The new products include indoor security cameras and a display designed to control appliances and serve as a house command hub in 2026. A more advanced tabletop robot, capable of using motors and sensors to move, is slated to follow in 2027.

All three products are on track to be built in Vietnam, a major change in how Apple approaches a new product category as the company has typically built new devices in China before adding production elsewhere or shifting it to another location.

For the upcoming home hub and the later robot, the company is teaming up with BYD, a Chinese firm best known for its electric vehicles but increasingly involved in Apple’s hardware supply chain.

The firm is also planning to expand its manufacturing of iPads with BYD in Vietnam. The tech giant already produces some iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches, Macs and older HomePods in the country.

The news outlet outlined that the expansion has underscored Apple’s growing reliance on Vietnam as a key production hub. The firm has been diversifying away from China as it copes with rising geopolitical tensions, ongoing threats of tariffs and the risk of supply chain disruptions.

According to supply chain experts, Apple is helping to elevate Vietnam’s role from a low-cost assembly hub to a more advanced position in the value chain, demanding higher technical standards, automation capabilities, and data security. This shift also presents opportunities for technology transfer, engineer training, and the development of the local supporting industry.

Apple considers Vietnam a strategic partner in its global supply chain

VOV.VN - In a letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Vietnam as a strategic partner in Apple’s global production supply chain, considering this a great opportunity for cooperation with the Vietnamese Government in the future.