Apple’s AirPods Max are due to be assembled in Vietnam as opposed to being manufactured in China like other Apple products, according to DigiTimes. 

Supply chain sources indicate that the headphones will be assembled by the Chinese companies Luxshare Precision Industry and Goertek, with both firms beating off competition from rival Taiwanese enterprises for the contract, even though Inventec Appliances had previously participated in the development of the AirPods Max.

Most notably, both Luxshare Precision Industry and Goertek will produce the AirPods Max at factories located in Vietnam, indicating that Apple is in the process of shifting its supply chain to sites outside of China.

DigiTimes also reports that its sources view the move to assemble the products in Vietnam as signifying that Apple is striving to accelerate the relocation of its suppliers away from China.

This comes following recent years seeing Apple attempting to reduce its dependence on suppliers in the northern neighbor to avoid the impact of the trade war between the United States and China.

This served to not only intensify the production of accessories in other countries, but has seen Apple iPhone assemblers such as Foxconn Electronics and Wistron gradually move their production lines to India. According to 9to5mac, the trend is set to continue into the future.

AirPods Max are wireless headsets that Apple first introduced on December 8, with the product on sale for US$549, higher than both the 2020 iPhone SE and the AirPods combined.