Apple Asks Foxconn to Move Some MacBook and iPad Production From China to Vietnam

Apple has asked Foxconn to move some of its iPad and MacBook assembly from China to Vietnam in an effort to minimize the impact of ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, according to sources cited by Reuters.

Apple iPhone Production waiting to start in Vietnam

Foxconn is building assembly lines for Apple's iPad tablet and MacBook laptop at its plant in Vietnam's northeastern Bac Giang province, to come online in the first half of 2021, the person said, declining to be identified as the plan was private.

The lines will also take some production from China, the person said, without elaborating how much production would shift.

"The move was requested by Apple," the person said. "It wants to diversify production following the trade war."

Apple has been seeking to add geographic diversity to its supply chain for some time now, and Apple suppliers already assemble the company's AirPods and AirPods Pro in Vietnam.

Apple is also reportedly seeking to expand iPhone production in Vietnam, although a report in August suggested the company was holding off until workers' conditions improve at supplier Luxshare-ICT's facilities.

Major Apple manufacturing contractors Foxconn, Pegatron, and Compal Electronics are all said to be expanding production in Vietnam as companies seek to reduce reliance on China and diversify supply chains to prevent concentration risks.

Vietnam is emerging as a major manufacturing and assembly hub for large technology companies, and Samsung manufactures as many as half of its smartphones there already.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
amazon black friday

Amazon Kicks Off Black Friday Sale With Major Discounts on Apple Accessories, TVs, and More

Sunday November 23, 2025 7:12 am PST by
Black Friday deals have begun, and Amazon is one of the best places you can find steep discounts on numerous products this week. We've already collected all of the best Apple-related deals you'll find at Amazon (and other retailers) in our Apple Black Friday Deals post, so below you'll find other discounts on devices like Anker accessories, Beats headphones, video games, TVs, and more. Note:...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...

Top Rated Comments

Maximara Avatar
65 months ago
I got a better idea. How about moving the assembly to the United States and the upper mangers all take a slight pay cut to pay for it? :p
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Guacamole Avatar
65 months ago
all companies should move out from china
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
65 months ago

I got a better idea. How about moving the assembly to the United States and the upper mangers all take a slight pay cut to pay for it? :p
That’s not how capitalism works.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
centauratlas Avatar
65 months ago
Geographic diversity makes sense both from a shareholder and purchaser perspective. Dependence on factories in one single location is the height of stupidity and shortsightedness.


“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” -MLK
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R.Patrick Avatar
65 months ago
Hmm.... What about moving the assembly to the US?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fenderbass146 Avatar
65 months ago

Why?
Because they are an authoritarian country who has millions of people in concentration camps, is trying to kill democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan, continues to be aggressive militarily in South China Sea, has dangerous viruses coming out of their country regularly including covid. The government of China is trash and until they shape up business should cut ties
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)