Apple Is Now Making AirPods Components in India

A U.S.-based Apple supplier has begun making components for AirPods in India, marking a significant step in the tech giant's push to expand production in the country, reports Bloomberg.

apple india
According to the news outlet, the Indian unit of Florida-based electronics manufacturer Jabil has begun shipping plastic AirPods enclosures to China and Vietnam, making the earbuds the second Apple product after iPhones to be made in India.

The move is part of Apple's plan to reduce its production reliance on China, where lockdown disruptions and US trade restrictions have made manufacturing more risky.

According to Jabil's website, the company operates a 858,000 square foot (80,000 square meter) facility employing more than 2,500 workers in Pune, western India.

Meanwhile, Apple's China-based suppliers are still waiting for the Indian government's approval to begin manufacturing there, with The Economic Times reporting that 14 Chinese companies have so far been granted only initial clearance.

The rush to gain approval follows news that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is drawing up plans to offer financial incentives to companies that produce wireless earphones and smartwatches locally.

Apple reportedly wants to triple its iPhone production capacity in India within the next two years. According to Bloomberg's sources, shipments of India-made iPhones to Europe and the Middle East are set to reach $2.5 billion by March 2023, almost doubling the $1.3 billion worth of iPhones the country exported in the year through March 2022.

The news outlet last year reported that it would take around eight years to move just 10% of Apple's production capacity out of China, where about 98% of iPhones are still made.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 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 March 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 ...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight

Tuesday April 1, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the Apple Card is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs. Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while...

Top Rated Comments

Minxy Avatar
28 months ago
India is the new China. But without the communism.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DFZD Avatar
28 months ago

But more corruption, less reliability, lower quality.

Also, most of China's economy is more capitalist than the US. China is communist only in the name of its government.
1. Corruption sure.. but more than China? I doubt.
2. Reliability.. I think you should use an iPhone 14th generation, its most likely built in India, and considering that internal components anyway come from China, it should not be an issue.
3. That's same as 2, but as I said use the 14 series and trust Apple and its partners to ensure similar quality output as from elsewhere.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
28 months ago
In September, I hope my new iPhone 15 Pro Max comes straight from India ??.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DFZD Avatar
28 months ago
Well we in India are now getting much better prices due to reduced taxation thanks to local manufacturing credits. I hope more companies move their manufacturing to India. China may give better pricing to build but its not a long term ally that the West needs.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T Coma Avatar
28 months ago

But more corruption, less reliability, lower quality.

Also, most of China's economy is more capitalist than the US. China is communist only in the name of its government.
I can say — with actually having worked in business in China, mind you — that “privately” owned businesses are so deeply intertwined with or flat-out owned by local and state gov’t (with its requisite corruption) that their version of capitalism is a much different animal than the one the Americans are accustomed to.

I have no experience with business in India though, so I must rely on the reports of those who have experience in that arena. Any diversification that lessens reliance on China is certainly a step in the right direction, regardless.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d5aqoëp Avatar
28 months ago

What "better prices"? Nothing has become cheaper and everything has become more expensive since "local manufacturing".
Allow me to discredit you royally

Take example of iPhone 14 Plus.

This whole month of Jan 2023, it is available on Flipkart for ₹75,000 including taxes. Source ('https://dl.flipkart.com/s/829WgquuuN'). Which comes to $920. This is probably cheapest in the world.
Now same model sells for $899 WITHOUT TAXES in the US.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)