Apple has relied on its manufacturing prowess in China to meet the extraordinary demand for its products for years now. But, times change, circumstances change, and now Apple appears to be trying to venture out of the region.
Vietnam
The next AirPods refresh could be potentially postponed until 2021
Apple was predicted to update its AirPods earphones line this year, but it's now increasingly looking that the refresh could be delayed until next year as Apple is moving a substantial amount of AirPods production from China to Vietnam to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Apple supplier Sharp reportedly building a plant in Vietnam due to the US trade war with China
Apple's supplier Sharp is reportedly gearing up to move part of its production out of China in response to President Trump’s latest escalation of the growing US trade war with China.
Apple has reportedly been trialing AirPods production in Vietnam
In yet another sign that it's moving to diversify product manufacturing beyond China, Apple's reportedly been trialing AirPods production in Vietnam, per a communication seen by Nikkei.