Nikkei Asia: Apple to produce MacBooks in Vietnam next year

The outlet also offered quotes from several sources stating that Apple has already contacted it its top supplier, Foxconn of Taiwan (China), to start making MacBooks in the Southeast Asian nation as early as May.

The tech giant has been devising plans to move some MacBook manufacturing to Vietnam for nearly two years, leading it to set up a test production line in the country, Nikkei Asia reported.

The Japanese media outlet noted that Apple can make between 20 million and 24 million MacBooks annually, with production spread between bases in the Chinese cities of Chengdu, in Sichuan province, and Shanghai.

“The shift to Vietnam comes amid not only rising geopolitical tensions but also production disruptions caused by China's zero-COVID policies and uncertainty from their sudden loosening in recent weeks,” the outlet stressed.

Apple's diversification to start production in the Vietnamese market began with the AirPods which went into mass production in 2020. The company also shifted some iPads and Apple Watch production to the country this year, a move which was first reported by Nikkei Asia.

It also noted that in October, Apple started producing the iPhone 14 in India, only a few weeks after the release of its latest flagship phone.

Several sources told Nikkei Asia that Apple aims to significantly increase iPhone output from India both this year and next, with the ultimate aim of turning the country into another key production base for its devices. In addition, Apple also aims to move some AirPods and Beats earphone production to India, Nikkei Asia reported.

However, Apple did not respond to Nikkei Asia's request for a comment on the topic.