iPhone 12 Production Halted in India by Protests Over Food Poisoning

iPhone 12 production in India has been halted by protests over food poisoning at a Foxconn factory, Reuters reports.

iPhone 12 Made in India
Foxconn's manufacturing plant near Chennai in southern India, which produces iPhone 12 models, is set to remain shut this week after protests by workers. Protestors reportedly blocked a major highway leading to the plant in response to 150 employees being admitted to hospital with food poisoning last week. The incident is said to have inflamed other employee concerns that have since been reported to the state labor ministry.

The temporary closure is expected to have a minimal impact on Apple in the short term, but it could have ramifications for ramping up production going into 2022. The disruption comes amid other supply chain constraints for Apple, which have been expected to worsen during the holiday quarter. The facility also makes Amazon Fire TV sticks and some devices for Xiaomi.

Earlier today, it was reported that Apple plans to manufacture iPhone 13 models at the Chennai facility, even though the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 are currently believed to be the best-selling iPhones in India.

Tags: Foxconn, India
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

baryon Avatar
44 months ago
Dammit poor people! Stop protesting about your inhumane working conditions and make my new iPhone! My old one is nearly a year old and I'm bored of it!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
44 months ago

Uh oh! Not a great feeling to be reminded your iPhone was made in a sweatshop.

Meanwhile Tim Apple keeps printing money.
ummm. Did you see Amazon and Xiaomi also use this factory? Almost all manufacturing for all brands is done by separate companies, some in India, some in china, Vietnam, Thailand, of which Apple has somewhat higher standards than others, although hard to control when your manufacturer is an unrelated third party..... In fact Samsung uses its own factories (vertical integration), but their conditions are typical for this industry and not much better. So, if you restate your comment without Apple, or as inclusion of the whole industry, you would be correct. Manufacturing in general is not a high paying job ripe with benefits. in a related matter, just look at how poorly amazon treats its employees, talk about a sweat shop

Not to belittle the problem, but these people deserve better by all industries and all companies
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gorillab35! Avatar
44 months ago
Wow. No empathy for workers I see.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kevin2055 Avatar
44 months ago
It is been suggested to only drink bottle water when travel to India.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sideshowuniqueuser Avatar
44 months ago

Uh oh! Not a great feeling to be reminded your iPhone was made in a sweatshop.

Meanwhile Tim Apple keeps printing money.
It's obviously far far from the worlds worst working conditions. The fact that they can go on strike for a week and still have a job at the end of it says that they have quite a bit of power to fight for better conditions.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
44 months ago
It’s about infrastructure and education. Some people seem to think Apple could manufacture in the middle of the desert without automated ports, high speed rail, or other supply chain necessities. They don’t even think about the basics like literacy, access to water, or electricity.

A few years ago, the Indian government embarked on an enormous mission simply to eliminate public defecation because of the health hazards and poor sanitation associated with it. Some things, you can’t blame Apple or Foxconn for because such problems wouldn’t even come across your mind in the first place.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)