14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is projected to launch the iPhone 12 generation later this year, and as it turns out, the company is also planning major changes in terms of manufacturing.
More specifically, the iPhone 12 will be produced exclusively in India beginning with mid-2021, according to a report from Business Standard, with Wistron to take care of the entire process at a new facility near Bengaluru.
According to the report, Apple and Wistron have been working on this change for quite some time, and more recently, trial production of the iPhone started at the new plant.
Wistron has promised to hire as many as 10,000 new works in India, all to be able to meet Apple’s iPhone production ambitions in the country.
While the new plant would focus exclusively on the iPhone 12, Wistron will also continue to make other iPhones too, including the iPhone SE. Previously, the company has been making older iPhone models too, including the original iPhone SE.
The trade war
The decision is obviously a major blow to China, but it’s certainly not coming as a big surprise.
Apple has been trying to reduce reliance on China for several years already, and the company has accelerated plans in this regard in the last couple of years due to the trade war between the country and the United States.
Previous reports from people close to the matter said Apple was a possible target for the Chinese government should Beijing decide to retaliate against American companies for the issues that big names like Huawei and TikTok are dealing with in the United States.
Huawei has been banned in 2019 from working with American companies, while U.S. President Donald Trump more recently warned that TikTok would be banned in the country unless it finds a new owner. Microsoft is now in pole position to buy the social service.