Ahead of iPhone 17 Series Launch, Apple Tells Suppliers to Replace Workers With Robots: Here’s What It Means for India

Apple is all set for its highly anticipated ‘Awe Dropping’ event on September 9, revealing the iPhone 17 series and several other products. Ahead of the official launch, a new report reveals another major shift happening behind the scenes. As per this new report, the tech giant is pressuring its suppliers to adopt robots and expand automation across their factories. This marks a decisive move toward reducing reliance on human labor.

Why Apple is Asking to Use Robots and Not Humans

For the past two years, Apple has been encouraging its manufacturing partners to integrate more automation into their production, rather than relying on human labor. Now, according to a new report, the company is making automation conditions for securing contracts.

The shift from human labor to automation highlights the company’s long-term focus on stabilizing product quality and improving consistency across global facilities. In addition, it also lowers overall production costs and aligns with Apple’s ongoing push to diversify its supply chain away from China.

Suppliers Are Expected to Fund Automation

One of the surprising directives that came from Apple is that the company is expecting to bear the financial burden of automation from its suppliers. Unlike earlier policies where Apple invested in machinery and tools, suppliers will now have to handle the heavy upfront costs themselves.

This has reportedly led to operational disruptions and tighter profit margins for several manufacturing partners. Despite these challenges, Apple continues to offer assistance in environmental sustainability efforts, staying committed to its 2030 carbon neutrality goals.

Automation Across All Products

The decision of automation is not just limited to the iPhones, but it spans the entire Apple ecosystem, including MacBooks, iPads, Apple Watches, and more.

With five iPhone factories run by Foxconn and Tata, production in the country has steadily expanded. In fact, Foxconn has already begun small-scale production of the iPhone 17 series in its Bengaluru facility, and all four upcoming models are expected to be assembled locally.