Apple Reportedly Planning to Move Some iPad Production to India

Citing two sources close to the Indian government, a report by CNBC News is claiming that India is exploring options to bring some of Apple’s iPad production to the country from China.

The officials are said to be in discussions with Apple executives regarding the proposal, the sources said.

The Cupertino giant, which has been producing older iPhone models in the country for a few years, has already started assembling its flagship iPhone 14 in southern India.

Last month, Apple announced that iPhone shipments would be delayed due to the lockdowns in China, and analysts have been lowering their iPhone estimates for the holiday quarter.

The Wall Street Journal has also recently reported that Apple is actively looking to shift production out of China to other countries in Asia, including India.

In a note to clients today, Piper Jaffray’s Harsh Kumar wrote: “While Apple has made efforts to move production out of China, in our opinion, India still accounts for less than 5% of total iPhone 14 production and is likely to help only to a limited degree at this time.”

Meanwhile, veteran Loop Ventures analyst Gene Munster estimates that 10% of iPhones are currently being manufactured in India while expecting the production to increase over time.

“I think in five years, 35% will be manufactured in India,” added Munster. “I think Apple will add iPhone production to other countries outside of India and China in the next five years. Perhaps Vietnam, Malaysia, and the USA.”