Foxconn to Make AirPods for the First Time, New Factory Planned in India

Apple supplier Foxconn has won an order to make AirPods for the first time, reports Reuters.

airpods 3 purple
The Taiwanese contract manufacturer plans to build a factory in India to produce the earphones, underlining efforts by the key Apple supplier to diversify production away from China.

According to the report's sources, Foxconn will invest more than $200 million in a new AirPods assembly plant in the southern Indian state of Telangana.

Construction of the facility is expected to start in the second half of this year and begin production by the end of 2024 at the earliest.

Foxconn officials are said to have debated internally for months about whether to assemble AirPods, due to the relatively low profit margins, but they ultimately decided to go ahead with the deal to "reinforce engagement" with Apple.

The decision to set up production in India was requested by Apple, according to one of the report's sources. Besides the Telangana facility, Foxconn reportedly plans to ramp up its investment in India with a view to manufacturing smartphones, EVs, and semiconductors.

It's not clear which model(s) of AirPods are included in Foxconn's order, but there's a high chance they will include a USB-C connector instead of a Lightning connector, as Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce iPhone 15 models with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port in 2023.

Related Roundup: AirPods 3
Tag: India
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

StellarVixen Avatar
10 months ago

Isn’t Foxconn China based? My 2003 iMac has Foxconn stuff in it and I think it was made in China but could be wrong of course lol
It is Taiwanese company that has factories in PRC, but not only there.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
10 months ago
Great to see another Apple product manufactured in India. Slowly expanding manufacturing outside China!!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
monster620ie Avatar
10 months ago
Build in USA!!!!! Build in USA!!!! Stop outsourcing jobs!!!!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AmazeSE Avatar
10 months ago
Wow, It seems India is getting a lot of Apple Factories going from the recent Apple news from India.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
10 months ago

Isn’t Foxconn China based? My 2003 iMac has Foxconn stuff in it and I think it was made in China but could be wrong of course lol
Foxconn is a Taiwanese company. They have factories in many countries, many in China.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AmazeSE Avatar
10 months ago

These are not Apple factories.
They are owned, managed and run by Foxconn.

They manufacture items for Apple and others.
Oh yeah. I know. I referred it as Apple Factories because there are a bunch of Apple contract manufacturers investing in India. (Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron). I should have worded it properly :).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....