According to reports, Apple intends to produce the forthcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models in India, with the Tata Group surfacing as a prospective production partner.
TrendForce reports that Tata has secured "small orders" for the next iPhone models, which are likely to be released between September and October of this year.
Tata is able to accept these orders after acquiring Wistron's Indian production line.
This move represents Apple's strategic shift in manufacturing locations, which extends beyond China. Notably, Apple currently manufactures the iPhone SE, iPhone 12, and iPhone 14 in India.
If the claim is right, Tata will also ask Apple for new design guidelines. Type-C ports, a standard charging and data transfer method among many Android phones, may be included in the next iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, as well as a new Apple iPad.
Until the iPhone 14 series, Apple relied on the proprietary Lightning charging connection, which struggled to achieve fast charging and data transmission speeds.
"As a result of geopolitical and pandemic concerns, Apple has been accelerating the diversification of its supply sources, with India being the most well-known example."
According to TrendForce, "India's Tata Group is expected to become Apple's fourth iPhone assembler."
When completed, the Bengaluru factory will be the country's first indigenous assembly line for Apple products.
Wistron's Indian facility now has eight production lines producing the iPhone 12 and iPhone 14. Following the deal, Tata is likely to begin manufacturing the iPhone 15.
Wistron's Bengaluru facility was the Taiwanese electronics company's sole product line for Apple iPhones in India; with this acquisition, Wistron will completely exit the $600 million iPhone market in India.
The 2.2 million square foot facility is located on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The next iPhone 15 is rumoured to include Apple's Bionic A16 chipset, which was first seen in the iPhone 14 Pro models last year.
The new aim is to offer the most recent chipset in Pro variants while using a year-old processor in regular devices.
The iPhone 15 may potentially feature a 48 MP primary camera on the rear, a significant improvement over the 12MP sensors found in current iPhone models.
However, capabilities such as a telephoto lens or LiDAR for optical zoom may be limited to Pro models exclusively.
