The iPhone 16 Pro, the next best iPhone is set to begin production in India — the very first time a Pro model has been manufactured in the country. This plan could help secure long-term stability for the company, amidst concerns around Chinese manufacturing.
As reported by Moneycontrol, and attributed to “people familiar with the matter,” both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are said to begin production in India, thanks to Apple’s partner, Foxconn. This will help supply the iPhone in India but could also make for better distribution across the world.
Moneycontrol was told “In the initial phase of iPhone 16 series availability, it is likely that the Pro and Pro Max models will be imported. But, Apple will make India-made Pro models available within this fiscal year, similar to what it did with Apple's iPhone 15 Plus.” This is also an effort to “diversify production beyond China”.
Why would Apple want to diversify production?
Apple, being based in Cupertino, has a bit of a rocky relationship with its supply line in China. TSMC, which is responsible for the chips in Apple devices, is based out of Hsinchu, Taiwan, and it could disable all factories if China invades Taiwan. Taiwan is at threat of aggression from the Chinese government as the Chinese government sees Taiwan as part of China. If this rising tension causes a conflict, Apple’s own production would dwindle, potentially holding back the iPhone, its biggest money maker. This would have wider effects on practically every Apple device so it is looking to not rely so heavily on singular manufacturers.
However, Apple is also rather reliant on the Chinese market, with even the Chinese branch of Microsoft forcing its employees to use Apple devices, due to their great security features. In the long term, relying on many different markets for manufacturing is better for Apple, and it knows this as it is aiming to have one-quarter of all manufacturing done in India in the next few years.
