Apple's Secrecy Standards Complicate iPhone 14 Production in India

Apple will begin iPhone 14 production in India about two months after the first wave of devices are released out of China as manufacturing partners try to replicate the complex ‌iPhone‌ supply chain operation in another country for the first time.

iPhone 14 Mock pill and hole thumb
Bloomberg reports that Apple has been working with suppliers to ramp up manufacturing in India and "shorten the lag in production of the new ‌iPhone‌ from the typical six to nine months for previous launches, according to people familiar with the matter."

However, Apple and primary ‌iPhone‌ assembler Foxconn have "ultimately determined a simultaneous start in India and China isn't realistic this year, although it remains a long-term goal," according to the report's sources.

Apple is said to be seeking alternatives to China amid the country's clashes with the U.S. government and strict lockdowns that have disrupted supply chain operations. To that end, Foxconn has reportedly been studying the process of shipping components from China and assembling the ‌iPhone‌ 14 devices at its plant outside the southern Indian city of Chennai.

Aside from the massive issue of organizing coordination between hundreds of suppliers, one of the big challenges the manufacturer is said to have faced involves finding ways to maintain Apple's high standards for secrecy.

Local executives in India reportedly looked at the possibility of "entirely cornering off one of Foxconn's multiple assembly lines, sequestering workers and scrutinizing all possible ways in which the security around the device could be compromised."

Apple is also said to be concerned about Indian customs officials who often unseal packages to check if imported materials match their declarations, which could jeopardize the company's stringent product secrecy controls.

Given the high possibility of leaks and other operational challenges, Apple and Foxconn therefore have this year decided against a simultaneous launch in China and India, and the first ‌iPhone‌ 14 models from India are likely to be finished in late October or November, following the initial September release.

Apple is aiming to announce the ‌iPhone‌ 14 on Wednesday, September 7, with retail employees said to be preparing for a new product release on Friday, September 16, which suggests the new ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and Apple Watch models could see a release on that date. Apple plans to release a total of four ‌‌iPhone‌ 14‌ models, including a 6.1-inch ‌‌iPhone‌ 14‌, a 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌ 14‌ Max, a 6.1-inch ‌‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro‌, and a 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro‌ Max.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...

Top Rated Comments

CarlJ Avatar
41 months ago

Apple is also said to be concerned about Indian customs officials who often unseal packages to check if imported materials match their declarations, which could jeopardize the company's stringent product secrecy controls.
Reminds me of a story that’s been going around programmer/sysadmin circles since time immemorial (in internet time, that’s since the 50’s/60’s) - I grabbed this copy from a 1991 Usenet posting ('https://groups.google.com/g/alt.folklore.computers/c/YyHfdWL7htc/m/0lYLNohW8ksJ'):

I heard this story from someone who worked for a French company, they had a problem with a program on punched cards written for them by a US subsidiary. The programs never worked when loaded in France but the US systems house swore blind that they did at their end. Eventually, in exasperation, someone followed the working set of cards from the US to France. At French customs, they observed a customs official remove a few cards at random from the deck. Apparently, the French customs are entitled to remove a sample from any bulk item (such as grain), so a few cards from a large consignment shouldn't matter, should it?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bLackjackj Avatar
41 months ago

Local executives in India reportedly looked at the possibility of "entirely cornering off one of Foxconn's multiple assembly lines, sequestering workers
Absolutely absurd! It's only a phone, not a product that is going to change the world as we know it. Sequestering workers? Are they supposed to not have contact with anyone for fear of revealing a smaller notch or x zoom. My goodness,..grow up!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluecoast Avatar
41 months ago
I think that Apple's culture of secrecy is getting a bit silly when it's such a mega-corp. It's the behaviour of a cult rather than one of the biggest publicly traded companies in the world.

This culture started when Apple was far smaller in the 00s and the secrecy meant that the launch day impact gave them millions of $US free marketing.

Nowadays, people know most of the details of the iPhone before it comes out anyway (if you look hard enough).

I get that this secrecy culture will be important for new products - such as the Car and the AVR/VR products - but seriously: is there anyone in the world who is going to be surprised that Apple is going to launch new iPhones in September?

Anyone who is vaguely interested knows that there will be an iPhone 14 Plus and that the Pro models will have always on displays etc. etc.

And given Apple's size - and the importance of the iPhone in the wider culture - they're practically guaranteed wall to wall coverage on the day and the day after the iPhones are revealed, attempts at secrecy or not.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
41 months ago
Apple is also said to be concerned about Indian customs officials who often unseal packages to check if imported materials match their declarations, which could jeopardize the company's stringent product secrecy controls.

Apple could confuse potential leakers by shipping tons of the same processors as last year's model, since nobody thinks Apple would charge $1,000 for a new phone with an older chip. :cool:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
petsk Avatar
41 months ago
How about moving production to US and Europe instead and keep your little secrets.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yellow8 Avatar
41 months ago
Logistic nightmare! Must be hard to pull off..
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)