A cyberattack on Apple supplier Tata Electronics in India, reported in June, has become a talking point for Chinese state media and repair-market technicians, who cite the breach to question India's readiness for high-end electronics manufacturing. Sellers in Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei market say the leaked design still isn't enough for them to build a working copy of the unreleased iPhone 18 Pro.
The breach at Tata Electronics has become propaganda material for Beijing, as Chinese leaders work to keep global manufacturers tied to the country's supply chains. Hacking group World Leaks claimed responsibility for the attack, and stolen data included parts lists, suppliers and photos of Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, Reuters reported in June.
Tata Electronics confirmed a cybersecurity incident to CNBC, saying it had no impact on its operations across businesses, without specifying whether any materials or data were taken. Apple declined to comment on the leak or its supply chain plans.
Beijing turns the breach into a warning
The Communist Party's Global Times newspaper warned in July that India's manufacturing base has systemic weaknesses, arguing that replicating supply chains in other countries is no easy task. The rivalry with India over iPhone production has alarmed Chinese authorities. Last year, Apple produced its top device line, the iPhone 17 series, in India for the first time.
Rising geopolitical tension has pushed Apple and other U.S. companies to pursue supply chain diversification away from China. Even so, a May report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Rhodium Group said China is using regulations and economic coercion to reinforce control over critical supply chains, including tighter controls on critical minerals and processing technologies.
'Baby iPhone' copycats fall short
In Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen's used-phone marketplace where technicians are known for rebuilding and repairing devices, sellers insist recreating the iPhone 18 Pro from the leaked material is almost impossible. One seller, Guo Youliang, said: "You can't really make anything from those drawings. At most, you could make phone cases."
Repair specialist Wang Shun, working on a device at his market stall, said the copies look like an iPhone but have different chips and software inside — the parts Huaqiangbei still can't source. The market's best-known imitation is the $29 "17 Pro Mini," nicknamed the Baby iPhone, which copies the iPhone 17 Pro's cosmic orange finish but runs on Android; Apple stopped making mini-sized iPhones after the iPhone 13 Mini. The iPhone 18 Pro line is widely expected to launch this September.
Source: CNBC
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