đ¨Why the iPhone Wonât Be Made in America â And Probably Never Will
The idea of building iPhones on American soil sounds patriotic â but in reality, itâs nearly impossible. Itâs not just about labor costs or screwdriver shortages. Apple has spent decades building an ultra-optimized supply ecosystem in Asia, and that machine canât simply be airlifted to Texas.
A reminder: when Motorola tried something similar in 2013 with a Texas factory, it ended in disaster â high costs, slow output, and low demand. That experiment quietly disappeared.
Today, less than 5% of iPhone components are made in the U.S. Even when glass comes from Kentucky, touchscreen layers are built in Korea, and chips are produced by TSMC in Taiwan â only recently testing small-scale manufacturing in Arizona. Assembly? Still 85% in China.
Each iPhone contains 2,700 parts from 187 suppliers across 28 countries. In China, these vendors and factories sit side by side â speeding up production, slashing costs, and keeping Apple competitive.
Yes, Apple is diversifying. India now assembles 16% of global iPhones, with plans to hit 20%. With cheap labor, government incentives, and a rising internal market, India makes sense. But the core components? Still Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese.
The truth is: the iPhone isnât made in one place. Itâs a global product with an Asian heart â and itâs not coming back across the ocean anytime soon.
Do you think tech giants will ever bring critical manufacturing home â or is globalization now baked into every circuit?