Apple manufacturer Foxconn wants to expand its operations in India and assemble iPads in the country, potentially at its Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu.
Currently, Apple contractors Foxconn, Pegatron and Tata Group only assemble iPhones in India.
India is becoming Apple’s new manufacturing hub
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Apple has diversified its supply chain and moved parts of it out of China. As part of the diversification, the company asked its suppliers to make India an alternative production hub for iPhones. The move has worked, with Apple assembling 14% of iPhone units in the country in 2023. Foxconn assembled about two-thirds of them, with the remainder equally split between Tata Group and Pegatron.
Given the success, it’s not surprising that Apple and its contractors want to make other devices in the country. The iPad is next in line, with an Economic Times report on Friday saying Foxconn is “seriously looking to start assembling” the tablet in the country. Foxconn also reportedly discussed the possibility with government officials. The story says Apple is unlikely to assemble Macs in India due to their relatively low sales volume.
Aside from China, Apple currently assembles iPads in Vietnam.
‘Made in India’ iPads by H2 2025?
According to an industry source, Apple will first assemble iPads using semi-knocked-down kits, with the tablets partially assembled in another country before being shipped to India for final production. Eventually, the manufacturer would move to entirely disassembled components, aka complete knock-down kits, as is the case with iPhone production in the country. The Indian government’s move to slash duties on imported PCBs and other items in its recent budget should further fuel the fire.
iPads don’t sell in the same numbers as iPhones. However, since the tablet shares many components with the iPhone, Apple partners shouldn’t need to make hefty investments to begin assembling iPads in India. If everything goes as planned, Foxconn could start doing so by the second half of 2025.
