Apple suppliers are in talks to produce Apple Watch and MacBook in Vietnam for the first time, Nikkei Asia news report said.
Apple’s Chinese suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry and iPhone assembler Foxconn have started test production of Apple Watch and MacBook in Northern Vietnam.
Apple has been shifting some areas of iPhone production from China to other markets, including India, where it started manufacturing iPhone 13 this year, and is also planning to assemble iPad tablets.
Apple is the #1 supplier in the wearable devices market during the first quarter of 2022, according to a resesrch report from IDC. Apple shipped 32.1 million units of smartwatches during the first quarter to grab 30.5 percent share.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market, along with countries such as Mexico and Vietnam are becoming increasingly important to contract manufacturers supplying American brands, as they try to diversify production away from China.
Last week, Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn gave a cautious outlook for the current quarter after posting results that exceeded expectations, citing slowing smartphone demand after a pandemic-fuelled boom.
Foxconn has dealt with a severe shortage of chips that hurt production, as bottlenecks from the pandemic lingered and the Ukraine war further strained logistical channels.
