Tech giant Apple Inc. is looking beyond China for the production of its gadgets, a recent report published by Wall Street Journal has said. Recently, the multi-national firm asked some of its contractors to ramp up production outside China, with India and Vietnam being deemed as possible alternatives. It is pertinent to note that the consideration was made as China is still bogged down by coronavirus regulations amidst a recent infection surge.
However, the pandemic is not the only reason behind the possible relocation. Beijing has refrained from adopting any punitive measure against its ally Russia- a stance which has been widely criticised by the West. Now, with Apple mulling reducing its dependency on China, other western countries could also follow suit and find alternate locations for production or sourcing of raw materials.
At present, an estimated 90 per cent of all Apple products including iPhones, iPads and MacBook laptops are manufactured in China by outside contractors. However, Chief Executive denied dependency on the Asian giant and said that the company’s supply chains were global. Interestingly. India produced 3.1 per cent of the world’s iPhones last year, and the proportion is forecast to increase to 6 per cent to 7 per cent this year, according to research firm Counterpoint.
Apple considering Electronic Paper Display
This comes a known Apple analyst at TF International Securities Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the Cupertino-based tech giant is testing an electronic paper display for its upcoming foldable device. Such a type of display is found on e-readers like Kindle. On May 17, 2022, Kuo took to his Twitter handle to share that Apple is testing E Ink’s Electronic Paper Display (EPD) for its upcoming foldable device. The company will use EPD for the foldable’s “cover screen & tablet-like applications.” As of now, mainstream foldable smartphones available in the market include Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3. Out of these, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a large cover screen in addition to the main display that unfolds. From what it sounds like, the analyst is suggesting that Apple could use EPD for its foldable’s outer display, which is used when the device is folded.
(Image: AP)