Apple in talks to make MacBooks in Thailand, report says

The tech giant’s reported plans come as the company looks to expand its manufacturing presence outside of China.

Apple is in talks with suppliers to make MacBooks in Thailand as part of the company’s ongoing effort to expand its manufacturing presence outside of China, Japan’s Nikkei reports.

Suppliers participating in these talks have existing manufacturing complexes in Thailand for other customers, and are discussing the potential assembly and production of components and modules for MacBooks, sources from three suppliers involved in talks with Apple told Nikkei.

Apple has also been mass-producing its Apple Watch in Thailand for more than a year, the report published Thursday said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters news agency. Reuters was not immediately able to determine the three suppliers named in the report.

Apple and its key suppliers have moved production from China, where strict COVID-19 restrictions disrupted Foxconn’s largest iPhone factory last year.

Apple is also trying to avoid a blow to its company due to tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Separately, Bloomberg News reported Thursday that Apple has tripled production of iPhones in India, assembling more than $7 billion worth of smartphones in the country in the past fiscal year.

The tech giant now produces nearly 7 percent of its iPhones in India, up from 1 percent in 2021, the report said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the Indian production.

In March, Foxconn announced its plans to invest more outside of China. Meanwhile, Pegatron Corp. is in talks to establish a second factory in India as part of its effort to diversify manufacturing outside of China, Reuters reported.