Headphone maker AirPods for Apple will soon start assembling the iPhone 12 mini
Luxshare, the main assembler of AirPods, according to new data, will start assembling smartphones earlier than expected. This move on the part of Apple is due to the desire to reduce dependence on the Taiwanese company Foxconn, which currently produces the vast majority of iPhones.
Earlier this year, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that Luxshare could begin small-scale production of older iPhone and Apple Watch models this year. However, Nikkei reported today that Luxshare is already studying the production of the new iPhone 12 mini at a Chinese plant it acquired from Wistron.
Moreover, sources familiar with the matter claim that the company will receive about 20 percent of the total production orders for the iPhone 12 mini. The move comes as a surprise because Luxshare has yet to fully acquire the plant, and Apple generally does not allow outside employees to visit manufacturing facilities, especially during the height of the iPhone assembly season.
In July, Luxshare acquired Wistron’s iPhone assembly plant in Kunshan, China for $ 499 million to strengthen its manufacturing ties with Apple. Wistron has been an iPhone manufacturer since 2015 with factories in China and India. Apple reportedly asked Wistron to share its smartphone build experience with Luxshare as part of the deal.
Earlier this week, Apple suspended its partnership with Chinese company Pegatron after it found it was violating an employment agreement and misusing student labor. Bloomberg reported that some of Pegatron’s iPhone orders could go to Luxshare next year.
