iPhone Production In India Suspended Over Coronavirus Lockdown

With the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government on Tuesday evening, iPhone production in India has reportedly been suspended until at least April 14. Foxconn and Wistron, the two manufacturers for iPhone models in the country, have shut down their production facilities to adhere to the government order. Interestingly, both entities are also the key manufacturing partners to many other companies apart from Apple, including Xiaomi that’s leading the smartphone market in the country right now.

Foxconn and Wistron have suspended all their production plants in India to comply with the lockdown order, reports Bloomberg. Foxconn is said to have suspended its operations until April 14. A Wistron representative has also been cited confirming the lockdown, but without specifying any particular details.

Both Foxconn and Wistron haven’t provided any details on which devices have been impacted. However, the two contract manufacturers mainly produce older iPhone models that cater to the domestic demand. These include models such as the iPhone XR and iPhone SE among others.

A recent report by The Wall Street Journal noted that Apple didn’t have plans to produce its flagship iPhone 11 in India anytime soon and would continue to rely on China for its production — despite the coronavirus outbreak that affected many factories.

An email query sent to Apple India for clarity on the production halt didn’t elicit a response at the time of filing this story.

Alongside the manufacturing of iPhone models, other device productions in the country have also been impacted due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to limit the coronavirus outbreak. Oppo, Realme, and Vivo have also shut down their local manufacturing plants. The closure of Foxconn’s facility would also significantly impact the production of Xiaomi devices in the country.

A Xiaomi spokesperson didn’t respond to an email asking its measures to cope with the lockdown decision.

Last month, an IDC report highlighted that Xiaomi has continued its lead in India with a market share of 28.6 percent share, while Samsung took the second spot with 20.6 percent market share. The overall smartphone market in the country registered an eight percent year-over-year growth with the total shipment volumes reaching the milestone of 152.2 million units in 2019, up from 141.1 million shipments in 2018.

―Gadgets 360