Apple’s iPhone 14 manufacturing narrows tech gap between India, China: report

Apple is planning to begin manufacturing the new iPhone 14 in India, about two months after the device’s initial release from China, in a move that narrows the gap in technology manufacturing between the two countries.

The company has been working with suppliers to increase manufacturing in India and reduce the typical six to nine-month lag in production for iPhones when it comes to the latest device, Bloomberg News reported. Apple had been making most of its iPhones in China for quite some time, but is now looking at alternatives amid the country’s tensions with the U.S. government and as lockdowns across China that have disrupted economic activity continue, according to the outlet.

Some analysts, including Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities Group, have said they expect Apple to ship the new iPhone from both countries at about the same time.

Apple is planning to begin manufacturing the new iPhone 14 in India, about two months after the device’s initial release from China, in a move that narrows the gap in technology manufacturing between the two countries. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File / AP Newsroom)

Apple and Foxconn Technology Group, the primary manufacturer of iPhones, determined a simultaneous start for the two countries would probably not happen this year.

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The first iPhone 14s from India will likely be finished in late October or November after the initial release in September.

India has been promoting itself as an alternative for iPhone production as China deals with COVID-19 lockdowns and U.S. sanctions. Meeting China’s pace of iPhone production would have been a huge success for India.

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The first iPhone 14s from India will likely be finished in late October or November after the initial release in September. (Apple / Fox News)

And while some people at Apple and Foxconn wanted to begin simultaneous production in India this year, that was never an official plan. Apple planned to center on getting the China operations ready first before working out the production in India, according to Bloomberg.

Apple’s partners began manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 as it began a multi-year-long effort to establish manufacturing capabilities in the country. The Modi administration has offered financial incentives for tech production under its Make in India program.

And while some people at Apple and Foxconn wanted to begin simultaneous production in India this year, that was never an official plan. Apple planned to center on getting the China operations ready first before working out the production in India. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file / AP Newsroom)

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Had Apple and Foxconn planned a simultaneous launch, supply-chain challenges would have hindered that ambition. China is the source of many iPhone parts but has had several coronavirus lockdowns that have complicated the process of shipping components through the country.