Apple gears up to make iPhone 12 in India: Report
As the US-China trade war continues to escalate, Apple is stepping on the gas to shift its manufacturing out of the Xi Jinping-led country and save itself from getting caught up in the crossfire. It has already started making the iPhone 11 in India, and now, reports suggest, it is looking to make (or perhaps assemble) the upcoming iPhone 12 locally in the country.
Apple to ship India-made iPhone 12 next year
Multiple people familiar with the internal developments at Apple have informed Business Standard that the Cupertino giant will make the iPhone 12 in India in the coming months and start shipping the models by the middle of next year. The work, they added, will be carried out through a new manufacturing facility established by Apple's long-time contract-manufacturing partner Wistron.
No official confirmation yet
While the news is huge, neither Apple nor Wistron have officially confirmed the plan to make iPhone 12 in India. The latter already has a plant at Peenya in Bengaluru and is in the process of starting work at the new one, located at Narasapura in the Kolar district of Karnataka - about 70 km from Bengaluru.
Major investments, hiring planned for the new plant
Meanwhile, a recent report from The New Indian Express suggests that the new Wistron plant is ready and will be starting commercial production by September. The Taiwanese giant had previously said that it planned to invest over Rs. 2,900 crore in the new facility and hire as many as 10,000 people. Of these, TNIE report said, around 2,000 have already been recruited.
iPhone 12 slated to be launched in October
Apple typically launches iPhones in September but this time the launch event will be taking place in October, possibly on October 12. According to leaks, the iPhone 12 line-up will include two standard models and two Pro variants. The regular series will bear OLED screens, dual rear cameras, while Pro series will boast high refresh rate OLED screens, triple rear cameras, LiDAR, and 5G.
Ultimate goal is to move out of China
The effort to expand the production of newer iPhones in India comes as part of Apple's bid to move out of China, which has been at a trade war with the US and causing business disruptions. "There's a strong request from Apple to its clients to move part of the iPhone production out of China," a person familiar with the developments had told Reuters.
