* Apple ( AAPL ) counts Tata as key supplier as it diversifies beyond

China

* Tata breach has seen files of Apple ( AAPL ), Tesla posted on dark

web

* Apple ( AAPL ) has been investigating the matter, Reuters has

reported

* Supplier list, component names of iPhone 18 Pro in leak

By Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Stephen Nellis

NEW DELHI/SAN FRANCISCO, June 29 (Reuters) - Sensitive lists

of components and suppliers, and photos of Apple's ( AAPL ) upcoming

iPhone 18 Pro models are part of files posted on the dark web by

the ransomware group that stole data from the U.S. firm's Indian

supplier Tata Electronics, according to documents and a source.

The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated business of

building the iPhone, which Apple ( AAPL ) assembles from a thicket of

suppliers worldwide. It could also upset Apple ( AAPL ) and its

relationship with Tata given most of the supplier arrangements

are fiercely protected by Apple ( AAPL ), and could also hand rivals,

counterfeiters and its own vendors a view of who makes what.

Tata, which both supplies parts and assembles iPhones as a

contract manufacturer, is emerging as one of Apple's ( AAPL ) most

important manufacturing partners outside China, an expansion

that is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to

make India an electronics manufacturing powerhouse.

Apple ( AAPL ) is reportedly on track to release its iPhone 18 Pro and

Pro Max in September. The leak comes at a difficult time for

Apple ( AAPL ), which last week raised iPad and MacBook prices due to

soaring memory and storage chip ​costs, with analysts expecting

Apple ( AAPL ) to increase iPhone prices in the coming months.

Reuters has previously reported the Tata Electronics leak of

more than 200,000 files on the dark web by World Leaks had files

with purported component design papers of older iPhones and some

parts of Tesla - both Tata clients. They also included documents

of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co ( TSM ) and ⁠Qualcomm

, both of which make parts used in iPhones.

New documents reviewed by Reuters show there are at least six

files that map many components in the iPhone 18 Pro models to

the specific company that supplies them. These include details

of chips on its main circuit board and parts of the battery and

cameras.

Apple ( AAPL ) considers this detail sensitive and is concerned about

the documents being shared on the dark web as they relate to

unreleased models, according to the person familiar with the

matter. The data maps suppliers to iPhone parts, which Apple ( AAPL )

does not disclose in its public database of suppliers, the

person added.

In all, the documents detail hundreds of parts to be on the

upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models.

The records also show where Apple ( AAPL ) draws a part from several

suppliers and where it relies on just a few, laying bare both

its bargaining leverage and its vulnerabilities.

Spokespeople for Apple ( AAPL ) and Tata did not respond to Reuters

queries.

World Leaks has previously claimed responsibility for a Nike ( NKE )

break-in. Reuters has not verified the authenticity of ​the data

and could not immediately reach World Leaks for comment.

News website AppleInsider first reported last week that

iPhone 18 Pro documents were part of the Tata leak.

Reuters has previously reported that Apple ( AAPL ) is investigating the

matter and working with Tata on long-term measures. Tata has

restricted internal access to sensitive ​systems as it

investigates the leak, and hired a global consultant to conduct

a forensic audit.

DROP-TEST IMAGES

Several of the leaked files carried Apple ( AAPL ) "confidential"

watermarks and internal Apple ( AAPL ) code-names consistent with the

iPhone 18 Pro generation, according to the source familiar with

the matter.

Inside the folder for iPhone 18 Pro files are photographs of

iPhones undergoing drop tests at one of Tata's plants, dated

early 2026. They depicted a conventional slab-shaped, grey

handset with a three-rear-camera setup and the Apple ( AAPL ) logo.

Reuters could not with certainty identify the model number

of the phone, but the source said the photos are of iPhone 18

Pro models.

For Apple ( AAPL ) and Tata, the breach cuts at the trust

underpinning their partnership. Apple's ( AAPL ) move into India rests on

its newest major assembler Tata, just as the company

increasingly diversifies beyond China.

The bet has fast paid off: India is on track to make 26% of

the world's iPhones in 2026, up from 6% four years ago,

according to Counterpoint, a research firm.