Apple remains firm in its plan to cut its dependence on China, and has already defined the next step. As reported Nikkei Asiathose of Cupertino they will start producing MacBooks in Vietnam from 2023. A well-known fact, considering that until now the production of its laptops has been carried out exclusively in Chinese territory.
Of course, Apple won’t be moving its entire MacBook production line out of China. Much less during the night. The aforementioned media indicate that the California firm wants Foxconn to begin the assembly process at its Vietnamese facilities from May next yearas the oldest date.
In any case, Apple has been working for at least two years on the possibility of producing MacBooks in Vietnam. At the end of 2020, the first reports that spoke of this option appeared, given the escalation of the trade war between the United States and China.
However, what causes the most concern for those in lockdown is how the sanitary lockdowns are due ongoing outbreaks of coronavirus have affected its production line in China. Something that has made headlines in recent months due to problems in the production of the iPhone 14, but which has also affected the rest of its products.
Apple will produce MacBooks in Vietnam as part of its diversification process
Once Apple starts producing MacBooks in Vietnam, none of its major products will be tied exclusively to China. The iPhone is also manufactured in India and Brazil; AirPods in Vietnam, where production lines for iPad and Apple Watch have also been set up.
Naturally, the Chinese factories of Foxconn and other Apple suppliers will continue to handle the largest production volume of their devices. After all, China is responsible for assembling over 90% of products bearing the apple logo. And the percentage is even higher in cases such as the iPhone, given that 98% of the units come from the Asian giant.
Furthermore, it is not known, so far, how many MacBooks those of Cupertino aim to produce in Vietnam. Initially it was said that the company’s idea was to get about 30% of its production lines out of China, but it is not known if this is still the goal.
Nikkei Asia ensures that today Apple produces between 20 and 24 million MacBooks a year. The IT division of the Californian company – which also includes Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Studio, and which awaits the long-awaited renewal of the Mac Pro – was the great protagonist of the last fiscal quarter.
According to Apple, Mac sales grew 25% year-over-year during the third quarter of 2022, Apple’s fourth fiscal quarter. However, the company opened the umbrella and assured that it expected the income of said division decreased “substantially” in the immediate future. Whether that is evidenced in fiscal 2023 Q1 financial results remains to be seen.
The truth is, MacBooks aren’t the only ones whose production line Apple plans to move. As for the components, the story is similar. Recently, it was learned that TSMC will start supplying those from Cupertino with chips made in Arizona, USA. Something that also aims to reduce its reliance on semiconductors manufactured in Asia, both in China and Taiwan. However, the first results they will only see each other in 2024.
