After moving iPhone production out of China, it now looks like Apple has its eye on iPad production. According to CNBC, Apple plans to produce some of its iPads in India to help diversify its supply chain.
Apple has been trying to diversify its manufacturing for years amid China-US trade wars and rising labor costs in China. More recently, strict covid restrictions sparked nationwide protests that last month forced Apple to cut iPhone 14 production there, leading to shipping delays.
CNBC says there could be complications with the move to India. The lack of people experienced in making complex devices like iPads in India and the growing territorial disputes between China and India could pose obstacles.
Earlier this year, Apple also started manufacturing the iPhone 14 in South India shortly after its launch. It was the first time the tech giant shifted production from China to India so quickly after releasing a flagship smartphone.
Experts predict that iPhone production in India will also increase over the next few years, albeit slowly.
“I think that in five years, 35% [of iPhones] will be made in India,” Gene Munster of Loup Ventures told CNBC. “I think Apple will add iPhone production to other countries outside of India and China over the next five years.”
Meanwhile, Nikkei Asia reported in August that Apple was considering shifting production of its MacBooks and Apple smartwatches to Vietnam for the first time. According to this report, Apple’s supplier, Luxshare, had already started testing production of the devices in the country.