Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to a Chinese assembly plant owned by Luxshare as part of his trip to the country. Luxshare is rumored to be Vision Pro’s exclusive assembly partner as production is said to ramp up ahead of the headset’s release early next year (via SCMP).
Cook today visited Luxshare’s assembly plant located in the Zhejiang province in eastern China. Cook also took to his account on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo to commemorate his visit. Luxshare also assembles a share of AirPods and iPhone 15 units. The Chinese contract manufacturer is also rumored to be the sole supplier of Vision Pro, a move that bolsters Luxshare’s relationship with Apple amid the latter’s apparent strategy to shift more production into India.
Cook’s post on Weibo makes no mention of Vision Pro assembly, but he explicitly mentions Luxshare as a partner in assembling the Apple Watch Series 9 and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Previous reports suggested that Vision Pro’s assembly is quite complex owing to the intricate nature of the product, and Apple ought to ramp up production of its headset in time for its anticipated release in early 2024.
The plant’s visit comes after he made an appearance at an Apple Store location in Chengdu to watch a local gaming tournament for Tencent’s “Honor of Kings,” engaging with customers and staff. He later shared his excitement in an earlier Weibo post, praising the event’s energy. Cook also visited a Yucheng elementary school to observe how students incorporate iPads into their local culture.
Coincidentally, this visit came shortly after earlier reports indicated a 4.5% decline in iPhone 15 sales in China compared to the previous year’s iPhone 14 lineup. This dip in sales has impacted Apple’s share price and raised concerns in the media about the performance of the iPhone 15 in the Chinese market and beyond.