Another Apple product’s production is shifting away from China
Apple has been slowly moving its production away from China for a while now. India has been a big resource for the company and has begun producing iPhone models for the global market. Now the company is looking to shift production of its class-leading AirPods to the region as well.
A new factory near Hyderabad has already begun trial runs for the AirPods and is expected to enter the mass production stage early next year. Though China has been a massive boon to Apple’s business for a very long time, the cost of doing business with the country is becoming too much to bear.
Most troublesome is the U.S. taking stringent measures against the Chinese tech industry in the name of national security. This also includes president elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs which promise to make doing business with China extra difficult.
Apple’s shift away from Chinese production — using India and Vietnam mostly — is a stark contrast from a few years ago when Tim Cook defended choosing Chinese labor. AirPods are already manufactured in Vietnam to an extent and it’s good to see Apple expanding its production facilities. This move undoubtedly signals the end of AirPods production in China in the near future.
The biggest hurdles to moving production away from China are cost and quality assurance. Opening up new factories in other countries is no cheap endeavor. Companies also have to weigh the cost of labor in the new country to Chinese labor which can often come out in favor of China.
The Chinese industry — as Cook explained — is very advanced. Apple can rest assured knowing that its devices will be manufactured up to the standards imposed by the company. Moving production to other countries often results in a drop in quality and a ton of stock going to waste until the manufacturing methods are perfected.
However, AirPods are much simpler devices than the iPhone. I’m positive that India should not have much trouble producing satisfactory units if it’s able to assemble the iPhone successfully. The AirPods are excellent earphones — especially considering that they’re consumer products — and Apple wouldn’t dare compromise on quality.
So no worries if your next pair of AirPods comes from India: you’ll still be getting some excellent audio gear.
A new factory near Hyderabad has already begun trial runs for the AirPods and is expected to enter the mass production stage early next year. Though China has been a massive boon to Apple’s business for a very long time, the cost of doing business with the country is becoming too much to bear.
Apple’s shift away from Chinese production — using India and Vietnam mostly — is a stark contrast from a few years ago when Tim Cook defended choosing Chinese labor. AirPods are already manufactured in Vietnam to an extent and it’s good to see Apple expanding its production facilities. This move undoubtedly signals the end of AirPods production in China in the near future.
Many iPhone 16 Pro Max units were assembled in India. | Video credit — Apple
The biggest hurdles to moving production away from China are cost and quality assurance. Opening up new factories in other countries is no cheap endeavor. Companies also have to weigh the cost of labor in the new country to Chinese labor which can often come out in favor of China.
The Chinese industry — as Cook explained — is very advanced. Apple can rest assured knowing that its devices will be manufactured up to the standards imposed by the company. Moving production to other countries often results in a drop in quality and a ton of stock going to waste until the manufacturing methods are perfected.
However, AirPods are much simpler devices than the iPhone. I’m positive that India should not have much trouble producing satisfactory units if it’s able to assemble the iPhone successfully. The AirPods are excellent earphones — especially considering that they’re consumer products — and Apple wouldn’t dare compromise on quality.
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