GoKawiilNikkei Asia reports that while Apple is less exposed to potential export disruptions out of India, shipments that rely on Middle East trade hubs could face significant declines in the coming weeks. Here are the details.
Apple better prepared to handle disruptions
Over the past year, India has emerged as one of Apples main alternatives to China when it comes to the company’s effort to diversify its manufacturing footprint.
This timing also coincided with the Indian government’s own efforts to position the country as a global manufacturing hub, which for the smartphone market translated to a surge in exports as global brands ramped up local assembly and overseas shipments.
According to NikkeiAsia, official data from India shows that the country “exported about $11 billion worth of mobile phones in the first half of the fiscal year that began in April 2025, up about 55% from a year earlier.”
However, it seems that the war in Iran is about to disrupt this momentum. Here’s Nikkei Asia:
“[…]analysts warn that smartphone exports could decline in the coming weeks, particularly in channels that depend on regional trade hubs, including the United Arab Emirates. Some added that shipments led by small- and mid-sized traders were more affected than those from large-scale, organized exports by global brands.
According to the report, Apple is one such large brand less exposed to these disruptions by rerouting shipments.
Still, the chaos in the region could significantly slow down of smartphone exports from India “by 22% to 25% in the coming weeks if the crisis escalates,” per the report.
The report also stresses one silver lining: while this tension has been disrupting shipments, it doesn’t seem to have affected demand as of yet.
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