Apple is making a significant shift in how it builds its popular iPhones. The company will produce the new iPhone 17 for customers in the United States from factories in India. This marks a first. For the first time, all new iPhone models will ship directly from India when they first go on sale. This move away from China’s factories is a big step.
This change is part of Apple’s bigger strategy. The company wants to rely less on its long-standing manufacturing ties in China. Bloomberg revealed this plan. The Verge also pointed out Apple’s growing effort to shift iPhone production from China to India. A key reason for this might be taxes. iPhones made in India are reportedly free from import taxes in the U.S., even though the U.S. generally places a 50% tax on other goods from India.
Apple isn’t stopping with just the iPhone 17. The company is also working on a new iPhone model that will follow the iPhone 16E. This future phone will also be made in factories in India. However, analyst Patrick Moorhead shared an important detail. While final assembly moves to India, many smaller parts for these new iPhones are still made in Chinese factories. These components are then sent to India for the last stages of putting the phones together.