Made in India AirPods after iPhones! Apple wants to make AirPods and Beats in India

Apple has asked its contract manufacturers to move production of the AirPods and Beats accessories to India from China.

Apple has asked its suppliers to move the production of its AirPods earbuds to India.  (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Apple is serious about making as many iPhones in India as possible and by 2025, it is expected that Apple's 25% yield of iPhones will come from India. Now, the company wants to do the same for its earbuds, i.e., its much demanded AirPods and the Beats wearables. Based on a new report, Apple has asked some of its manufacturers to move the production of these earbuds and wearables to India. The reason behind this is largely related to have a manufacturing diversity, and the promising manufacturing scene in India.

Based on a report from Nikkei, Apple has asked its suppliers to move production of the AirPods to India. As of now, it is not known whether Apple's manufacturers will go ahead with this decision, and when will that happen. Apple currently sells three versions of AirPods across various price points, the most recent one being the AirPods Pro 2nd Gen.

Made in India AirPods could happen soon

Apple already makes some of its popular low cost iPhones in India. Last week, the company announced its plans to manufacture the iPhone 14 in India. Prior to that, Apple was already making the iPhone 13 in India alongside the iPhone 12. Despite assembling these iPhones locally, Apple doesn't adjust the prices for the phone in the local market. This year's iPhone 14 is substantially more expensive than its US counterpart.

And as for the more desirable iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, they are bright into India as exports. Hence, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are among the most expensive iPhone models to buy in India, competing right with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Hence, the manufacturing of AirPods in India won't likely make Apple drop its prices. It also remains to be seen which models of the AirPods does Apple assembles in India. The most affordable version of the AirPods is the AirPods 2nd Gen, which has been around for a while. The AirPods 3rd Gen come in at a higher price and miss out on basics such as ANC and transparency modes. It is only the AirPods Pro 2nd Gen that get all the goodies from Apple – advanced noise cancelling and transparency mode, advanced tracking features for the case, and Apple's advanced H2 chip.