New Delhi: Apple is planning to some of its iPad production out of China to Vietnam amid Covid-lockdowns in and around Shanghai, according to media reports. This could be the first such move by the Cupertino-based tech giant that will help it solve its supply chain issues arising out of the lockdown in several parts of Covid-hit China. The company has reportedly contacted multiple component suppliers to build up their inventories to meet future shortages and supply chain issues, Nikkei Asia said in its report on Wednesday. 


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"The iPad will become the second major line of Apple products made in the Southeast Asian country, following the AirPods earbud series," the report said. Apple "could soon start to produce a small number of the iconic tablets there", the report said. 


In China, Apple relies on BYD for the assembly of iPads. The company had reportedly helped the iPhone maker to set up its production lines in China as well. In 2021, Apple shipped about 58 million iPads. 


Apple has also reportedly asked suppliers to move quickly to secure supplies of some chips for the upcoming iPhones. "The requests apply to all of Apple`s product lines -- iPhones, iPads, AirPods and MacBooks," said the report, citing sources.


Apple CEO Tim Cook had recently said in the latest earnings call that "we have estimated the constraints to be in the range of $4 to $8 billion and these constraints are primarily centred around the Shanghai corridor".


"The Covid-related disruptions are also having some impact on customer demand in China," added Apple CFO Luca Maestri in the earnings call. 


Will Apple ramp up its production in India? 


Last month, a Wall Street Journal report citing sources pointed out that the company is planning to ramp up its production outside of China. The tech giant is reportedly moving away from China due to Beijing's strong anti-coronavirus stance among other factors. Also Read: ‘Come to office or leave Tesla’: Elon Musk gives ultimatum to executives


Reportedly, Apple is looking to shift its production to India and Vietnam, among other nations. Both the countries already account for a minor amount of Apple's global production. The report also noted that Apple sees India as the next China. Also Read: WhatsApp blocks over 16.6 lakh ‘BAD’ accounts in India in April 2022