Apple has reportedly began manufacturing its iPhone 13 flagship in India, as it continues to shift production of its devices to other markets and reduce its reliance on China.
Reuters reported the iPhone 13 is being assembled at a local plant of Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn in a town in the Southern Tamil Nadu state, after it began trialling production of the phone in the country in December 2021.
India and markets including Mexico and Vietnam are becoming major manufacturing hubs for US companies like Apple as they try to shift away from relying on China to make their products.
Apple began assembly of its previous iPhone 12 flagship in India in March 2021, moving as much as 10 per cent of the device’s production to the country.
The vendor first started making iPhones in India in 2017 with the iPhone SE. The iPhone 13 becomes the fourth device to be manufactured there.
Reuters reported the company also has plans to manufacture its latest iPad tablets in the country.
The decision to cut reliance on China was largely informed by recent suspension of manufacturing in plants in that country due to Covid-19 lockdown. The challenge was in particular reference to Pegatron and Foxconn plants in China.
