Foxconn has won its first contract to produce AirPods for Apple.
The Taiwanese contract manufacturer plans to build a factory in India to produce the earphones, underlining efforts by the key Apple supplier to diversify production away from China.
According to the report from Reuters, Foxconn will invest more than $200 million in a new AirPods assembly plant in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
Construction of the facility is expected to start in the second half of this year and begin production by the end of 2024 at the earliest.
Foxconn officials are rumored to have debated internally for months as to whether or not to assemble AirPods given the relatively low profit margins. The company is said to have decided to go ahead with the deal to “reinforce engagement” with Apple.
It’s unknown as to which models of AirPods are included in Foxconn’s order, although there’s a high chance they will include a USB-C connector instead of a Lightning connector, as Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce iPhone 15 models with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port in 2023.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.