Made in India Apple iPhone 14: Why latest update is good news for iPhone 15

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities Group, who is widely known as the “strongest Apple analyst on the planet”, has a new update on Apple’s India manufacturing plans for iPhone 14 series. In a new tweet, that adds to his earlier thread, Kuo said, “The iPhone 14’s mass production schedule in India this year is still about six weeks behind China, but the gap has improved significantly. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that India and China will be able to produce the new iPhone 15 at the same time next year.” Apple plans to begin manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India about a few weeks after its initial release out of China for the first time narrows the gap between the two countries, however, it did not close it completely. However, with Apple iPhone 15, India may be able to finally achieve this feat, as Kuo’s tweet predicts.

The latest tweet is part of his August 5 tweets where he wrote, “My latest survey indicates Foxconn’s iPhone production site in India will ship the new 6.1″ iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China for the first time in 2H22 (India being one quarter or more behind in the past).”
“In the short term, India’s iPhone capacities/shipments still have a considerable gap with China, but it’s an important milestone for Apple in building a non-Chinese iPhone production site.”
“It implies that Apple is trying to reduce the geopolitical impacts on supply and sees the Indian market as the next key growth driver,” reads the third tweet.

Apple has reportedly been working with suppliers to ramp up manufacturing in India and shorten the lag in production of the new iPhone from the typical six to nine months for previous launches. According to a report in Bloomberg earlier this month, “Foxconn Technology Group, the primary manufacturer of iPhones, studied the process of shipping components from China and assembling the iPhone 14 device at its plant outside the southern Indian city of Chennai.” The report quotes people, who asked not to be identified likely due Apple’s high standards for confidentiality.
The first iPhone 14s from India are likely to be finished in late October or November, following the initial September release. An ambitious target would be Diwali that falls on October 24, said the report.
Apple has reportedly been trying to seek alternatives as Xi Jinping’s administration clashes with the US government and imposes lockdowns across the country that have disrupted economic activity.