After Apple iPhone, India may soon start manufacturing few iPad models

Earlier this week, we saw reports suggesting Apple is planning to shift more iPhone production from China to India. Now as per a new report, the company may also move production of a few iPad models to India. According to a CNBC report, Apple "talked to Indian officials about locating some iPad manufacturing in the country as US-China relations sour and China’s Covid crackdowns snarl supply chains.” For those who are unaware, Apple iPad and iPhone production is badly hit due to the protests at its biggest plants over rising Covid related restrictions.

Apple is planning to shift iPad manufacturing to India as the company looks to move up to 30 percent of its manufacturing outside of China. The report said that no concrete plans have been made yet, "but if the effort is successful, it would expand Apple`s footprint in the country".

In India, Apple iPads logged an impressive 34 per cent growth (on-year) in India in the second quarter (Q2) and the company sold over 0.2 million devices in the country, according to CMR. Apple iPad (Gen 9) and iPad Air 2022 accounted for a lion's share of the iPad shipments, according to the CMR Q2 data.

The tech giant is also fast forwarding its manufacturing plans in India and Vietnam in the wake of China unrest over zero-Covid policy which has severely disrupted its supply chain, leading to an acute shortage of new iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple aims to ship 40-45 percent of iPhones from India compared with a single-digit percentage currently, according to famed analyst Ming-chi Kuo.

Kuo has predicted that iPhone shipments in the fourth quarter this year are likely to reach around 70 million to 75 million units, nearly 10 million less than market projections before the China turmoil.

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Every fourth iPhone will be made in India by 2025, according to J.P. Morgan. Apple first started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017, with iPhone SE.

The tech giant manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in the country, including iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 at the Foxconn facility while iPhone SE and iPhone 12 are being assembled at the Wistron factory in the country. (with inputs from IANS)