Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple’s contract manufacturer, Foxconn, wants to expand its operation in India and assemble iPads locally. The company could initially start assembling iPads at its Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu, India.
Apple contractors Foxconn, Pegatron, and Tata Group currently only assemble iPhones in India.
India is becoming Apple’s new manufacturing hub
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Apple has diversified its supply chain and moved it out of China. As a part of the diversification, the company asked its suppliers to make India an alternative production hub for iPhones. The move has worked, with the Cupertino giant assembling 14% of iPhone units locally in the country in 2023. Foxconn assembled about two-thirds of them, with the remainder equally split between Tata Group and Pegatron.
Given the success, it’s not surprising that Apple and its contractors want to make other devices in the country. The iPad is next in line, with an Economic Times report claiming Foxconn is “seriously looking to start assembling” the tablet in the country. Purportedly, Foxconn has also had discussions with government officials about this.
Besides China, Apple currently assembles iPads in Vietnam. India could become the third country where the company assembles the tablet. The report further claims that Apple is unlikely to assemble Macs in India due to their low volume.
‘Made in India’ iPads by H2 2025?
According to an industry source, Apple will first assemble iPads with Semi-Knocked-down (SKD) kits before they reach the Completely Knocked-down (CKD) levels. The Indian government’s move to slash duties on imported PCBs and other items in its recent budget should further fuel the fire.
iPads don’t sell in the same numbers as iPhones. However, since it shares many components with the iPhone, Apple partners won’t need to make hefty investments to begin assembling it in India. If everything goes as planned, Foxconn could start assembling iPads in India by H2 2025.