Bloomberg News reported on the 19th (local time) that Apple will produce all models of its latest smartphone, the iPhone 17 series, in India, which is set to launch next month.
Apple has diversified iPhone production from China to India and other countries over the past several years. However, this is the first time all models of the latest iPhone will be produced in India.
In the case of the iPhone 16 series launched last year, two standard models were produced in India, but the two premium models, the Pro and Pro Max, were still produced in China.
The 'Indian-made' iPhone 17 series is scheduled to be sold in the United States upon its launch next month.
Bloomberg News assessed that this move is an important milestone in Apple's long-term strategy to reduce reliance on China for iPhone exports to the United States.
Currently, Apple operates five iPhone assembly plants in India, two of which were recently opened.
The Indian conglomerate Tata Group plays a key role in this iPhone production expansion. This corporation is expected to handle half of iPhone production in India over the next two years.
Recently, iPhone production in India has been increasing. From April to July, the total value of iPhones shipped from India amounted to $7.5 billion (based on factory prices), nearly half of the total exports of $17 billion during the same period.
From April of last year to March of this year, about 20% of the world's iPhone production, worth $22 billion, was assembled in India.
Initially, Apple began transferring iPhone production sites as lockdowns due to COVID-19 in China continued. Recently, ongoing trade tensions over tariffs between the U.S. and China have further accelerated this process.
Bloomberg News noted, "The Donald Trump administration exempted most tariffs on iPhones by industry, but Apple still faces individual tariff risks by country," and analyzed, "The transfer of production to India is a strategic move to reassess the supply chain and reduce these risks in the long term while ensuring stable production for Apple's largest market, the United States."
Apple expects to incur a loss of $1.1 billion in tariffs this quarter (July-September).