Due to supply problems with traditional suppliers in China, Apple has been moving the production of components of some of its biggest products to India. Most recently, that's been the iPhone 14. But now Indian supplier Jabil Inc. is reportedly making AirPods enclosures and shipping them to China and Vietnam for final assembly, Bloomberg reports.
While it looks like the entire production of AirPods is yet to leave China, this is further evidence that Apple intends to use India more to manufacture its products.
iPhones, now AirPods
Apple has been looking to become less reliant on China, as US trade restrictions tighten and Covid-related issues continue. This is just one of many moves that Apple has made already in India, following iPhone 14 production.
It's no surprise that Apple chose India for iPhone production. According to Bloomberg, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has 'made it a national priority to grow India's manufacturing sector', giving financial incentives and governmental support to companies that expand into India. This gives Apple even more reason to move to India, removing the issues with the Chinese supply chain and coming with extra incentive.
Of course, AirPods are yet to be fully assembled in India. There does seem to be a shift within some Chinese manufacturing firms that work with Apple to open factories in India, with Apple supplier Luxshare (an Apple supplier that makes AirPods) agreeing to take over a closed-down manufacturing plant in India. While this is yet to show AirPods being made in India, this new Jabil component production could be evidence that AirPods manufacture could be moving.
This is all great news for consumers, as Apple's reliance on Chinese manufacturing crippled iPhone supply during Covid. A more diverse supply chain should mean fewer supply issues and shortages, so getting a new pair of AirPods will be much easier.
AirPods are some of the best wireless headphones around, with the latest AirPods Pro 2 scoring very highly in our review.
