Despite his efforts to move production to India, Apple has been forced to reverse one of its most strategic movements: the commemorative iPhone for the 20th anniversary It will finally be manufactured in China.
This has been advanced by journalist Mark Gurman in his weekly bulletin, and the reasons that justify it go far beyond geopolitics, they have nothing to do with Donald Trump's tariffs or commercial wars, but with the manufacture of the device itself.
Apple will not go from China
The Californian company has the most ambitious iPhone in its history. It is not a simple evolution of current models, but a complete redesign that would include, according to the most reliable leaks, two star products: a folding iPhone with book -type design, in the style of the galaxy z fold, and a New version “Pro” with a structure dominated by the glass and components that would be hidden under the screen. That is, it would have a completely clean panel, without notch or dynamic Isla, with the front camera and Face ID invisible to the naked eye. A technological feat.
These designs, according to Gurman, are “extraordinarily complex” and require new production techniques, special materials and an industrial precision level that, for now, is only guaranteed in Chinese factories. Although Apple has been investing in its Plants in India And he intends to assemble there all iPhone for the US market before 2027, the truth is that their partners in the Asian country are not yet prepared to face a technical challenge of this magnitude.
To this is added a historical factor that weighs a lot in Apple's strategy: it has never released a completely new iPhone generation out of China. Not even with him iPhone xwhich broke all the molds in its day with the Face ID and the disappearance of the start button. Experience, infrastructure and human resources that offer suppliers such as Foxconn or Luxshare remain unmatched today, especially when it comes to millions of units with an extremely high standard standard.
New 20th Anniversary iPhone
On the other hand, it is speculated that the folding model could exceed 2,000 dollars In departure price, which would make it the most expensive iPhone in history. And it is precisely that exclusivity that pushes Apple not to take risks in the production phase. Speaking a device as innovative and expensive with assembly problems or factory defects would be a devastating blow for your brand image, especially in a product as symbolic as the 20th anniversary.
Meanwhile, in India the preparations continue to assume a greater share of production of the current models and those that will arrive in the future, investing in technical training and in the extension of factories.
Apple faces an increasingly difficult dilemma to solve: how to maintain its leadership in innovation without depending so much on China, in an increasingly volatile global context. For now, it seems that the answer is pragmatic: go to the safe with the most important iPhone in its history. And that, for the Cupertino company, means returning to the starting point.
