Apple Shift Turns India Into World's Top Maker of US Smartphones (bloomberg.com) 41
India has overtaken China to become the top source of smartphones sold in the US, after Apple shifted to assemble more of its iPhones in the South Asian country. From a report: In the quarter through June, India was the largest manufacturer of smartphones shipped to the US for the first time, accounting for 44% of the market, according to Canalys data. Vietnam, home to much of Samsung's production, came in second. China fell from having more than 60% of all estimated shipments a year ago to just 25%.
The stark change comes as Apple ramped up its production in India and smartphone makers "frontload device inventories amid tariff concerns," Canalys researchers wrote. The volume of made-in-India devices more than tripled in the past quarter from a year earlier. Apple's iPhone shipments to the US declined by 11%, reflecting distortions to its usual pattern due to unusually high shipments to stockpile units earlier in the year.
The stark change comes as Apple ramped up its production in India and smartphone makers "frontload device inventories amid tariff concerns," Canalys researchers wrote. The volume of made-in-India devices more than tripled in the past quarter from a year earlier. Apple's iPhone shipments to the US declined by 11%, reflecting distortions to its usual pattern due to unusually high shipments to stockpile units earlier in the year.
Tariffs (Score:4, Informative)
Tariff one country into oblivion, observe industrialists move production to the next cheapest country, lather, rinse, repeat.
What? (Score:2)
Apple people lecture others about ethics all the time.
When and about what?
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I like the iPhone because it's a pretty good piece of hardware. Yes they're expensive but Samsung sells even more expensive models. Resale value is also pretty good and you get many years of OS updates. Google has pledged 6 years of updates with the Pixel but we know how often they cancel projects.
It's a bit hypocritical for political leaders in the US to paint China as some sort of boogey man that's out to get everyone. China is primarily concerned about China.
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The US to paint China as some sort of boogey man that's out to get everyone. China is primarily concerned about China.
China is primarily concerned about China. = out to get everyone.
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I like the iPhone because it's a pretty good piece of hardware.
The hardware isn't the problem, it's the way the software is hobbled. Can't install arbitary software on your device, can't use the browser rendering engine of your choice on your device, don't have control over Caller ID blocking on your device if the carrier says no, can't install a decent keyboard on your device... Because Apple thinks it's their device even post-sale.
The hardware is good, inadequate battery designed to sell more batteries and/or devices aside, but everything about owning it stinks.
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It's a bit hypocritical for political leaders in the US to paint China as some sort of boogey man that's out to get everyone. China is primarily concerned about China.
There are (at least) two types of bogeymen. There's the military threat, like the old Soviet Union. China is like that. Then there's the economic threat, like Japan in the 80's. China is also like that. I think that's part of the issue with China, that it is both a military and economic threat.
We're decades removed from the Soviet Union threat as well as the Japanese threat. The racial animus towards the Japanese in the 80's was very tangible. Hopefully the world situation will evolve similarly so th
Re: Tariffs (Score:2)
How is China a military that to the USA?
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How is China a military that to the USA?
How is China a military threat to the US? First, there's the cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, particularly utilities and communication. Such cyberattacks also target news, propaganda, and elections. Second, it has significantly increased the size of its military, particularly in weapons that can target the US, including nuclear missiles, hypersonic missiles, long-range stealth bombers, etc. China has the largest navy in the world by fleet size and has targeted blue waters naval capabilities
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I've never had an "Apple person" lecture me about anything.
Re:Tariffs (Score:5, Insightful)
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India is a democracy. It's neither communist or fascist, unlike China where these phones used to be made. China is also increasingly hostile to the US due to it's support of Taiwan. As an American, I'm much happier supporting production in India than China.
On the other hand, India has never been a friend to the US. India is happy to establish relationships that benefit it, even if that means shifting alliances with the US, Russia, or others. The only big country that India won't befriend is China, and that's because both India and China consider themselves to entitled to be the dominant country in Asia.
I would say that I'm happier with a more sustainable and robust supply chain. But India is no more reliable than China in considering US interests.
Re: Tariffs (Score:2)
So supporting Taiwanese independence then?
Odd that the mainland Chinese get success and significant improvements in every aspect of their lives, and have a very high approval rating for their government...but you cali them undemocratic. The people they vote for can actually make big differences to the regions they represent - not true in some "democracies", and they can rise through the government via merit.
Also, some "democracies" don't allow you to vote for the country's leader. Yeah, I'm talking about th
Re:Tariffs (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re: Tariffs (Score:1)
The top leader is selected by a smaller group of people, not by plebs, just like in the UK, except, in the UK, the actual ability of the candidates are almost irrelevant, while, in China, they have risen to that point largely by merit.
The voting in China happens at the level where the elected person can, and does, make a big difference to the situation of the voter. It's a bit more like the council elections in the UK, but the election for an MP in the UK is almost useless, unless the MP happen to be in the
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"India is better than China"
Not a high bar. Child marriage. Forced sterilizations. Tacit support of assassins in United States and Canada.
Re: Tariffs (Score:2)
None of which China do...
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Tariff one country into oblivion, observe industrialists move production to the next cheapest country, lather, rinse, repeat.
The Boy King has already noticed, and is now threatening 25% tariffs on India [cnn.com].
So low energy, so sad. (Score:2)
Yuge success, great accomplishment.
But why not the US of A, but India?
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I'll pay $2600 for an iPhone if I am getting something for it.
I'm not paying so much as one penny more simply because of where it's manufactured.
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Does beg the question of how much manual (aka human) labor actually goes into an iPhone and what that cost differential would be for US made ones. I have to presume that the manufacture of an iPhone is very, very automated given the components being so small and tightly packed. Is the manual labor part just a bunch of people carefully plugging in tiny ribbon cables? Packing boxes?
Is the real cost savings for India that the US is too litigious, OSHA costs, health insurance or something like the fact th
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If it were that simple, I am sure that Apple would have long ago moved manufacturing to the US (if only just for marketing purposes). The assembly of any smartphone remains quite labor intensive, which means that lost-cost labor countries will have an enormous advantage. It is likely very boring work that might be hard to interest most Americans. It isn't as if the US has a serious unemployment problem, so people will work elsewhere (just as they will with agriculture... not enough Americans really want to
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Yuge success, great accomplishment.
But why not the US of A, but India?
The US answer to cheap Asian labor has to be robotic factories. These will take time to build, and will probably be financed by China as their way of avoiding the tariff.
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Kinda like Mexico paid for the wall?
Re: So low energy, so sad. (Score:2)
China already has those, as a way to avoid the problem with their low birth rate. Still, they would be open to technology exchange...that's the usual thing for an advanced nation (China) to help with a developing nation (USA), right?
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Hell, the Trump phone won't even me made in the USA. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/2... [cnbc.com]
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Yuge success, great accomplishment.
But why not the US of A, but India?
Don't worry. Rumor has it that India is slated to become the 52nd state (after Canada, of course).
Because it is cheaper than in China (Score:2)
Alright then... (Score:3)
The next model they make will surely be Appleesh or Appriya.
And to succeed in business... (Score:2)
they surely will now pray to Apple Krishna.