Apple wants out of China as the country remains a geopolitical hotspot
![Jabil's Indian plant where AirPods bodies are now being made - Apple moves production of key AirPods component to India](https://www.phoneweek.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Apple-moves-production-of-key-AirPods-component-to-India.jpg)
Jabil’s Indian plant where AirPods bodies are now being made
Eventually, Apple plans to fully manufacture AirPods in India
Jabil has an 858,000-square-foot plant in Western India that employs 2,500 people. The move makes Apple’s AirPods the second product from the firm to be fully or partially built in the country after the iPhone. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative has been given strong support from Apple. Eventually, the company hopes to fully build AirPods in India and the government has approved joint ventures between Apple’s Chinese suppliers and Indian companies that will allow this to happen.
Apple is the leading company in the true wireless stereo category. Including earbuds and over-ear headphones, the company shipped 23.8 million units during the third quarter of 2022. This gave Apple a leading 31% share of the market.
Apple has long been rumored to be looking at several countries to replace China as its manufacturing base. Some of the countries previously mentioned include India, Mexico and Vietnam. The latter has become a major tech center and many analysts believe that Apple will end up moving production to that country. Wherever Apple moves its manufacturing base to, there needs to be enough qualified workers to choose from. Additionally, there needs to be a suppliers nearby that can deliver components in the quantity and quality that Apple requires.