iPhone, given that 98% of those produced in 2021 were made in China. The remaining 2% was divided between India and Brazil.

The negative impact of tight COVID-19 outbreak lockdowns on its product assembly, coupled with pressure from rising political tensions between the US and China, would be the perfect combination for Apple to bet on finding new horizons.

Another reading has to do with intent get more presence in a territory of growing interest like India. If they finally start producing AirPods there, they will be added to products such as the iPhone SE, 13 and 14, and this is not a minor detail. The fact is that while those who led Tim Cook initially saw their expansion into India as a decision to prioritize the domestic market, today they saw it as an important platform for exporting to other countries.

Reducing dependence on China will be a tedious task for Apple. But Californians seem to be ready for it, and AirPods also play a key role in this story.