Apple has been assembling iPhones in India for quite a few years now. However, a report by The Information suggests that Apple and India could be hitting a new milestone in manufacturing in India.
According to the report, Apple will be using an Indian factory for the first time to do the early manufacturing work on the iPhone 17.
This is significant because NPI or New Production Introduction is seen as one of the most challenging aspect of Apple’s product development, claims the report. The whole NPI process includes tweaking the design of the iPhone and testing with different types of equipment and process to ensure iPhone production goes on smoothly. According to the report, the whole development process starts some time in October and continues till May.
Why this is significant for India and Apple?
For Apple, this marks as an important step in reducing its dependence in China. Although China remains a critical partner for Apple’s manufacturing, this move suggests Apple is looking to diversify its supply chain.
What it also does it shows Apple’s growing confidence in the Indian manufacturing capabilities. Till now, Apple hasn’t relied on other countries’ production expertise and has been solely dependent on China.
The report also mentions that Apple will be doing this only for the base model of the iPhone 17 series and not the Pro models. Apple has been assembling iPhone 16 Pro models in India but the NPI process could be restricted to the base models.
Even though the launch of iPhone 17 series is 11 months away, rumours have been swirling about Apple launching a special and slimmer iPhone in 2025. iPhone 17 Air (unconfirmed name) and iPhone 17 Pro models will still be extensively developed – including NPI – in China.