Apple to Make 'More' In India! Airpods Production Starts

Apple is poised to bolster the ‘Make in India’ initiative by launching AirPods production for exports at Foxconn’s Hyderabad facility starting April, marking its second product category to be manufactured in India after the runaway success of iPhones under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. Industry sources indicate that the initial focus will be on AirPods without Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), exclusively for export markets, though Apple has yet to officially confirm the development.

The move aligns with India’s burgeoning role in Apple’s global supply chain, following a 14% year-on-year surge in the country’s True Wireless Stereo (TWS) market shipments in 2024, driven by festive sales, affordability, and wider usage, per Counterpoint research. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone exports from India hit a record Rs 1 lakh crore in the first 10 months of FY25 (April-January), with January alone clocking Rs 19,000 crore—a 30% jump from the Rs 76,000 crore recorded in the same period last year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently hailed India as a key market, noting a December quarter growth record in 2024, with the iPhone topping sales charts from October to December. The upcoming AirPods production follows Apple’s unveiling of the AirPods 4, touted as its most advanced open-ear design yet. With Foxconn’s Hyderabad plant—backed by a $400 million investment approved in August 2023—set to drive this expansion, India is cementing its status as a critical manufacturing hub for the tech giant, amid its diversification from China and looming U.S. tariff pressures.