Apple might soon begin producing iPads in India.

According to two sources quoted by CNBC, India and Apple are in discussions for India to start producing iPads. No firm plans have yet been made, but the Cupertino tech giant has been in discussions with government representatives about whether the Tamil Nadu plant close to Chennai can be used for tablet production. The news was released shortly after Apple began making some of its most recent iPhones in India due to production problems in China. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, Apple has considered diversifying its manufacturing facilities to lessen its reliance on Chinese manufacturing. Foxconn, one of China's largest manufacturing facilities, is still experiencing lockdowns caused by COVID-19. Foxconn also happens to be one of Apple's primary manufacturing locations.

As a result, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are currently difficult to locate all over the world.
The facility in India began producing Beats, AirPods, and the standard iPhone 14, which was a first for the country as it had only previously manufactured earlier models.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Apple is hesitant to move the manufacturing of iPads to India due to a lack of educated labour and specialists capable of creating sophisticated mobile devices.

Currently, Foxconn manufactures only 10% of iPhones in Chennai, and only 5% of iPhone 14 devices come from this facility. Apple will keep growing its network of facilities in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the United States even if the changeover will take time.

According to two people close to the Indian government, India is looking into ways to import part of Apple's iPad output from China. The tech behemoth is reportedly in constant communication with authorities. Although no specific plans have been established, if the initiative is successful, Apple's presence in the nation would increase.

Apple said earlier this year that it has started producing the premium iPhone 14 in southern India. For a number of years, the tech giant has produced the country's older iPhone models.

Following nationwide protests that have taken place over the past two weeks in response to Beijing's tough zero-Covid policy, the tech giant has announced plans to diversify more of its supply chain away from China. 

Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Apple is aggressively exploring to move production out of China to other Asian nations, including Vietnam and India.

However, sources warn that similar ambitions in India could be slowed down by a shortage of highly skilled workers and people with experience in creating complicated products like the iPad. The backdrop of foreign policy, with rising hostilities between China and India, is particularly unhelpful. Due to recent territorial disputes between the two nations, the military presence near the China-India border has increased.

10% of iPhones, according to Gene Munster of Loop Ventures, are produced in India, but he anticipates a gradual increase in output.