China recalls workers from iPhone 17 assembly lines
*Image credit — Majin Bu
Due to stringent tariffs being imposed by the States, Apple has shifted to manufacturing iPhone 17 models in India. In retaliation, China has asked its workers that were assigned to factories in India to return home.
The country has, understandably, been very resistant to the change. It doesn’t help that tensions are already strained between the two nations. This year’s Indian iPhone exports have skyrocketed, surpassing an entire year’s worth of exports in mere months. Apple has also been lobbying airport authorities in the country to speed up the process of shipping phones to the U.S.
As such, China has flown back most of its workers from India, who had been a crucial part of setting up these facilities in the first place. According to the sources that first revealed this news, this move isn’t expected to affect the quality of the iPhone models being assembled. However, the speed at which they’re being made will take a hit.
Apple can’t really afford any more hurdles at the moment. The company’s plans to include 12 GB of RAM on all iPhone 17 models is already in jeopardy due to ongoing supply chain shortages. On the other hand, iPhone 17 Air displays are cracking during evaluation. CEO Tim Cook is extremely anxious about these problems, and his latest obsession is also in trouble due to the failures of Apple Intelligence.
In addition to China calling back employees, the U.S. government isn’t happy with Cook either. President Donald Trump told Cook that shifting production to India was not good enough, and that Apple should bring its operations Stateside. Analysts claim that such a move would be impossible, as the costs for manufacturing as well as the finished products would skyrocket uncontrollably.
Apple also plans to bring 120 Hz displays to all of the iPhone 17 models this year, which makes things even harder when it comes to manufacturing. Samsung, which moved its production out of China years ago, hasn’t had to face such hurdles recently. That’s also due to the fact that Trump is focused on bringing Apple to the States, and not its largest rival.
Apple is also facing manufacturing troubles in other areas, and has had to postpone the foldable iPad due to high costs.
