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Apple’s Use of India to Limit its Exposure to China Is Part of a Broader Trend 

by Cobus van Staden
File image of Wistron workers, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer near Bangalore, India, that manufactures Apple iPhones. Manjunath Kiran / AFP

The relocation of a portion of Apple’s iPhone 14 manufacturing from China to India is reportedly going surprisingly smoothly, getting underway weeks ahead of schedule.

The move is an example of a wider manufacturing strategy by global brands. Apple and its competitors are increasingly opting for a “China plus one” strategy, where they set up parallel manufacturing processes in China and other manufacturing hubs like Vietnam or India.

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