iPhone may now be manufactured in Chennai

Apple has planned to begin manufacturing its latest model iPhone 14 in India about two months after the product’s initial release out of China, narrowing the gap between the two countries but not closing it completely as some had anticipated.
 
Apple has been working with suppliers to ramp up manufacturing in India and shorten the lag in production of the new iPhone from the typical six to nine months for previous launches, according to sources. Apple, which for long made most of its iPhones in China, is seeking alternatives as Xi Jinping’s administration clashes with the US government and imposes lockdowns across the country that have disrupted economic activity.
 
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities Group has said they anticipate Apple will ship the next iPhone from both countries at roughly the same time, which would have been a significant benchmark in Apple’s efforts to diversify its supply chain and build redundancy.
 
Foxconn, the primary manufacturer of iPhones, studied the process of shipping components from China and assembling iPhone 14 at its plant outside Chennai, said the people. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment. Foxconn did not respond to requests for comment.